Suicide Birds, Turbine Soldiers and Flying Locks - Day 7

The day started off kind of lazily. We went to a place called Stuffs for breakfast and enjoyed the local restaurant patronized mostly by locals and enjoyed talking with the owner - who also turned out to be a biker!

After breakfast we had intended to take a 9:30 boat tour of the Upper Dells, but there were 2 things that changed our minds. First, the tour began at 10:30, not 9:30 as we had been told, and the tour wound up being a 2-hour tour instead of one. So much for details.....We decided to pass and headed west.

After checking the maps and weather we loaded up and headed toward Rapid City, SD knowing that the skies may be angry and that our destination for the day would be somewhere in between here and Rapid City.

We ended up in Sioux Falls, SD, just a few miles across the eastern border of the state.

Now about those birds, turbines and locks......

For the last few days as we rode through Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and into South Dakota, in all 4 states, there would be these birds coming out of nowhere (one at a time) from time to time and fly right across the front of the motorcycle as we rode along. The came from the side and flew about 5 feet in front of the windscreen. Thought it was strange at first, but all I could think of that this must be normal in this part of the country....birds playing chicken with motorcycles! Suicide Birds.

Riding through the countryside over the past few days was more of the same. Farms, Wind Turbines (thousands of wind turbines), more farms, more wind turbines, road, more ....you get the picture. The Wind Turbines stood in the fields like soldiers standing at attention saluting drivers as they pass with their huge props, many in synchronized harmony as if being led by a maestro. They looked so majestic standing their ground as asphalt ribbons opened up before us. Around each bend there were more waiting to greet us and salute as we rode on by. Broke up the ride and was a sight to see.

Now for the locks. Flying locks?? Where did they come from? That actually happened yesterday and forgot to mention it. After we left Cartersville,  as I'm riding following Ed along the Interstate, I see a padlock come rolling back at me at 70 MPH. Seems like Ed forgot to lock the 2 locks his tour box and the bumps and vibrations from the road made it jump out of its hole. I call Ed on the intercom to let him know, so he tries to reach back and shackle the other one closed, but can't reach. That didn't last long and about a mile down the road he didn't have to worry about reaching it...yes, that lock too fell off. Luckily they both rolled off to the side as there was road construction work going on and no damage done.

What's the tally? Today we made it to 8 states, travelled 414 miles from Wisconsin Dells to Sioux Falls, SD.