Day 19, Welcome to South Dakota

BEST: Visiting Custer City with various Buffalo statues, neat architecture and a great ambience (before 10:30 when apparently it becomes very crowded)

WORST: How about another HEADWIND after we were having such a great day.

MOST UNEXPECTED: Seeing our broken rider who had surgery greet us when we showed up to unload the truck, she was in the truck helping unload our gear!

After all of us were totally destroyed by yesterday's wind, I was impressed that we all got up and went out today for another day of riding. I guess it is true that the mind does not remember the actual pain. Breakfast at the Senior Center and then off in very calm conditions. We took some slopes just to wake us up, and then entered Black Hills National Park for some serious 6 and 8% climbs. Pshah, after yesterdays wind experience, climbing is enjoyable. We ate lunch in Custer City which I found to be very interesting. There is a picture of us approaching Custer City with a rider in front of the Flintstone camping site. We then went through Custer park which had an incredible downhill giving back a lot of elevation. Our top elevation was 5400 feet and we dropped below 4000 after the descent. At around mile 60 we had a check in at the van, and all of us wanted to go back to do the descent again. Overall, the first 65 miles were absolutely great and made up for yesterday, HOWEVER, at mile 65 we hit the road to Rapid City and made a left turn into a headwind, something we had avoided all day. The headwind turned into a HEADWIND with minor descents and then straight up sections (okay, they were only about 3%) but we were once again battling Mother Nature who just wouldn't let us relax. We did arrive at the South Dakota School of Mining and Technology for today and our rest day tomorrow. I love the mascot which is the Hardrockers. I did the family proud by walking to Armadillos which is an ice cream and food joint and having a s'more ice cream sundae.

Pictures include a cute kid in a Custer shop, and of course the required picture of crossing a state border into South Dakota. Landscape shows the beauty of the national parks, and then the flatness as we rolled into Rapid City. I am typing at 250 words per minute because I am in Rapid City and of course all of the food joints are fast food.

Just to make it real interesting, just as I published this post, My right hamstring just went into a massive cramp and I pushed back from the table rather explosively catching everyone and myself by surprise. Fortunately our future doctor was here to help relieve the pressure. I guess I have to stop riding now.