Black Hills of South Dakota - Day 6

Well, it had to happen sooner or later.....  The raindrops held off long enough to put the tent away, although it was still wet from a bit of overnight rain.  In my haste to get my breakfast on my plate and get a seat under shelter, I completely forgot to make my lunch.  Oh well - I’ve eaten way too much on this tour anyway......  At least it was just a light rain and in fact it completely stopped for much of the ride.  Our route today was northeast, back toward Rapid City.  It was by far our shortest and least arduous ride of the entire week.  Actually, it was quite a fun and scenic ride on (mostly downhill) undulating and twisting roads.  Even with a snack stop thrown in we were at the finish line before 10am.  The Adventure Cycling crew had planned a nice treat for us - root beer floats.  They weren’t counting on the temperature only being about 11C - brrrr.  Anyway - warm farewells all around and Ursula and I were off to Badlands National Park.

The rain continued off and on, so upon arrival at the park we quickly traded in our camping reservation for a room at the Inn.  The rock formations here are absolutely stunning!  We toured the Visitor Centre and drove the Badlands Loop Road.

A quick stop in the booming metropolis of Wall SD and back to our luxury (relatively speaking) accommodations at the Badlands Inn.

The bike trip was great - I would highly recommend it.  Now we’re on our own to plan our days, forage for food, etc. - oh woe is us.......

Stats for the day:
Hill City to Rapid City
26 miles. 43 km.
1250 feet up. 2541 feet down.
Temps: 6C to 13C. Intermittent rain.

Black Hills of South Dakota - Day 5

Another fabulous day!  It had started out with a huge herd of bison grazing just outside the fence around our campground. I’m sure glad someone had the foresight to build that fence. Of course I forgot the camera when I wandered over to watch them for a bit.

There was an optional route on offer today. It was not widely advertised but Dave & Joe invited me to ride with them and Barb was also keen. We did see 2 other riders on the route, so I think 6 in total took the option. Young John apparently set out to do it too but he took a wrong turn and the tale of his subsequent misadventures had us all in stitches later in the evening. I’m so glad I did it. It was tough but spectacular!  Here’s a sign at the start of it detailing what lay ahead.

The pavement was great and the traffic was light. It was a stiff climb but the downhill was amazing. The “pigtails” were an engineering marvel - a bit of a spiral with the road curving back under itself several times. I was leaning on the brakes pretty hard but still managed to get dizzy. Each of the 3 tunnels was built so that we had a view of Mt Rushmore framed by the tunnel; very cool!

In to the touristy town of Keystone for lunch and then the Adventure Cycling staff shuttled us up to Mt. Rushmore to take a closer look and to listen to a ranger talk.

Then back on the bikes for the final 14 hilly miles in to Hill City and a return to the Crooked Creek Resort. A final dinner by the amazing Ann of Culinary Insider, Inc. followed by a talent/no talent show. Gotta say - lots of talent amongst this crew.

And here’s the reason I find 1-week bike trips too short. I just get into the routine and get to know a bunch of great people, and then it’s over too soon. It’s been a great trip and I would highly recommend it. Lots of hills, though......

Stats for the day:
Custer State Park to Hill City
37 miles. 60 km.
3918 feet up. 2948 feet down.
Temps:  12C to 28C.

Black Hills of South Dakota - Day 4

What a fabulous day in so many ways!  After two days of riding on trails and gravel where I risked my life if I lifted my eyes, we were back on the road today. Nice shoulder, for the most part, and little traffic on the narrower sections. The scenery was spectacular!  Rolling hills, grassland, Ponderosa pines - really gorgeous. We spent much of the day riding through Wind Cave National Park (famous for both a complex cave system underground and a thriving buffalo/bison population above).  It is also a protected area for the mixed-grass prairie of pre-white man civilization days. The cave tours were not operating but the Visitor Centre was very well done. Custer State Park abuts the national park and has much the same landscape and wildlife. Apparently I missed the excitement at the lunch stop when a bison marched right through our setup. All the riders jumped in a vehicle, the bison bypassed the lunch table, stepped over a bike that was lying on the ground, and carried on across the road. I was stopped in a couple of “bison jams”, passed lots of herds right by the side of the road, and near the end of the day got caught in the middle of one as part of the herd reversed direction after they were almost across the road. Felt a bit exposed on that one.....  I also saw lots of pronghorns, some wild burros, some wild turkeys and a gazillion prairie dogs. All great diversions to keep my mind off all the climbing we did today.

We’re staying in a lovely campground in Custer State Park tonight. Third night in a row camped beside a babbling brook. Zen.....

As I get to know more people on the trip I’m more and more impressed with them. It’s not an easy trip and just about everyone is riding it all. I don’t know what the average age is, but it sure ain’t young!  Lots of people seem to have had various medical challenges and some have had big bike crashes. But - they persevere and do it all with great attitude and a sense of humour.

Stats for the day:
Hot Springs to Custer State Park
42 miles. 69 km.
3934 feet up. 3211 feet down.
Temps:  5C to 31C and not a single cloud all day.

Black Hills of South Dakota - Day 3

A rather chilly start to the day.  By the time we got on the bikes it was still only 7C. Back on the Mickelson Trail for most of the day. Uphill for the first 7 miles to the Crazy Horse Memorial. I didn’t go in but rode up to the gate to get a decent picture. It is a work in progress and definitely a rather slow process - probably due to lack of funding. I heard that its current estimated date of completion is around 2050.

