Everyday we get a profile map of what the next day's ride will be like and a set of directions that we clip on the handlebars...left turn hwy 20 intersection...right on 5th street etc etc. Below is the elevation profile for today. Its 5000 feet of elevation gain over 75 miles. Ugly...yep...
So it's out of Hot Springs into Wind Cave National Park and the Black Hills. Its a steady climb
most of the morning. The landscape is changing into pines and steeper hills, with many rock formations.
We encounter millions of prairie dogs all chirping at us and then all of a sudden here's this big bull buffalo right by the road...lets see...they can run 30 mph and I can pedal 20...yeah, that's what I came up with too...quiet, do not disturb!
Here's yet another sign of better days...
And an old wigwam burner, still in operation at a small sawmill.
Here we go up and up and up into Mt Rushmore Park. And there's George....Washington, not Bush...
Notice the resemblance...both handsome...stately...regal...no?
And more pics of this beautiful place...America the Beautiful!
This is a chainsaw carving of a Native American invoking the blessing of the buffalo.
This is a chainsaw carving of a Native American invoking the blessing of the buffalo.
On the way out of the park, a thunderstorm developed just south of where I was. Thunder, lightning, chaotic winds, etc. With about 15 miles to go to Rapid City, I had a flat. A piece of glass...So while I'm changing the flat(number 3 for the trip), the storm moves just south enough to miss me. A few miles later I came across the bike lane with about 4-5 inches of dime sized hail balls from the storm just minutes before. The road was soaked and I ended up wet anyway although the sun was back out. Many riders got caught and had to take shelter where ever they were. All in all, a fun day, although the climbing left us all tired.
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