Day 28-Fort Pierre, SD to Gettysburg, SD (59/1,189)

My Buddy Big Muddy has had a stunning change of character! The upper Missouri River is pristine and gorgeous in and around Pierre.  The water is still warm and I took a refreshing  moonlight swim off the sandy beach next to our campsite near the Oahe Dam.  This is a photo of the reservoir north of the dam.

Just outside of Pierre there is a buffalo interpretive center.  Moments after this photo was taken my presence triggered a stampede of hundreds of bison thundering across the plains.  It was a magnificent replica of a scene that Lewis andClark undoubtedly witnessed many times.

Buffalo were a vital source of food, clothing and shelter for the Native Americans in this region and a source of food for the Corps of Discovery. 

I rode past many sunflower fields today.  It was fascinating to watch countless flowers in the endless fields turn to face the sun as it moved across the sky.