Day 25 – Murdo to Chamberlain, South Dakota

73 miles, 1680 feet climbed

Today was probably the hottest day yet; so far we’ve been lucky to see below average temperatures. I’m talking about the heat index, which was pushed up to nearly 100 degrees. We started the ride with the sun obscured by clouds. After the first SAG, however, the sun appeared and I needed nearly two water bottles to make it 23 miles to the next SAG. The final leg was on I-90, construction was in process, adding way more debris on the shoulder than normal. At RAP, staff said that was our last riding on the Interstate.

You can see how much more direct the new route is than the old, which would have sent us to Pierre last night and then down to Chamberlain today. The total mileage for the two days is 173 miles, down from 201 miles for the Pierre variant. And there is the added bonus of the Badlands. A good change.
The conditions at about 2:30 this afternoon
Kennebec
Looking up the Missouri River
Chamberlain from across the Missouri
Downtown Chamberlain