Almost Badlands

We spent the night in a Walmarts parking lot without getting kicked out. Yay! We crawled in bed before 10:00 as we were both pretty tired. We parked close to a relatively busy street so the sound of trucks, motorcycles, and cars kept us awake for a while, then the traffic eased up and it was quiet for the rest of the night. The temperature was comfortable when we went to sleep but quickly dropped to around 50 degrees by the time we woke in the morning. We quickly dressed and headed for a local coffee shop.

Bourgeois Pig is a very unique, did I say unique, coffee shop. The walls were filled with posters, photos and other pieces of art. The ceilings were filled with lots of hanging lights. The tables were loaded with stickers that carried no rhyme nor reason. It was nearly a sensory overload. When we entered, there was woman, possibly named Karen, in line getting some drinks. I didn’t see what was happening, but I could feel the tension. As the woman got her drinks, she asked “what’s your name?” The barista told her and the woman took her drinks and left. I approached the counter and the barista, maybe late teen or early 20 something, looked at me and said, sorry about that. I told her not to worry about it, take a deep breath and start your day again. She looked at me and said with a big smile, “Good morning, how are you today and how may I help you?” She rebounded well. I left a glowing review, mentioning her name. Some customers can be real jerks and hopefully I was able to help her reset and still end up with a good day.

We had a short day as we were ending up in Edgewood, South Dakota. It is a small town with a lot of semi-rundown building. It is almost a stereotypical, small, rural, western, cowboy town. As we entered we went to see the trail head of the Mickelson Trail. When we arrived, the streets were filled with cars and bicyclists. It so happens they were having their annual trail ride. We hope to leave in the morning and ride to Custer, a small town about 44 miles up hill from here. The temp this afternoon was mid-80s but a cold front is coming in and we will be having some pretty chilly riding during the next several days. We left home thinking we would be fighting the heat, and here we are wishing for more clothes. Actually I think we will have the clothes we need but we will know soon enough.

We are, ironically staying at Cowboy Inn. When we got here, I asked the owner if we could leave our truck and trailer parked here for about 5-6 days while we ride the trail. He said sure and I parked the truck and trailer next the it building and we will pick it up when we return. Very accommodating and we really appreciated it.

Tomorrow is trail day.Read more