Faulkton, SD to Huron, SD

As expected, today was tough!  The day began with 37 miles straight into a wind coming from the south, followed by 34 miles either into the wind with maybe a slight cross wind. There was no way getting around the wind. It was 72 miles of hard work! Any of you who ride or have ridden know how deflating a wind is to a biker.  At noon Cal felt like he had already ridden 75 miles. Cal stopped at 5:00 this evening (enough is enough), about 10 miles short of Huron, so tomorrow he will start where he stopped today.   

This morning before we left Faulkton we drove by the "Pink Castle" or the Pickler Mansion.  In 1889 Mr. Pickler was the first US Representative from this new State of South Dakota.  What I found so interesting

is that Mr Pickler's family lived in Iowa. During the Civil War Mr Pickler was Captain in the Third Iowa Cavalry, then after the Civil war he attended  Iowa State University.  Mrs Pickler was born near Iowa City, Iowa and she also attended Iowa State University.  They married and he attended law school in Michigan, but returned to Iowa to begin practicing law in Muscatine, IA.  In 1882 they moved to the Dakota Territory establishing a law practice and land development business.  In 1889 he was elected as the first Representative of S.D. I know this is 'old stuff', but they were from our part of the Iowa, before they went 'farther west'!   

Not much happened to day – there are photo of farm equipment, and other things we saw along the way. 
It is interesting how all farmstead have an extensive natural windbreak of trees.

Grain bins and Wind Break around a Farm House - Notice the Additional Bins behind the Wind Break

Airplane Spraying Crops

An Example of the Massive Farm Equipment seen Working the Fields



An Example of the Massive Farm Equipment seen Working the Fields



South Dakota tries to do what ever they can to have a large pheasant and quail population.  When farmland has a low spot, the farmer creates a marsh/wetland for the duck, birds, etc.  The edge of the marsh also protects other game.  I do not know what this extremely wet spring will do to the pheasant nesting habitat, but they are around. SD definitely tries to appeal to hunters.  Tonight we are staying where they have the World’s Largest Pheasant.  See photo. The motel even provides an area for ‘game cleaning’!

The Largest Pheasant in the World - Huron, South Dakota

Today before lunch I went ahead approximately 20 miles to Miller, SD.  Besides picking up items for lunch I found a women’s shop! Yeah!  I haven’t seen a women’s shop for a few days!  Since I had time, I looked through the sales racks –Yikes! - I found a few items! 

Tomorrow we plan to go straight east to De Smet – of “Little House of the Prairie” fame.  We are planning on taking Thursday as a rest day  - after encountering the wind Cal needs a rest day.

Here are some additional photos of scenes we saw today.

Mural of Life in Early Rural South Dakota - Miller, South Dakota

Mural of Pheasant Hunting in South Dakota - Huron, South Dakota