Putu enjoying the peaceful environment as we settled into the Moodairy Ranch for our accommodations last night. We were unexpectedly and pleasantly treated to a wonderful sunset ride by Charlotte Moser who owns the 800 acre farmland with her husband Don. These photos did not have time to be entered on yesterday's report so we thought we would share them here.
The accommodations were charming as the cabins were designed by Charlotte and Don over the years as guest houses.
Charlotte and our youngest member, Kshema, from Ukraine.
Having dinner at the farm was a pleasant team experience after a long day of running in the heat.
800 acres of farmland and pastures was a pleasant sight after running on the hilly highways in South Dakota.
Charlotte has been working on this farm since she was a young girl and still has the strength and love for the land as she takes us for a ride on her pickup truck to one of the higher pastures to watch the sunset.
Riding on the back of the pickup towards the sunset.
An old weathervane pumps water from a well for the cows to drink.
Where there is one cow you can usually find more...
..many more.
These curious cows were wondering where we came from and what we were doing 'trespassing' on their territory. They were quite peaceful and friendly about our presence though.
Old farm equipment became the playground for some of us as we waited for the sun to go down.
Charlotte tells us stories of what it was like when she used to work the farm as a youth.
Waiting for the sun to go down on the vast green horizon in front of us.
Putu and Manayana enjoyinig a selfie moment.
The sun started its spectacular descent behind some impressive clouds.
The final moments were colorful and impressive.
Worth waiting for.
Back on the farm Charlotte offers us two dozen freshly laid eggs from her chicken barn.
This llama is one of the friendly animals greeting us in the morning before leaving the farm today.
A few donkeys joined in to say goodbye as well.
This Peacock had its feathers open but we were not in time to catch it on camera.
In the morning some of us ran towards our next destination from McLaughlin after leaving the very memorable Moodairy Ranch.
The U.S. flag was flying everywhere in honor of the 4th of July coming up to celbrate the declaration of American Independence in 1776.
On the way to Mobridge two friendly locals who owned the nearby U Haul rental business came out to offer their goodwill and share the Peace Torch with us.
After a long morning of hilly running we reached the town of Mobridge where we were warmly welcomed by Mayor Gene Cox and some of his staff and some local residents as well.
The town has been shaped by it's rich Native American roots and railroad prominence, both in the past and present. It's location as a prime crossing for the Missouri River has played a significant role in the growth and settlement of the town.
Mayor Gene Cox shares the Torch and our Certificate of Appreciation for greeting us here with City Manager Christine Goldsmith and Finance Officer Heather Beck.
Some of the locals also came to greet us and offer their goodwill and kind words.
Mayor Cox leads the group in a short Peace Walk with the Torch on our way out of town.
Our women's team of Putu, Nayaja, Mananya and Kshema are ready to run their miles now in the hot afternoon sun.
The men's team who ran in the morning drive by in our RV camper to prepare dinner as the afternoon team covers the last miles of the day.
