Day 16. Wow. Woke up around 7:30, got breakfast at a convenience store, and set off for Sioux Falls. Winds were out of the north, which wasn't optimal but was better than a headwind. My glove tan is getting pretty good, and we're running low on sunscreen so I went without it today.
The patched tube that Travis patched bit the dust just outside of Sioux Falls and after fixing it the liner had gotten cockeyed. So I got the pleasure of using our cheap, yet seemingly reliable, Walmart hand pump to inflate the tire to 100 psi twice.Dad left at the first exit in town for the bus station while we continued to Two Wheeler Deeler, an owner of which we met in Spearfish. Interstate 90 had taken us nearly half way across the country, but it was not with any great sadness that we left it for I-29. We were given a warm welcome by with a flat tire for Travis no less than a mile south of I-90. Armed with the tubes from yesterday, we made it to Subway before splitting up with Travis going to the bike shop and me heading to the grocery store. I downed two peaches and a plum before joining Travis at the bike shop. My rear wheel had gotten pretty messed up by the double flat yesterday, but Travis was able to true it in no time.
We initially planned to head south on I-29, but it was uncomfortably crowded and so we began picking our way southeast towards Des Moines on the back roads. We aren't entirely sure how far the whole ride will be, but it we're guessing about 3,300 miles. Hence, I finally got the opportunity to belt Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer: "Whooa, we're half way there! Whooa, livin' on a prayer!" A bit later, we crossed into Iowa by Akron and after looking at the map, set a goal of Le Mars, 21 miles away.
In Le Mars we got delicious cheese balls at Bob's Inn before heading to a local little league game. We caught two innings of that before heading to the bar to look for a place to sleep. The locals recommended the city park, so that's where we are. Hopefully it's free!Tomorrow we're going to try to reach Templeton, well over halfway to Des Moines. Spirits are still high, even though the back roads are hilly, they are much more peaceful and enjoyable.
| Time | Trip | Odometer | Average | Max |
| 8:42:36 | 129.7 | 1742 | 14.8 | 30.9 |
