Life on the frozen tundra of South Dakota Life on the frozen tundra of South Dakota

Day 1 - 08/23/2013 - Sioux Falls, SD to Mason City, IA

Day 1 - 08/23/2013 - Sioux Falls, SD to Mason City, IA

The first leg of the journey. Sioux Falls, SD to Mason City, IA.

Knowing I had about four hours of riding waiting for me that evening, I went into work early on this day, which allowed me to leave the office about 4 PM. I had ridden he bike to work, and stopped on the way home to gas up.

At home I finished packing and ate some supper. After saying goodbye to my family, I loaded the bike and pulled out of the garage.

The day was extremely humid and warm. In fact, it was so warm that when I tried to take a picture of the bike loaded up for the trip, it turned out very foggy. The camera had been in the air conditioned house and when I brought it outside everything must have condensed. Through the fog you can just barely make out my son's Mohawk haircut.

Snapping a picture before I left.

I hit the road and headed south. The fast way to Mason City is to take interstate 90 across southern Minnesota. I've ridden/drove that stretch so many times I feel like I've memorized every boring inch. Today I decided to pick up highway 18 in Canton, SD and take that all the way east to Mason City. It would be slower, but more interesting.

Just east of Canton I crossed into Iowa. Unfortunately the short stretch between Canton and Inwood, IA would be the most scenic part of the day's journey. It's sad that I encountered it within the first half hour of leaving home.

Crossing into Iowa.

Another half hour or so down the road I went through the town of Hull. The whole area around LeMars is known for ice cream, with many major brands being manufactured in the region. Growing up I remember eating Hull ice cream that we would purchase at our local grocery store. I don't know if they still make Hull ice cream.

Hull, Iowa.

After about another hour I reached Spencer, IA, which is a scenic little town. I noticed that my saddlebag was starting to fall off the back of the bike (a problem I fought with the entire trip) so I pulled over and adjusted it. I took a short stretch break and snapped a picture. Not too long though, as it was starting to get dark and I was only about half way to my hotel. I usually try to minimize the amount of time I ride in the dark as the deer become a much bigger issue.

Adjusting my luggage in Spencer, IA.

Another problem that I would fight the entire length of the trip would be the buttons of my vest popping open. One by one they would let loose, until the wind would catch the vest and undo the remaining snaps. Then the vest would flap annoyingly in the wind. So throughout the whole trip I was constantly re-snapping them whenever they would start to undo. I had put on some weight during the year. This was a good reminder of why I needed to lose that weight.

By the time I reached Algona, the sun had gone down. I became extra vigilant about watching the road. It was tricky at times as my windshield would tend to wash out when the lights of oncoming traffic would hit it.

Around 10:00 I reached my hotel in Mason City. Nothing fancy, but somewhere I could crash for the night. I checked in which was interesting considering the guy at the desk spoke no English. We pointed and gestured and finally got the transaction taken care of.

I lugged my gear up to my room and relaxed. I called my wife and reported that I was still alive. I wandered down to the lobby and bought a root beer from the vending machine. Then I took a shower. Normally I shower in the mornings, however on my motorcycle trips I tend to shower in the evenings. I do this for two reasons: first, I'm usually hot and dirty from the day's ride and it helps me to relax if I clean up. Second, I'm usually pretty tired on my trips and not having to shower in the morning saves me a little time. I realize it's the same amount of time spent either way, but it seems like it saves me time so I do it.

Speaking of tired, I then went to bed knowing I had a long day ahead of me the next morning. Unfortunately I turned on the TV and found that they were showing "Scarface." I watched way more of the show than I should have instead of getting much needed rest. Oops.

Continue on to day two...

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