Day 3 – Big Horned Sheep and Black Eyed Susans

At the conclusion of Day 3, Kirsten has already traveled over 3,000 miles and captured 12 states. She woke up yesterday with dragon-breath as temps were in the low 40s and the mountains were snow covered. She saw some impressive big horn sheep and antelope along the road, and drove by a beautiful field of black eyed susans. She said the sunrise was fantastic.

She’s been seeing other IBR riders on the road – a typical occurrence, although you can never be sure who you’ll meet. She’s seen Chris Sakala and team Jennyfer Audet and Jacques Titolo among others. Even though the field’s wide open, most are riding the big roads to make time. But not all the roads are great. Last night between ND and SD, she was on a road that she said deserves more than a few expletives. The gravel parts weren’t great, but the slick red clay mud was even worse. And then there was the detour at the end, and the full hotel after that. So – push on, rest a little, and at the end of the day today, she’s going in for a nice long rest.

One fantastic addition to the bike for this ride is what we affectionately call “the eyes of God.” When she flips a switch on the console, the entire front of the bike lights up and you can hear the “AAAAAAAA!” These help her spot those deer in the dark, and keep her focused forward during the nasty parts.

I shared with her all your good wishes posted on FB and here on the blog. It means a lot to her to know everyone’s following along!

Tally so far: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Iowa.