Day 30 – Pierre, SD to Fort Pierre, SD

We had quite a restful day today in Pierre, staring with a wonderful breakfast of eggs and bacon and fruit made by Elda! We left her house with our clean clothes and full stomachs and made our way to the library. 

We spent almost 6 hours in the library of Pierre, South Dakota, relishing the air conditioning and the quiet. We talked to Al about the upcoming section of the trip, and plan to get to Wyoming as quickly as we can. It will be incredibly hot over the next few days, reaching temperatures of more than 100 degrees, so we will be doing lots of early morning and evening/night riding. 

We are now prepared for the lack of gas stations after stopping by the grocery store for more water. We bought 3 liters of water plus a little collapsible water bottle. And that’s in addition to the four water bottles each of us has been carrying! 

We met a couple at the grocery store who are also on their way across the country, but in the other direction! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a biker selfie. 

We started biking away from Pierre, and soon crossed the Missouri River, thus entering into the Mountain Time Zone! 

But not long after that, we noticed storm clouds approaching, and saw “severe thunderstorms” in the forecast. So we found a house where the owners readily agreed to let us set up in their yard! And we are under their tall back porch, so we are in pretty much the best spot for weather. 

They made Aidan’s day by handing him a steak for dinner! He gives it a 9.9 out of 10. And you could see the joy in his eyes. 

We’re definitely in the storm now…

But just before it was right over us, we took a minute to appreciate the clouds and the flashes of lightning headed our way.