Cycle Across America – Day 45

Interior to Midland

59 Miles / 1,811ft climb

Determined to avoid the worst of the heat today, John and I set off at 6.30am. We had 60 miles to cycle and the temperature was to soar by late morning and the headwinds were to get stronger.

The first fifteen miles were pleasant, through the Badlands with its dramatic landscape with a few stops for photographs.

Then we hit a gravel path that lasted ten miles. This slowed us down somewhat as our bikes skid over the uneven surfaces and we tried to remain upright. Succeeding at remaining upright was a miracle but we emerged from the gravel unscathed and grateful for the tarmac road ahead.

Another easy ten miles and we stopped for breakfast in Philip and enjoyed chatting to the locals and other tourists alike.

By the time we left, the temperature was noticeably hotter and so our next 25 miles saw us stop regularly to rehydrate and rest. Yet again, there was no shade anywhere along the route to gain respite from the sun so our ultimate goal was just to get to our destination and our hotel for the night. Caroline and Paul, preferring to set off a little later and do some of the Badlands trails en route arrived a few hours later.

What a hotel we had booked! The only one in the tiny town of Midland (population 109). A quirky, rustic hotel dating back to 1939 with its own healing thermal waters.

Despite being intrigued by the claims of health restoring natural mineral waters, it was only John who was brave enough to plunge. We received a warm welcome and appeared to be the only guests staying this evening at hotel which instantly took us back in time. I doubt there has been much work done to the building since 1939. The fittings and furnishing were antiquated and looked like they belonged in that era.

There was nowhere to eat out in Midland so we were lucky to find the local garage eight minutes before it closed. Eggs, fresh cheese (of the non sweaty variety) and Angry Orchard Cider were our best attempt at a nutritionally balanced diet. We made supper at the hotel. An omelette to share, alongside a few crisps and two day old dip. Despite our limited nutritional offerings, the three day old sweaty Swiss cheese was rejected by us all.

A few games of cards and an early night. The forecast for tomorrow is intense heat from midday and strong headwinds. We are keen to avoid cycling in the extreme heat of the afternoon so plan to set off at 6am in the hope that we can reach Murdo by midday.