Day 53: Chamberlain, SD to Wessington Springs, SD

July 22, 2023

66 miles

1,966 miles so far

Today was a long hot day riding over rolling hills and rising temperatures through more farmland. We were able to ride a frontage road again to HW90 out of Chamberlain. We rode east to Kimball where we turned north to eventually connect with route 34 which took us east into Wessington Springs, our destination for the day.

As we were riding north, we stopped for a break on the side of the road. A young man on a UTV rode by and waved. A few minutes later he turned around and stopped alongside us to talk. His name is Josh, and we learned that his family owns several thousand acres of ranch land on which they raise about 700 bison. He invited us to tour his ranch, so we left our bikes on the side of the road (he assured us that they would be safe) and hopped onto his UTV. After showing us around, he invited us to see their pheasant hunting lodge called “Buffalo County Buffalo” where we also met his wife, Kelly, and their infant son, Jake. They were such a nice family. Josh showed me his AR, automatic rifle, that he uses to shoot prairie dogs. While we think they’re cute when we see them from the road, they’re regarded as pests that dig the holes that horses sometimes step into and brake their legs.

They offered us refreshments, gave us recommendations for dinner in Wessington Springs, and then Josh delivered us back to our bikes which were waiting for us just as we left them!

We spent the night in the only motel in town - enough said about that.

Early morning start