The highway from Sloan was about 20km in length and as straight as roads can get. The rasping of Harley Davisons filled the air as hundreds of bikers passed by – later I found there was a special event up the road in Sioux City where they were riding to cafes and restaurants in the area collecting cards, I think they called it poker run.
That wasn’t the only thing to happen along the road. Every so often I would be attacked by birds. Maybe I was passing through their nesting grounds, who knows. But you’d hear tweeting and clicking sounds and then see these black coloured birds dive bomb out of the sky, swooping and sawing, not too different from Hitchcock’s infamous film about the subject.
Sioux City was a bit of a challenge to cycle through. It was not the most cycle friendly, however it did have a route to take you through the worst section. I spent most of the time on the sidewalk picking a safe route through this industrial looking town.
I came across a bikers event and asked if they’d allow me to take a short cut through it – only a 100m section to the next exit that would have saved me 1Km riding round the long way – but they wouldn’t let me. So I had to go the scenic route.
On the north side I bumped into a cyclist coming the other way, the first one since St Louis. He had panniers and was fully loaded, it looked as though he was on a long tour somewhere. But it turned out he was practicing, and getting use to the bike for a future camping adventure. We got talking and he told me about his numerous heart operations, I was quite amazed to hear that he was on the bike only a year after major surgery – the huge scar across his chest proved that he was telling the truth!
A short distance down the road I entered South Dakota. In the distance you could see the spire of St Patrick, Jefferson SD. If it wasn’t for the water towers you’d be mistaken for approaching a French village.
After the vigil Mass I continued another ten or so kilometers to Elk Point where I set up camp only a stones throw away from the spot where Lewis and Clark pitched their tents. Being a city park it was deserted and had limited amenities, but I was lucky enough to find the local sports area restroom and have a shower there.
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