Swimmingly

Up early for a swim, we check out The Black Hills State pool. Nearby is an indoor running track and a procession of unenthusiastic early risers are ‘speed walking’ slowly round it.

The snow is coming in again. It starts just as we pick up another car (shout out to Kai from Enterprise in Spearfish for the SUV upgrade) and it’s falling pretty thick as we drive in to Rapid. A small situation has been brewing there since we dropped the last car off - there were some scratches in the paintwork from a cardboard box Richard put on the roof and trunk. Dennis, the owner of Casey’s, has been in the game long enough to know all the angles, so in spite of a good half hour of buffing with ‘product’ there’s no way those scratches are going to disappear. After much negotiation we leave a hundred dollars lighter and chalk it up to experience.

In Wal-Mart I spot at least three people (including the Greeter) with breathing tubes coming out of their noses.

On the way to Loretta’s we manage our first non-chain food experience at the Olde Worlde Cafe and Bookery in Sturgis (home of the world famous motorbike rally). The food is remarkably good for a place which calls itself a Bookery. Josh adds a pin to London on the world map at the owner’s insistence.

Loretta was Richard’s partner for 13 years, and knows him better than most. She’s very open and Josh shoots a great interview with her.

She says the snow hasn’t been like this since she was a kid.