Day 21, Rapid City to the exciting city of Kadoka, 102 miles

Best:  Riding through the Badlands, They are not so bad.

Worst: Stressing about what to come up with for worst for the day.

Most Unexpected:  Seeing a Big Rider going the wrong way through the Badlands, and then the same rider somehow ending up riding on the freeway instead of the frontage road.

We left Rapid City behind this morning on a very slight steady downhill which made us all feel extremely strong.  This was a very fun day of riding, especially because of the riders in the group I was with, Kevin, Jenn, Charles, and Lisa.  Basically we rode 75 miles to the Badlands, and then spent quite a bit of time taking pictures and traveling off road including visiting the Visitor Center. We didn't travel too far off the road because of the following picture:

Which made us all the more brave to take the following picture.

After taking this picture outside the Badlands, I asked a couple if they were going to take their picture with the Prairie Dog as we were getting ready to leave.  They asked us if we were going to see the real prairie dogs just across the parking lot.  No, we answered, we have only seen hundreds as we have been riding across the country, most of them alive and not crushed by cars.

We did take the obligatory Big Ride team picture as we were all wearing the Big Ride jersey to get through the Badlands park.

Obviously a great looking bunch.  In the back row is Charles, Paul, Kevin, Terry, Kenny, and some funny looking guy.  In the front row is Cathy, Karolina, Becka, Jenn, Lisa, and Anita. 

Weather is warming up, with the max being around 90. We are in Kadoka with a population on a good day of 748, and the best part is that we have access to a swimming pool.  It did taste a little salty after we got out.  We did talk to the Mayor of Kadoka who has been the mayor for 24 years.  He did say the only bar in Kadoka is owned by the City, which probably makes for a happy City Council.  This is Sunday so of course the bar is closed.  Enjoy the pictures below, the fruit of my labor, not the fruit of my loins. 

What the heck is this brontosauras eating, concrete pilings?

This picture is out of order, but shows the riders all in the same jersey, and I seem to be in front at this time. 

A natural obelisk to memoralize all the dead prairie dogs.