July 15 Chamberlain to Mitchell, South Dakota

A change in wind direction brightened my mood considerably today.  After two days of headwinds, the wind calmed down today. For most of the ride, the wind was completely still.  On occasion, it actually blew in the same direction we were traveling.  Better yet, a brief rain storm sprinkled us early in the ride — just enough to cool everything off, but not enough to dampen our spirits.  The terrain also flattened out — no long hills to climb today. As a result, our spirits picked up, our energy picked up and we finished our 73 mile ride through an agricultural landscape before noon.

Now we’re in Mitchell, home of George McGovern.  Remember him?  If he had won the 1972 elections, the word Watergate would mean nothing to us.  Like many towns across

We're well trained

South Dakota, Mitchell is named after an important railwayman from the 19th century. The railway companies opened up this part of the country and built many of the towns as well as some beautiful lodges around national parks.  This is still the region where you can find mile-long trains carrying freight — especially coal — across the country. The trains are so long that going up and down a hill can be tricky.  After cresting the hill, the front-end of the train needs to brake.  But the back-end is still going up the hill and needs more power, not less.  I’m somewhat envious of the high quality passenger rail service found in Europe.  It turns out that the Europeans are very envious of the high quality freight rail service found here.  We apparently have by far the best freight rail system in the world and that dramatically reduces our carbon footprint.  If only those pesky Europeans would catch up.

Mitchell, of course, is also home to the Corn Palace.  While it sounds palatial, it’s about the size of an old fashioned large movie theater.  The outside is covered with corn.  Each year, they come up with a new illustration for the exterior and then implement it in corn. It’s like painting with pixels except that each pixel is an ear of corn. Using different colors of corn, you can create lots of different illustrations.  This year, they’re celebrating the 125th anniversary of Dakota Wesleyan University. (Go Tigers!)  Inside, it’s a multi-purpose center, hosting everything from small trade fairs to basketball games.  Imagine having your high school prom there.  George McGovern did.

Day’s distance: 73.3 miles (117.9 km)
Average speed: 15.6 mph (25.1 kph)
Day’s climb: 1,500 feet (457.2 meters)
Total distance: 2,003.4 miles (3,224.2 km)