Big Ride Day 24

Photos from Day 24

Well, what can I say about a day like today? A long flat, boring ride with a strong headwind -- the worst! My knees are really hurting (along with the rest of my body!) after pushing so hard into the wind like that all day. I actually made pretty decent time because I wanted to get into camp early, but I definitely paid the price in knee pain. I hope that tomorrow they'll be better.

The real story of the day, though, was the reception we received in Miller upon our arrival. Practically the whole town turned out for the event it seemed. They had cold drinks for us, ran shuttles to get us to and from places in town, all the stores are staying open late for us -- it's like a town holiday just for us. There was even a barber giving free haircuts! The dinner was served by a local restaurant and was awesome. During dinner they had local music groups from the community come and play for us. A lot of the townspeople were down listening to the music too. First they had a swing band from the high school and they were just great for a bunch of young kids. Then there was a singing duo made up of two sisters. Finally, there was a fiddle and singing duo that were not that great musically but played a lot of cool songs and got everybody rocking. After the music, the mayor of the town spoke and said how great it was that we are doing this and announced that the town would donate money to us. Also, the president of the Lions' also got up and announced a donation. The ride director Rusty Burwell got up and made a really good speech about how when all of us dreamed of how the Big Ride would be, we dreamed of Miller. This community is just so proud of what it has to offer and they were so happy to show it off. After everything was said and done, many of the townspeople continued to hang out and talk to the riders. In fact, that's what they are doing now as I write this. We are staying in this cool little park near the town. I just can't express how nice it is to have this reception and to have the people of this town accept us in like they have and also to feel appreciated and get to know some of the locals in this atmosphere. This truly is what the Big Ride is about and what I'd hoped it would be.

One of the riders, Meg, is a sound technician and she set up the sound for the bands. Right now, she is taking down the sound equipment in her biking stuff. There is another guy, Devon, who is painting the scene with watercolors. Some locals are looking on. Right next to me, the guys from the high school swing band are talking to Phil, a rider who is a professional jazz drummer. What a cool and diverse bunch of riders we have. This day has made the ride for many of us. I will not soon forget Miller, SD.

This page modified November 25, 2000