Day 3:
August 5, 2018
A good night’s sleep brought me to a gray and misty morning to begin the longest and most uphill portion of my journey. Breakfast options appeared limited to a choice of the Fresh Start Neighborhood Market or go hungry. The early morning clerk at Fresh Start was bright, chipper and quite interested in my cycling garb. He had a relative who was into all sorts of bicycle stuff so we talked while I munched my microwaved egg sandwich and pastry. While the food was not great, the price was right and the guy at the register sent me off with good wishes and a full belly.
I decided to skip the first few miles of the trail since it was little more than an undulating, rutted, dirt track between a railroad siding and US 18. The nearly non-existent early Sunday morning traffic and the smooth wide shoulders made Highway 18 a fast and easy choice. The railroad siding was occupied by a three mile long collection of autorack style rail cars complete with a gallery of graffiti. Most of these artistic endeavors were the run of the mill, kid with a spray can variety but a couple stood out as having some artistic merit. Unfortunately, such museum works are difficult to display properly and do not get the sponsorship and support of mainstream art.
After paying homage to this exhibit it was onward and upward to the Cow Patty Trail. This delightful section of the Mickelson Trail has been carefully paved with bovine excrement lovingly deposited by the herds of cows that use this section as a shortcut between one pasture and the next. They also seem to have a strict don’t poop where you eat policy. Dodging the pies made for an interesting, skill testing exercise.
My ride started at around 3500 feet above sea level and would continue its gradual climb over the next 50 miles eventually reaching just under 6000 feet in elevation. The trail looks most flat at times but my legs spoke of a different reality. No single effort was difficult but the grind of the relentless uphill eventually results in fatigue. By the time I passed through Pringle at milepost 32 I was ready for an energy boost. What could be more appropriate than to pop open a can of Pringles in Pringle? While taking a break I was able to swap tales with a fellow bicycle trekker heading the opposite way.
While the ride was the literal definition of an uphill grind, there was still plenty to make it a great experience. Along the way I passed a herd of Buffalo, numerous wild sunflowers, an old car left to rot where it stopped as well as a number of interesting building in various states of disrepair. Even though it was a Sunday, the trail had very little activity either due to the gray skies or the fact that the big motorcycle rally scared other tourists away. If so, they missed a great day for riding and some great sights as well. The only down side to the day was losing my fifty year possession of an official Boy Scout eating utensil set somewhere near Custer City. Anyone who knows me will know that this priceless heirloom has come close to being lost on a few occasions only to be rescued from oblivion by a lucky find or a dedicated daughter. This time its departure was final and no amount of searching was able to bring it home. May whoever found it get their fifty years of service before passing it on to another.
