Day 26 - Chamberlain, SD to Lower Brule, SD (35/1,072 miles)

Lewis &Clark had Sacajawea (who joined the expedition in North Dakota in the winter of 1804-05) and Lewis's dog Seaman along on the expedition.  For Stage 2, I have my wife Sheila and our dog Russell sagging for me in our RV.

Great first day back on the trail with temperatures reaching 97° this afternoon!  Most of the ride was through Indian Reservations along the River. we are camping tonight near the Big Bend Dam, which is where local Native Americans forced a premature end to the reenactment of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 2004. 

As I rode through the reservations today I thought about Thomas Jefferson's hope and expectation that Native Americans would be successfully integrated into larger society as settlers moved west into the newly acquired American territory.  

One of the primary objectives laid out by President Jefferson for the expedition was to befriend Indian tribes along the way.  The area in which I will be traveling tomorrow proved especially challenging in that regard.

I think Jefferson would be disappointed and saddened to see the state of affairs in regard to Native Americans in this region today.