return to sd

One week after returning form the Tour de Kota, I returned to South Dakota for a mini family reunion. Aberdeen is nearly 200 miles further than the starting point for the tour, so I had a long drive there on Friday, and back on Sunday. But, it was totally worth it. I had some time with my parents, all of my brothers and sisters, most of my nieces and nephews, and 3 out of 4 great-nieces.

The youngest, Addie, wasn't ready to be held by me for more than a few minutes. But she almost always had a smile for me when I gave her my attention.

This is Molly making her "crabby face". She is cute, smart and funny, and very sweet. Her sister, Grace, is pretty and kind of shy, which can make it hard to see how funny she is.

Which brings me to one of the highlights of my weekend. Grace was interested in sleeping in a tent. I had brought my two-man tent so I wouldn't subject the masses to my snoring. Grace asked if she could sleep in my tent. I arranged a pad, pillow and sleeping bag. She came to the tent with a jacket, blanket, and flashlight. And everyone but Grace figured she would last about 30 minutes.

But Grace and I had the longest conversation we've ever had. She told me about some of the kids from her school, her t-ball team, the "Cavity Fighters", the petting zoo, favorite animals and colors. We giggled a little and talked about how the wrinkles in the rain fly looked like spider webs.

Eventually Grace turned off her light and fell asleep. At 6:15 the next morning it was light out and Grace stirred and told me she was tired. I asked if she would like to crawl into bed with her Mom, and carried her into the house and down the stairs. I hope this leads to more camping for Grace.

What the whole weekend led to for me was fun. On the deck, in a kayak. But not on the bike. I've only squeezed a couple rides in since TdK. And the prospects don't look good before the weekend. But that still leaves 4 weeks before my next adventure. I'll leave on August 3 for Pagosa Springs and the CRMBT. If the temperatures would dip slightly below 100 degrees it would be easier to get in some long training rides. But I'm confident that I'll be ready for Colorado. Three of the first four days will be about 65 miles, albeit with some good climbs in those miles, and one century plus challenging day.

I can hardly wait for the warm days and cool nights in the mountains. Maybe I need to get Grace started on becoming a cyclist. Happy July 4th to all!