Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Day 39
Mt. Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch, SD to Ellsworth Air Force Base, Box Elder, SD
Miles: 46.26
Elevation: 1,585
Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Total miles: 1,508.74 (1,939.74 w/ Uhaul)
Total Elevation: 69,416
Total Time: 153 hours 23 minutes
“It’s rather like war, isn’t it?”-Rapid City Journal’s Special Flood Edition on June 26, 1972
There is something so very sweet about a cabin in woods. While we do have electricity in the cabin, water is a spicket shared by a few other campers. We use our sleeping bag and supplies just as we do when pitching our tent. Last night, we opened windows for ventilation which allowed us to hear the coyotes and owls in the night. We awakened to a beautiful, clear sky. Living life so simply means it’s easy to get ready and out the door in minutes. Sunscreen. Deet. Chamois butter. Few belongings make quick work of packing. We get to the main office of the KOA and grab a hot cup of coffee. Minutes later, we ascend the hill back to the Mickelson Trail and Hill City. This morning, I take time to take pictures of the cute artist’s studio and ‘birds’ there. I’m not sure when, if ever, I’ll travel this way again. Arriving at Hill City, we stop at the gas station for breakfast and water for the day. The gas station was bustling with so many people to talk to. The clerk was from Arizona and she explained how the town is overwhelmed with tourism for three months with snow from September to June. She described how the hail damaged vehicles and by the time the claim was paid and work done, the next year’s worth of hail would repeat causing most vehicles to get totaled and then sold with salvaged titles. Such a different world than the one I typically live in and I’m so grateful it’s not something I deal with.
Our route out of town takes us up Highway 385. We wind through forested areas and come upon a construction site where there are signs about blasting. With the short seasons, the road work is essential when the weather is clear. Boy, was that climb interesting! Quite a grade on dirt.
Just keep pedaling! Just keep pedaling!
As we make our way to Rapid City, we rise and fall in elevation but today it’s difficult to visually determine if we’re going uphill or down. Sometimes, it looks like we must be going downhill but we have to give quite an effort in pedaling so it couldn’t be. And the Garmin shows we are gaining elevation. False flats.
As we get into the outskirts of Rapid City, we look for a route through the city and find an amazing bike path-the Memorial Park honoring those who lost their lives in 1972 from flooding. This just happened again in Texas and I’m reminded of the flood markers along the Danube. You’d think we could manage natural disasters these days. I’m not sure what to think other than the force of nature is to be respected and not taken lightly.
A mile from Ellsworth Air Force base in Box Elder, it starts to rain. We make it through the security gate for base entrance and to the housing area and check in. Once we’ve secured our room, we walk about to the commissary and base exchange. There’s a museum and planes visible in the distance. The base is covered with cottontails and we saw a deer. The sky was filled with powerful clouds making us wonder what days to come would be like. Back at our room, we caught up on laundry and cleaned the bikes top to bottom, removing the Mickelson gravel road dust; inspecting. The two Salsa Warbird gravel bikes have been dependable workhorses. So grateful!
Tomorrow, we blaze new trails as we travel to Wall, SD.
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