PowerCycle

05/16 Long day today but I picked up a nice tailwind when I turned north to get to Wounded Knee. Started out on the chilly side this morning but it warmed up by noon. Supposed to get down to freezing again tonight.

As expected, riding through Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has proven to be just as pleasant as riding through any other area. Actually better because no dogs chased me, no one yelled when they were driving by, no one flipped me off and every single car that passed gave me plenty of berth. I also didn’t get robbed, there’s not litter everywhere, the roads are in better shape than roads in a few other states, there are bike lanes on occasion and everyone has been very friendly.

The Wounded Knee Massacre site wasn’t quite what I thought it would be. As soon as you drop down from a steep descent there is a dirt path (I’m hesitant to call it a road) that leads up to the graveyard/memorial. If it hadn’t been for a couple other cars being up there I probably would have ridden right by it. 3 teenagers greeted me and offered an unofficial tour of the marker and gravesites (for a donation). They explained that the men who were killed were thrown into a trench and buried in the fenced in area where the memorial was. I felt a bit awkward being there so I only stayed a couple minutes.

Finding a place to stay got tricky but I found a perfect spot up off a dry creek bed. Getting down here was a chore. Coaxing a loaded touring bike down a steep grassy hill with a sharp drop off right next to you isn’t fun. Tomorrow I’ll be bringing the bags up first and then the bike. I lost the visor on my helmet from all the banging around to top it off. The repair I made on the helmet didn’t hold up so I had it hanging from the trunk bag. If I can’t find the visor I’m going to toss the helmet in the next garbage can I find and buy a new one in Rapid City. I’ve had the thing for years and its met with the ground so many times from my mountain biking days I probably should have replaced it long ago.

I told my couchsurfing host that I was going to be there Monday instead of Sunday but little did I now that I’d be riding 78 miles today. I could probably make it there tomorrow night now. I wanted to stop in Wounded Knee but the campground I read about (Kola) is non-existent even though there is a sign in town indicating that it’s open. Getting to where they said was a lot of fun too. Maybe I’ll stay in an other section of the Badlands and hike around tomorrow.

GPX Track