Wherever I May Roam: 2018

Everything was soggy this morning after the heavy thunderstorm that passed through last night, but the rain had stopped so we felt good about that. Shortly after getting on the road we passed into South Dakota and the speed limit increased on the interstate to 80mph. The first stretch to Sioux Falls flew by at that speed. We stopped there to put on our rain gear and so that I could call ahead to Calgary to ensure that we can get a few things done when we pass through on Thursday.

The ride west on I-90 from Sioux Falls is long and straight, especially until Chamberlain and the Missouri River. There are more rolling hills after that, and today there was also a little more sunshine. The hours passed quickly once again, we've gotten pretty good at pounding pavement on our ride home. With the nice weather and the fact that we gained another hour as we crossed over into the Mountain time zone, it was an easy decision to pay the $10 and ride through the Badlands National Park.

It was quite warm by the time we entered the park, and we took our time going through. One day less than five years ago I came to see this place for the first time, totally different this time. The Badlands are pretty cool, it feels like you're on a different planet at times until you come around another corner and you see vast country beyond the badlands. We really enjoyed going through, stopping fairly often to take pictures and to take in the scenery.

Once we were done with the Badlands we hit the interstate for the final 50 miles or so to Rapid City. Since leaving Huntsville, AL three days ago we have traveled 2,497km, avoiding a lot of big thunderstorms and staying mostly dry. The views have changed dramatically over that time as we have made our way northwest.

We have all but one of the rooms booked for the remainder of the ride home, which is kind of bittersweet. All winter we looked forward to the trip and it is already almost over. Time really does fly when you're having a good time!