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08/08/2007 Entry: "Harry Potter, Junk Food, and the Missouri"

After we posted at the library in Winner, SD yesterday afternoon we went to the park to take showers at the pool. We've done that twice on this trip, and both times they've let us use the showers without paying. Beautiful.

Then we went over by the baseball field to hang out and make dinner. While we were making dinner a little league practice got underway, and we had several foul balls pop over the fence in our direction. After the practice, several of the parents came over to talk to us, including Dawn, Karen, and Jim. They stood around talking to us for a good hour, probably. Chatted about our bike trip, the local fireworks, and just joked around a bit. Before heading off for the evening Dawn promised to return with some MREs (her husband is a retired Marine) and Jim invited us to a drive in movie with his family. Dawn and her son, Shayden, came back first, bearing an Old Navy bag packed with goodies (see the picture).

Jim's whole family came a little while later in the pickup truck. With some maneuvering we managed to fit all 3 bikes in the back and fit 7 in the cab (Jim, his sons Tyrell and Taylor, and his wife Tracy sat in the front and the 3 of us sat in the back). We drove a little ways to the drive-in movie place where we were treated to milkshakes, a banana split, a chili-cheese dog, and some popcorn while we watched Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix. We watched it from the truck, where the sound was piped in from a radio station. Some of the darker scenes were a little hard to see, but overall it was a great experience.

After the movie we were allowed to camp on the drive-in grounds, so we pitched our tent near the children's playground. Even though we were up past midnight, a rare occurrence, Tracy and Jim wanted to take us out for breakfast in the morning so we had incentive to get up. Karen found a little Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure on the ground, so Minwah has a Raphael on the front of her bike to pull her up hills, emulating Seager's Power Puff girl.

We managed to be all packed up by the time Tracy and Jim arrived and went to a little diner to eat breakfast. On the way in we met Tracy's parents riding bikes (well, Tracy's mom was riding her bike; her dad was riding a motorized scooter he made himself) and on the way out we ran into the two of them driving around in a beautiful old-style car Tracy's dad had fixed up. It was funny because the town wasn't all that small, and Tracy's parents lived a little while away.

Tracy and Jim are high school sweethearts who have 25 acres outside of town and lots of trees (over 100 of which they planted themselves). Their eldest daughter, Mackenzie, is a rodeo star and their second eldest, Mallory, is a singer in Nashville (we have a couple of her cds to listen to when we find a cd player). Anyway, we had a nice breakfast and Tracy and Jim left us at the movie place as they drove off to Sioux Falls. We managed to get on the road before 9.

The road was relatively flat and we saw more of the farmland and golden grain. Suddenly over an uphill the scenery changed to lush green hills and we had some steep downhills and long uphills, then...the Missouri! We were treated to a range of blues greens and proceeded to eat lunch on the wrong side of the river on a pile of hot rocks instead of the nice shaded grassy area on the other side of the river. Oh well.

The last 15 miles, after a climb out of the river valley, were very flat and also windy, as if a storm were blowing through though we saw none. We got into town early in the afternoon, did a grocery run, and hopefully find a nice shady spot to pitch tent for the night.

I (Karen) got ahold of my Uncle Bob last night and it sounds like the day we will be in Vermillion he and his whole family will be in the Black Hills for a family reunion (except Jennifer who is a counselor at girl scout camp). So I think we are not going to go through Vermillion (I need to call back to let him know that) since it's a little out of the way, and will just follow 44 across the state, then take 9 into Rock Rapids. We should be there two or three days early, then will just hang out until the start of RAGBRAI. Getting close! We're looking forward to seeing Seager and Kendra again and also hoping our friends Shawn and Cindy from Rapid City will show up!

Replies: Leave us a note! (1)

Ninja turtles can't fly. Powerpuff girls win that contest. Try again please. see you weirdos on ragbrai.

Posted by Mark @ 07/16/2007 08:46 AM CST

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