Mitchel, South Dakota!

Sorry, there will be no pictures for this post due to my inability to work with the race of computers.

Okay, so it's been a while. I am currently in Mitchell, South Dakota. When I last wrote, I was in Granite Falls. That was last wednesday. The evening of that rest day my dad was on business in the area and joined me for a dinner of pork chops, potatoes, beer, and pickled herring( I don't usually eat that well). The next morning we ate at a resteraunt, the ever delicious and auspicious 'DeToys' estabalishment in Granite Falls. Then I continued on my way. Thursday I battled a headwind and made my goal of Canby. I met a very nice old man who talked to me at my camp in the park for nearly an hour, telling me about how things have changed for better and worse. His name was Curtis, and he was very kind.

Friday brought an even stronger wind straight out of the south. I made very few miles and camped exhausted in Toronto, South Dakota. At least I had finally crossed the border! I was feeling pretty dicouraged that night in Toronto. That blasted loniliness coupled with days of much effort and little progress was a soul drink to down. Late that night, as I was setting up my tent, the wind stopped, and the park was totally still. Then the wind picked up again, but now it was from the North! I felt like throwing a party!!! I didn't though.

That north wind held throught the next day and whisked me down to Madison, where I found a Chinese resteraunt with an all-you-can-eat-buffet. I can't remembver what the resteraunt was even called. Those of you that were with me when we went to the 'Great Wall' Chinese reaseraunt in Minneapolis will recall that I got my money's worth then, and that doesn't come close my performance at this place. I walked in smiling, paid the guy at the cash register (after double checking; "it is an all you can eat buffet, right?"), and picked out a table near the window. Then I calmly got up, got a plate and, trying no to start laughing out of pure glee, began to fill my plate. I laid waste to that buffet. I was a viking raiding party and it was england. I was a Bandit and it was a poorly guarded stagecoach carrrying gold bars! It was glorious, beautiful , and horrifying, like watching a lion take down a baby gazelle on the discovery channel.
That day of good progress, abundant food, and a couple of good conversations on the phone saw my loniliness running, tail between it's legs! I was finally in tremendously good mood!

I stayed at a state park outside of madison( the first tinme I've paid for where I've slept) and took a day off so that I could stop at the farm of some relatives, Roger and Adel. They were exeedingly welcoming and fed me well. I learned a bunch of family history, and got to see the house where my grandmother grew up, and the land that my Great, Great, Great Grandfather bought when he moved to South Dakota from Illinoise. I got to see the cemetary where these ancestors of mine are burried. Plus, I got to meet my living relatives! Thank you Roger and Adel, and Sarah and Isac, and Jerome and Barb, for a great stay! I met another great guy during my stay. Mitchel was a guy who I had coincidently asked for directions to the campground in Madison. He was at a church dinner we went to, and upoun hearin gabout my trip, he went and got a book out of his car for me! It's called 'The Road of Dreams' and it's about a coupl ewho bike/hike around the world in two years. I had just finished my last book, so this came just in time.

That brings us to today. I left the farm by, oh, eleven, and was on the road again. The wind wasn't bad for the first bit of the day, but as I turned west and headed toward Mitchell, my progress slowed as I met head-on with what I expect to be dealing with for several days at least; and strong wind out of the west.

So now I am in Mitchel(l?) ending the day a bit early in terms of mileage so I can updat e this blog thing and communicate with you folks. Also, it's windy, remember? I asked a women for directions to a library and she not only gace me directions but a big piece of delicious chocolate cake!
Thanks for reading, folks!