Hill City to Hot Springs, South Dakota
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Day 39 Miles: 48.84 – Total accent: 1,739 – Hours: 3 hours, 59 minutes
Totals:. Miles- 1,964.37 – Accent- 71,578 feet climbed – 173 hrs 25 minutes in the saddle
Up and out early, we decided to try riding without morning coffee and breakfast. We are still traveling above 5,000 foot elevation. Custer is just 10 miles away so we thought we’d try it. We made it!!
Had a quick, delicious breakfast at Calamity Jane’s
coffee Shop. While there, a bee is trapped inside and travels along the window searching for a way out. After 15 minutes, I lifted him onto the coffee cup lid and took him outside. There were several children in the coffee shop. How do you find out that your child is allergic to a bee sting? After their first sting and they have a reaction. I’d prefer not to experience that his morning.
The highway along the way is concrete versus asphalt and has grooves in it to help with rain runoff. It causes the tires of the traveling vehicles to whine at a high pitch and they are quite loud.
We hear screeching from above and see circling birds above, floating effortlessly in a thermal. So beautiful.
Arriving in Pringle, we visit the bike sculpture and get a chance to chat with a family who they’re to see it as well. When getting cold drinks at Hitchrail, two locals tell us about a large herd of bison in Wind Cave Park. How exciting!
As we travel, there are rock formations on the side of the road with white ’spines’ like in rocks in Joshua Tree. I so love seeing these. Leaving the Black Hills, we enter Wind Cave National Park- a Prairie dog paradise! They are everywhere! Cute little buggers. We learn about the Madison aquifer which extends under 4 states.
In Hot Springs, we have lunch downtown. The town has incredible architecture. So fun chatting with locals. As we travel towards The Mammoth Site, we pass a Dairy Queen. Yep! Drew’s Bizzard for the day! We visit the Mammoth Site. It’s interesting how it was discovered in 1974 and worth an internet search.
Afterwords, we get to camp at Allen Ranch and set up next to the creek. There are a few mosquitoes there. Within a few minutes, Drew has a scratchy throat. Allergies? We are still in Cottonwood territory. Settling in early, we discuss the next few days. We’ll be in Nebraska tomorrow and the terrain will change dramatically. For now, a good night’s rest is in order.
