August 19, 2024 – Pickstown and Beyond

    It was raining as I awoke at the Springfield Recreation Area. My camping neighbors (Hispanic family) were packing up in the rain around 6:00am. Maybe they were trying to make it to church service. I heard them praying the night before. I decided to sleep in. My rainfly was keeping me dry, so I slept until the rain stopped; around 8:00am. I then packed up my stuff, went to Casey's convenient store, and then left Springfield. I had a great view of the Missouri River on CR 18 and CR 2. I rode through Yankton Indian Reservation, and I took a brief lunch in Marty at a picnic table in front of one of the Indian University school buildings...home of the Braves. From Marty I rode up hill then downhill to Pickstown. I stopped briefly for a photo op at the Fort Randall Dam. I rode across the dam and Lake Francis Case, and then back up a mega-hill to the plateau above. I was riding on US Highway 18/281. I didn't quite make it to Fairfax. And on faith I found a great place to camp some 15 miles outside of Bonesteel, SD. I camped atop a gulch of a rancher/farmer's property. I went behind the wood line, so no one could see me. I don't like to stealth camp, but when I have to I make due. I didn't get kicked out by the rancher, and I slept very well. No rain, and an A.C. Cool night. In the morning, I headed from Bonesteel on some gravel and dirt county roads. I decided to stay off US Highway 18 after the wind gusts from a semi-truck almost blew me off the road. When you have the option to take a safer route, do so; even if the safer router requires you to ride a greater distance. No one wants to get killed out here on a bicycle adventure. It's not worth it.

    In Bonesteel, I stopped at a convenient store for brunch. I ate a mega sub, cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos, and an energy drink. For dessert, I drank another energy drink and a share-sized Crunch bar. Going by the above advice, I decided to take the Whetstone Bay Option instead of the US Highway 18 option. The former option took me into the rough country on the Missouri River's edge. The rough country is named so because it is very hilly, and there is only one road going through it, so it's hard to get to...CR 1806. Boy, I am glad I went into the rough country. It is absolutely gorgeous ranching land. There is no traffic whatsoever, besides ranchers on tractors. As I was walking up one of the hills, a rancher named Sara drove up behind me in her Polaris with her two cow herding dogs. She wanted to know if everything was ok, and if I needed any water. At this particular juncture, I was prepared. I had all the food and water I needed. But we got to talking , and she really delved into her life as a rancher. She talked about growing hay, cutting hay, wind falling hay, getting two wind falls to make a bale, baling hay, and using the hay to feed the cattle during the winter. She also talked about corralling the cattle, mending fences, feeding the cattle with pellets of food to get the cattle to go where you want them to go, finding (search and rescue) lost cattle, fixing farm equipment, and the other hard work of the rancher's life. It's year round work, too. She doesn't have time to take a vacation. She and her husband have about 300-400 head of cattle with about 12 bulls. She has someone breed the cattle and she sells the calves (white-faced cows) and buys back the (black-faced cows)...She also sells the bulls. Her family makes most of the money selling the calves. They make just enough money to make end's meat. A whole lot goes back into running the ranch and overseeing...get this...5,000 acres of land. She and her husband own 3,700 acres of land, and they rent 1,300 acres of land! What an awesome, hard working team they are! They will also slaughter and butcher a few cows yearly for meat for her and her family. She told me, before they slaughter the cows, to let them eat corn for 3-6 months in order to fatten them up and tenderize the meat. She likes her meat to be 90% lean. She told me a lot more stuff about ranching and raising cattle, but I would have to listen to her again to take it all in. She's got a couple daughters and a son-in-law, so she's hoping one day to give the land and ranch to them...here in the rough, hilly country of South Dakota. It was great to meet Mrs. Sara. I hope to meet her and her family again someday...either in this life time or in the next. Mrs. Sara left me to go back to her ranching life, and I kept walking up the rough country hills.

    I walked up one hill, and another cowboy, named Clayton, came up to me in his truck; Clayton is a young man with a good, friendly temperament. We didn't talk for too long. He said he was kinda jealous of me...just a little bit. But he would much rather ride a horse across country instead of riding a bike. I thought to my self, “My legs and bike are the horse; my head is just going along for the ride.” Clayton drove off in his pickup truck, and I kept walking up and over more rough country South Dakota hills. I finally made it up to the flats, and I had a great view of the Missouri River below. I kept takin' a bunch of pictures today. So many that I finally ran over a thorn and flattened one of my tires. Dad gum the luck. I fixed the flat, but the rubber is splitting on said tire. I hope I can make it to Pierre, SD on these tires. Lord, help me! I've got another 100 miles to get there. I hope I don't have to hike that far. Like I said, dear Jesus, help me! That is all for now. I am bleeding like a butchered pig...I scratched a scab as I was writing this. Also, a bunch of bugs here at Snake Creek Recreation Area. That's where I made it to today, and for now, that's all folks!