August 17, 2024 – God is Good!

    I am currently sitting here with a blessed view of the Missouri River at Springfield Recreation Area. I'm eating smoothie flavored Skittles at the same time. God is good! God is good in so many ways, and the past two days have been absolutely fantastic. My train of thought goes back to Jefferson, SD. I slept at the picnic area and ballpark in town. I slept under a pavilion, and when sleeping on concrete the overnight dew is no issue whatsoever. The hips are a little sore in the morning when sleeping on concrete, but that is much better than being damp with cold dew in the morning.

    I left Jefferson in good spirits, and I had a great ride through Elk Point, Burbank, to Vermillion. In Vermillion, I went to the W.H. Over Museum. What an incredibly well done museum showcasing the history of the region of South Dakota. They have fossils, murals, dioramas, sets with manakins, artifacts, Indian ware, garments, dolls, and so much more. W.H. Over was the curator of the museum. He has passed away, and now an archaeologist named Mr. Bill is the curator of the museum, along with his female Russian sidekick (I didn't get her name...my apologies if you are reading this).

    I got to talk with Mr. Bill and his sidekick for quite some time. I told him that he reminded me of Indiana Jones and that I had just watched both the Last Crusade and Raiders of the Lost Ark. When he was younger, Mr. Bill lived in Pensacola, FL. He lived in Bellview, just down the road from my house. His father was in the Navy. Also, Mr. Bill's daughter is an officer in the Navy and she went to Officer Candidate School at Pensacola NAS. We talked about my journey, his tenure as a welder in his 20s, and his position as archaeologist at the University of South Dakota. He told me there is a state road called 1804 (the year the Corp of Discovery started their expedition up the Missouri) on the East/North side of the river, and there is a road called 1806 on the West/South side of the river (1806 being the year the Corp of Discovery returned from their successful expedition from the Oregon Coast back to Saint Louis, Missouri). I'm going to be on 1806 riding from Bonesteel to Pierre, SD. I should be riding on this road in two days time. I hope to keep in contact with Mr. Bill. I need to see if he emailed me. Another thing he told me was about short, dwarf-like demons on an Indian mound north of Vermillion. The Indians told Lewis and Clark about these fiery creatures, and the duo hiked inland over six miles to check out the site. They didn't find any martians or dwarves, but they found a large hill overlooking grassland prairie and buffalo as far as the eye can see. Meeting Mr. Bill was very pleasant, indeed. Before leaving the museum, I was surprised to see a photography/camera exhibit with hundreds of old cameras from all over the world! It was absolutely fascinating to me as I am an avid hobbyist photographer. I left Mr. Bill and the bluff of Vermillion and pedaled through South Dakota farmland to Gayville, SD.

    At Gayville, I decided to camp at the baseball field in town. But, my retardation and laziness kicked in. I didn't set up my tent. So, in the middle of the night, the sprinklers came on, and woke me up with a steady stream of water. So, I was awakened from my sleep and had to move all my stuff so they wouldn't be sprinkler targets. I laid everything back down on the ground and went back to sleep. I woke up early in the morning damp as a wet dog that just shook off water from the river. The tarp actually collected water. So, I moved my stuff a 2^nd time and put it on some concrete. I still got some sleep, but I'm tuckered out tonight. So, lesson from my stupidity...either sleep on concrete, sleep in a tent, or be prepared to be drenched by dew in the mornings. Duh, right? You're darn tootin' I set up my tent tonight. It is kind of musty smelling, however.

    Therefore, I didn't sleep too well, and I am low on sleep for today's journey, but I still traveled about 45-50 miles. I left Gayville, and I rode through more table flat farmland to Yankton, SD. There are a lot of folks in Yankton today. They are celebrating their River Boat Festival. There was a splendid parade with a marching band, color guard, football team, floats, 18 wheelers, businesses, old tractors, old cars, and much more. I watched much of the parade and then walked down to the riverwalk by the Missouri River. I met a young man named Paxton. He has also done some long distance adventure cycling across America. He has a Surly Long Haul Trucker just like me. He was very kind and supportive. We took a selfie on his camera. If he sends it to me, I'll put it in the blog. After we parted ways I made a contact from Portland, Oregon; a young woman named Jaime. She has been to 29 countries or more and hiked portions of the AT and PCT. She told me to hit her up as a trail angel when I go through Portland. She said that she would let me crash at her house for a few days while I explored Portland. I think I will if she isn't on another one of her adventures, of course.

    I left Yankton and traveled by Lewis and Clark Lake and Recreation Area, over some hills into prairie land to Springfield, SD. It has been one of the best rides of the trip. On Apple Tree Road, there was some magnificent, awe-inspiring views of the Missouri River and the surrounding bluffs, farmland, wetland, and prairie. It was a great day. And again, God is good! No, God is great! No, God is most excellent, indeed. I'm looking forward to sleep tonight, and for the ride tomorrow. I will try to make it to Pickstown, and if I have time and energy, I hope to make it to Fairfax, SD.

    There is one thing I forgot to mention. My brief conversation with Alana Ray Rice. I met her at a Sinclair gas station near the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area. Her mother is the lead cook for a restaurant that is attached to the convenient store. We had a most pleasant conversation as I was waiting for my lunch (bacon cheeseburger and fries). She is a very young girl, but she is very intelligent for her age. She is an artist and she believes in God. I told her to keep God first and she'll be a-ok. I also told her that she should get her own personal Bible. She doesn't have one. As I was leaving after lunch, I waved goodbye to her as she was coloring decorative hearts; her latest work of art. God bless you, Alena. May God watch over you, your family, and direct every step on your path in this journey of life. God be with you. It's getting dark now.