Northern and Western States Ranked

1. Washington. You've given me sunshine. You've given me rain.

2. Idaho. I never considerd myself a neckman until I rode across yours.

3. South Dakota. Yes, I'm asking you to change. Please fix your milled roads.

4. Wyoming. Even in spite of everything you blew my way.

5. Oregon. So close, yet so far.

6. North Dakota. I just don't feel like we know each other.

Started the day in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after a night's rest at the wonderful Jasper Stone Bed and Breakfast. The house was built in 1916 and the owner, Karen, has lovingly renovated it and restored all of the woodwork. 

Karen was extremely helpful by accommodating my request to arrive and leave a day early due to the snows in Southwest South Dakota. She's been running her home as a BnB since the fall and she runs it like she's been doing it for years. To top it off, she put her catering experience to work and delivered for a breakfast: scrambled eggs with veggies wrapped in bacon (sort of like a quiche but without the crust), fresh fruit, and gluten-free pumpkin bread. Karen: if I've mangled the description of breakfast, please let me know and I'll fix it. :-)

One of the benefits of arring a day early was sharing breakfast with Karen and the other guests. Ron, Michelle, and Laura were on their way from Missoula, where Laura just obtained her Master's Degree from the University of Montana Atheltic Training Program, to Chicago where she'll start her new job with Northwestern.

After a quick stop at St Joseph's Cathedral and the Sioux Falls Sioux Falls, I headed out for Iowa.

You'd think after 500 miles today that I'd have a clever way to wrap up this posting. But I don't. I'm beat. Time for bed.