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  • Writer's pictureCarol Olausen

Day 27: Cedar Pass - Badlands to Cody, NE

Updated: Jul 27, 2021

Distance: 82ish miles (depending on flat tire status and how mired in sand each of us was)

Elevation: +3325 / -2614

Temperature: 78 degrees


We woke up in the Badlands, and by the end of the day we were wading through a sandbox.


We headed out of our awesome cabins to the sight of the sun coming up over the Badlands. The temperature was comfortable, and we made good time climbing out of the valley.



Before long, we came upon a traffic stop at the start of the Pine Ridge Reservation, home of the Oglala Sioux. The stop was a COVID-19 checkpoint, in order to reduce the chance that the virus would enter tribal lands, as Covid has been wreaking havoc on indigenous populations throughout the US.



The scenery was beautiful. No mountains, but you could see for miles and miles.


As we climbed one pass, we discovered a herd of cattle. They were so excited to see us that they literally ran over to the fence next to the road. Not to disappoint, we decided to stop to talk to them, which they seemed to enjoy as much as we did. However, upon approaching the fence, it became very clear that there were a lot of them, they were big, and that fence looked rather insubstantial. Nobody knew at that point how much we would come to appreciate that paltry looking fence later in the day.



Early on, we decided to alter our route, when the road we were intended to take as clearly going to be a trial, given that it was steep and unpaved. Therefore, we opted to add 8 miles onto the route in order to have the luxury of asphalt for a while longer. Oh, what a luxury.







After lunch in front of a post office/grocery store, we were off again. Around mile 60, our route took us off the main highway and onto some back roads. There are really no non-highway roads that are paved, so we tackled gravel. The fields were beautiful, even if we were going a bit slower. After several miles, our route took us from gravel road to dirt path. By this point, Kathleen has gotten a flat tire (her 2nd on tubeless tires!). This route seemed questionable, but we were up for it! We rode through a beautiful and fragrant alfalfa field, and some of us were excited to be off the highway and exploring.


Phase 1 roads: rough asphalt and gravel



Phase 2: More dirt than asphalt



Phase 3: Road? We don’t need a road! And this alfalfa looks and smells amazing!!



We followed the path for a few more miles, and then turned onto an even less clear path. At this point, it seemed that we were perhaps not where we should be, but we tried to keep going. The initial excitement was waning quickly. And then…sand. Excitement has now turned to dread. We realize by this point that we are now crossing the Sandhills. There is a reason they call this area the Sandhills. Hitting the sand is like hitting water, and your tires just sink down 3” or so. There is no riding through it. There is just pushing your bike and walking along next to it, until you get to an area that is a bit firmer. It wasn’t long before Carol’s tire went flat, so her bike went up on the rack with Kathleen’s. It was immensely clear that we could not ride this route, so Mary Jo’s bike joined the other two as John began shuttling us out of this area. He took us a couple of miles, dropped us, and then went back for everyone else. In the meantime, Becky got a flat tire. Oy. We’re eating tubes out here!



Carol and Kathleen got their tires changed, and then swapped seats in the car with Becky and Katherine. Then, MK, Mary Jo, Kathleen and Carol struck out to make it as far as they could, while John shuttled Becky and Katherine to Cody.


Phase 4: Yes, roads are a good thing. We’re sorry we weren’t appreciating you enough!


We made it a few miles, and there were several points when we were wishing for some fences between us and the cows and horses, but we just talked to them nicely, and they moved out of the way, eventually, when we needed to pass them. In the meantime, we had to cross numerous cattle guards that were insanely spaced and impossible to ride over, and almost impossible to walk over.


John got back to pick us up just as we had begun pushing our bikes again through the deep sand, and we were shuttled the last few miles to where we were staying for the night. Cody, NE is a tiny town. We had rented two Airbnbs for the night, and both were owned by the same person. We had a big meal of homemade spaghetti, and then we all crashed for the night in anticipation of the next day’s 102 mile ride.



Miller’s Lodge was a one-room dorm type space where five people slept. Around the corner, and down a short alley at the back of a building, there was another small apartment where two others slept, and where we cooked dinner.



Highlights:

Cows!

Beautiful vistas

Tasty spaghetti dinner


Lowlights:

Deer flies

Sand ”roads”




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