Day 17, August 11: the 100th Meridian is just another bad memory

(medium resolution pictures)

Mobridge, SD to Aberdeen, SD http://cyclemeter.com/85ef50859d8f1e5c/Cycle-20150811-0824
Distance: 105.3 miles
Total trip distance: 1,203.0 miles
Average speed: 12.0 mph
Maximum speed: 24.2 mph
Riding time: 8:45
Weather: it was 68° when I started at 8:20 AM and it rose to the mid-80s in the afternoon. A relentless ESE wind, more headwind than crosswind, and gusted to 12 or 13 mph in the afternoon.
Terrain: uphill 1804 feet, downhill 2075 feet. The profile shows and ascent up out of the Missouri River Valley and then a long gradual descent into the James River Valley.

Another long day ahead, because the nearest motels in Aberdeen are miles away. Weather Underground showed cross and headwinds for the entire day. I didn't get started until 8:20 because I wanted extra rest after yesterday's long ride. Navigation is simple - US 12 the whole way. The route begins with a big climb out of the Missouri River valley. Then the route goes across the Coteau du Missouri, or Missouri Plateau, and ends in the really flat James River Valley.

The star on the left is Mobridge and the one on the right is, you guessed it, Aberdeen. Aberdeen is in the very flat James River Valley. The Black Hills show up dramatically in the left hand corner.

A view down to Lake Oahe, on the uphill climb out of Mobridge on US 12.

The first town with services is Selby, 21 miles east of Mobridge. I stop for a cold drink. It's warm and muggy by mid-morning.

Young tricyclist at the Cenex station in Selby. Very unusual tricycle, with a handlebar basket. Two people can ride on it. When his dad steers and peddles the trike, the boy stands on the pegs sticking out of the rear wheel.

I saw wind turbine parts being transported on several occasions. There's a pilot truck, a huge transport truck, and a warning truck in back.

Wind turbine tower segment. The photo doesn't show another 6-wheel extension of the truck that helps support the load.

Half of a wind turbine propeller. Not much shoulder on this section of US 12. In worst case scenarios, I use my helmet mirror to assess if both lanes will be full. If so, I stop and pull off the road. This only happened on rare occasions because there never was much traffic.

There are really tall wind turbines in the region and really tall cell phone towers.

This historical marker complains about how the designation of areas west of the 100th Meridian as part of the Great American Desert caused financial hardship for the state of South Dakota. The Wikipedia article on the Great American Desert provides a nuanced and historically sensitive case for why such a designation made sense at the time. The penultimate sentence on the plaque says "The 100th Meridian is just another bad memory."

Standing water in a soybean field. It doesn't seem like a desert today.

Early usage of the term Great American Desert referred to areas that could not be successfully farmed. In fact, a lot of farms did go under because it was a difficult region for farming. In those days, the Great American Desert was better suited for large ranches but it took much trial and error to figure that out.

Water levels are on the rise, as evidenced by this dead tree.

Small farms have been going out of business for decades but new storage facilities are thriving because of the increased yields per acre produced by big farmers.

Another new grain storage facility. As in the previous photo this one is located on a rail line.

Bowdle's Main Street was important when railroads were the dominant form of transport. The decline of Bowdle's Main Street is suggested by the re-purposing of the bank as a youth center. The clatter, clang, and hissing of the grains storage bins on the railroad is constantly heard on Main Street today.

Old and new grain storage in Mina, SD.

This terminal is located on the highway, not on the railroad like the previous ones.

The winds were relentless. They were softer in the morning but from about 11 o'clock onward they were 8 mph with gusts to 12 or 13 mph. At least that's good for wind turbines.

I see more windsocks here than in Pennsylvania. This one is labeled with the name of the owner of the ranch. Note the extreme flatness of the James River Valley.

US 12 got it start as a road to Yellowstone National Park. A resident of Ipswich, SD originated the idea of the Yellowstone Trail.

Ipswich is the home of the idea of US 12 as a trans continental highway. US 12 started as a local road connecting South Dakota towns to one that connected Minneapolis to Yellowstone park and then from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound.

I reached my motel at about 8:30 PM. The road conditions were spectacularly good coming out of Mobridge for about 20 miles or more and for the final 20 or 25 miles coming into Aberdeen. The road shoulders were wide and smooth. Nevertheless it was a long hard slog. Yesterday's ride was more than 20 miles longer but I only spent 10 more minutes in the saddle. At times this ride made me reassess my desire for long bike trips, but looking back on it now I got it done and it doesn't seem so bad. It could have been worse. It's part of the adventure as they say.