Major uphill right from the get-go this morning. We left the hotel and headed exactly in the wrong direction. It took us only about a half a mile to figure that one out, so we turned around and went the right direction. This took us across the Fort Randall Dam. The dam is over the Missouri River and it forms another large reservoir. The road across the dam is about a mile long. We could see, below the dam, the tamed Missouri River and the surrounding countryside very clearly since we were up fairly high. Unfortunately we were not as high as the road would take us, because we had a major climb ahead. I would estimate the climb over the bluff was about a mile to a mile and a half long. What a way to wake up my legs. Good morning, legs!! We climbed gradually all day today. The terrain was rolling; it seemed the uphill was always longer than the downhill. Of course, it always seems that way, but today it actually was. We started from Pickstown at an elevation of about 1500 ft. and ended up at an elevation of 2210 ft. In addition we had a quartering headwind all day long. We accomplished our 49.51 miles by about 4:00 p.m. and were fairly tired. Although the route was busier, the landscape remained desolate but beautiful. We are watching for antelope and prairie dogs. They say there are some in this area. I did see my first long-eared jackrabbit, but in a two-dimensional sort of way. It had been flattened on the road.
I mentioned earlier that we crossed over the Fort Randall Dam and I will post a picture of the landscape downstream from it. This dam was built not only to tame the river but also to generate power. Which brings us to….
The Seventh Grade Question of the day:
What is the power called that is produced by water rushing through generators built into a dam?
-ClarkWheel
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