It was then pretty much downhill until our snack stop in Custer. Custer is a really cute little town.  Just like Calgary had a bunch of cow statues many years ago, Custer has its bison.

South of Custer the vegetation opened up a bit. More farm land and more open views. By the time we were approaching Pringle (our lunch stop), I abandoned the trail for a few miles and just rode on the highway - so much quieter!  After lunch (and a stop at a really big “bike memorial “) it was back on the Mickelson Trail for another 7 miles.

If I had been smart, though, I would have looked at the map and just taken the highway to our final destination of Hot Springs. Because - after that 7 miles of the Mickelson Trail came 13 miles of undulating (more down than up) gravel road.  I thought it was pretty treacherous on a road bike and after the first downhill caused me to fear for my life, I braked to a crawl on every subsequent downhill. My least favourite section of road probably ever!  I’m glad to be safe and sound tonight. Unfortunately Joan wasn’t quite so lucky. She went down hard and left some skin behind in addition to breaking her hand. Tough chickie that she is though, she rode the remaining days and finally visited Urgent Care when she got back to Calgary. I’ll be glad to be back on the roads tomorrow....

Stats for the day:
Hill City to Hot Springs
50 miles. 80 km.
2933 feet up. 4170 feet down.
Temps: 7C to 27C

Black Hills of South Dakota - Day 2

Well - quite the thunder, lightning, and rain storm last night!  Although pretty much everything in the tent was damp, nothing inside actually got wet. Luckily we were in to camp in Hill City this afternoon in time to dry everything out.  It was a much cooler day today, but actually quite pleasant for cycling.

Today was 54 miles on the Mickelson Trail. The Mickelson Trail is an old rail bed that was converted into a multi-use trail. The main trail was completed in 1998 and is about 175 km (109 miles) long.  Nearly all of the trail follows the route of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway built in 1890-91.  The trail’s route is mountainous, forested, and scenic, traversing the heart of the Black Hills and largely within the boundaries of Black Hills National Forest.  The trail includes four tunnels and more than 100 converted railroad  bridges.

It really was a lovely ride and so, so nice not to have to deal with traffic all day.  The early part of the route involved a bit of climbing and took us from Deadwood, past Lead and the remnants of the Homestake Gold Mine; apparently the longest-operating gold mine in the world. 

One might think that an old railroad bed implies a flat day but no - almost 3000 feet of climbing today, mostly in two sustained climbs.  After those climbs, though, the downhills were fun, fun, fun. And - downhill with a tailwind...... even more fun!  Our guides are treating us very well. At our SAG stop this morning they were serving hot beverages and carbo-treats to ward off the rather chilly temps and effects of a cold wind. We stopped in the small town of Rochford and visited the ”Rochford Mall”, which is normally closed on Mondays but stayed open just for us. We did manage to bypass the Moonshine Gulch Saloon, but apparently a few folks spent some time in there quenching their thirsts.

Our final destination today was the Crooked Creek Resort just outside of Hill City. I’m told it is a nice little town, worth a look around.

But - my wet tent called so I continued in to camp. It’s a beautiful and spacious location. Dinner was fabulous again tonight. We’re getting to know some great people and the creek is burbling right outside my tent. What’s not to like?

Stats for the day:
Deadwood to Hill City
54 miles = 87 km
2985 feet up, 2658 feet down
Temps: 9C to 24C. Partly cloudy with just three raindrops after we reached camp.

Black Hills of South Dakota - Day 1

I knew I likely wouldn’t get much riding in before the start of the Trans Am trip this year so was happy to accept an invitation to join some local folks on the South Dakota tour put on by Adventure Cycling. We took two days to drive from Calgary to Rapid City SD. On Saturday morning we stopped for a bit at the Little Bighorn National Monument. We did a quick walking tour of the battlefield of “Custer’s Last Stand” and spent some time at the Indian memorial, which was exceptionally well done. A quick tour of the visitor center and then on to Rapid City to meet the group of about 60 cyclists and about 5 staff.

This is a camping trip, but they move our gear every day and provide all our meals. Based on dinner the first night we’re going to eat really well!  Our group of 5 from Calgary are the only Canadians on the tour.  Looks like a really good group and lots of very seasoned riders. Should be a good week!

Day 1 was 50 miles from Rapid City to Deadwood. It took almost 10 miles just to get out of the ‘burbs of Rapid City but once that was done we quickly got onto the quiet and scenic roads of Black Hills National Forest.

We did learn today that there are, indeed, hills in the Black Hills. Towards the end of the day we were on the Mickelson Trail for a bit; we’ll be back on it all day tomorrow. Of the 60 riders, I believe Joan and I were the only ones to stop in Deadwood - famous for being “the wickedest town” in the country in the late 1800s and the place where Wild Bill Hickok was murdered and Calamity Jane made her mark. We spent a few hours there - toured the excellent Adams Museum and visited the Mt. Moriah Cemetery.

All in all a great day, although it’s now 8:25 pm and we’re in the midst of a severe thunderstorm. Hope everything stays dry inside the tent!  Just lost the wifi so hopefully the blog will save......

Stats for the day:
Rapid City to Deadwood
51 miles = 83 km
4653 feet up, 3649 feet down.
Temps: 20C to 34C. Supposed to be cooler after the rain tonight.