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May 25, 2008 (Night)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
Oregon Trip '08 - Day 1

I woke up at 0600 to pack. Behrs got up shortly thereafter. We packed up my stuff, jammed everything in the car, loaded the bike rack, then said goodbyes to mom. We were off by 0830. Not too bad.

I was exhausted from the long day in Duluth -- and sun/wind-burned to boot -- so that first leg of the trip was a tough drive. Took I35 due south, then over to I90. I wish I had taken the US196 instead -- it's a lot more scenic. We stopped around Worthington, where I had Behrs take over so I could get some shut-eye.

Our next stop was in Mitchell, SD. We stopped at their bad-ass Cabela's to get a water cube to replace my old leaky one. We also dined on Steve-o Grad Bash leftovers in the parking lot: ham/cheese sandwiches, complimented with string cheese and fruit.

Our next stop was the traditional Chamberlain, SD, rest stop, which is a scenic overlook of the Missouri River. I love this stop because it's symbolic for the transition from Midwest to the real West! Threw the disc a couple of times, then kept truckin'.

After seeing infinity signs for it, we HAD to stop in Wall for the famous Wall Drug. It was pretty quiet, but it was definitely worth it for the "free ice water"!

Around 5:30ish we pulled into Rapid City. We were lacking several items -- namely a bike helmet for Behrs -- so we stopped at a mall and got a bunch of stuff at Target, including a veg steamer and a bike tire repair kit.

Got back on the road and drove to the Hill City area. I figured we'd take a shot in the dark and try for a campsite at Sylvan Lake, so we drove up there. No dice, though -- they had just run out -- but we were directed for a private campground down the hill toward Custer.

Back in the car, we found this quiet place called "Fort We-Lik-It" (pretty sure it's supposed to be said "LIKE", not "LICK"). Looked good, especially for being on the road for 12 hours, so we booked it and quickly set-up camp.

After set-up, we crossed the Sylvan Lake highway looking for wood. The Black Hills area and Wyoming area has gotten a TON of rain this spring. This is good news for the environment but not for our ability to make a fire! Most of the wood we found was quite wet, but we dragged a few pieces through the woods and back to our site.

Before firing up the fire and dinner, we got in a quick little run. It was Behrs' first in a long time, so we kept it slow on the highway for about a half-mile, til we turned onto this nice double-track. Nice and easy, and short. We turned back for a 2.5mi total. Nothing huge but fine for me.

Behrs got the fire going -- which was no small feat -- while I cut up some "vegibles" for steaming, as well as some just add water pasta sides for a yummy meal!

Pretty damn good day, getting 650+ miles West in the first push.