May 19, 2016
Starting the bike ride: Thursday, May 19th 2016, Edgemont to Pringle
I didn't have a great night last night. The train came through frequently. It's a long train. It rumbled and shook the ground for a while at each passing. And my mattress has a leak. It's a heavy mattress that I use for car camping, not the one I carry on my bike, so I'm not worried about it for the bike ride, but it deflated quickly when I laid down on it, and I need to fix it.
It was cool overnight, but warmed up quickly in the morning. I made myself some coffee and oatmeal, and wrapped some tortillas with peanut butter and nutella for the ride. I took my bike down to the trailhead, walked back to my car at the campground, moved the car to the trailhead, wrote a note to leave on the dashboard, loaded up my bike, and (phew) I was off!
The landscape was striking - rolling hills and lots of ranch land. There's this thing about cows. I don't know what's going on, but they watch you. It makes me very self conscious.
The ride was harder than I expected. I'm riding uphill. Although it doesn't get too steep, it just goes on and on. I chose this direction thinking that I want the return to be easier, but I'll see.
Today's ride was 32.6 miles, with 1744 feet of elevation gain. I've stopped in Pringle for the night. I had hoped to make it to Custer, but was completely wiped out. I had a good meal at the Hitch Rail Bar and Restaurant. Best burger in eons! The waitress suggested I just set up camp at the trailhead, and that's what I'm doing. The only issue is that there isn't any water here. I can get some at the restaurant, but I also found that the town hall is unlocked and has running water. Camping at the trailhead isn't strictly allowed, but seems to be accepted here. There is no other option other than wild camping off the trail, and that's all private land near here. I'll let you know if I get rousted in the middle of the night!
Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 33 miles (53 km)
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