[bike] holy moly

The best thing about biking across the country is that you never know
what's going to happen when you wake up in the morning. This trip is
getting wilder and wilder each day!

We started biking at 5 am from Alzada, MT to beat the hot weather.
Within three hours, we have left MT, passed through Wyoming, and
entered South Dakota.

We got to Nisland, SD before noon. We ran into a lady outside the
cafe, and after we told her what we were doing, she immediately gave
us 20 dollars! So we used the money to sit down at the cafe and buy
ourselves a nice lunch. A couple walked in soon after and sat at the
table next to us. We all started talking: they were ranchers that
lived not too far away. Before we know it, they invited us to stay at
their ranch that night; they said that way we didn't have to pitch a
tent and fight with the mosquitos.

What an adventure the ranch was. We all climbed in Judy's SUV and they
gave us an entire tour of the ranch. They showed us their cows, how
they bale hay, and irrigate the farm land. We even helped them dig out
irrigation ditches. After all that, they let us take their four
wheeler out for a joy ride. I drove the four wheeler around the
fields, got lost several times, but always managed to get myself back
to the dirt road. I felt like I was at an amusement park.

The next day we were exhausted, so we had a short bike ride to Bear
Butte Campground, then hiked up Bear Butte. Deacon Joe had recommended
we hike it. The mountain is a sacred place for the Plains Indians.
They held tribal council meetings there in the old days, and even now
all the Indians still fast and pray there.

That afternoon, an Indian drove by our campsite. He sat down by the
lake, had a smoke, then said "Hi" to us. He drove away, and came back
an hour and a half later. He said: "The four of you make a great
group. This group has a very special aura. I can feel it." He then
invited us to a Sweat Lodge that night. "Cool, a Sweat Lodge," we all
thought.

That night, the Sweat Lodge was the most powerful experience I've ever
had. We all entered into a dome built with sticks and covered in
layers of blankets. The Indians built a fire to heat up the rocks, and
when the ceremony started, they took the rocks inside and closed the
door. The Sweat Lodge is a place where Indians pray, and speak their
words to the Creator. An Elder leads the ceremony. As we all sat in
the dark, sweating, they sang various Indian songs, and banged on
their drums. To make it hotter, they added water to the rocks. We all
had a chance to say our prayers. There were several rounds of
sweating; the sweat lasted for about an hour and a half.

It's so hard to sum up all the crazy rush of feelings and emotions!