Today we rode through the Black Hills, sacred ground for the Native American plains tribes. And like the legends of those ancient peoples, each direction held a different experience. The night before we were given a spectacular show of lightening, thunder and concomitant downpour moving in from the West. In the morning the sun rose clear into a blue sky but by the time we started pedaling East a ground mist had risen to fog our glasses and obscure visibility so your focussed on what was just in front of you.
Turning South we rode over a ridge, the sky cleared and the road flowed down into a long shallow southern drainage with miles of gradual descent at a nice clip. The road was called "Wildlife Loop" and at its southernmost lowest elevations it delivered in spades as the occasional prairie dog was replaced by a herd of mooching donkeys (in the road) which was replaced by a herd of bison (one of which was in the road), then topped off with a Pronghorn (which was in the road but only to get to the other side).
Turning back North we had the opportunity to thoroughly study the primates called human in scenarios as diverse as
A first for me on this ride was a 360 degree turn taken at speed. The road designers of US 16A had a fun time putting in loop-de-loops and tunnels oriented so you could see Mount Rushmore through them.
East
South
North
Hwy 16A built to augment the monument by providing tunnel views of it in the distance (scroll photo to see Mt Rushmore in center distance)
The bottom of a three-sixty corner --- whee!
Climbing up to the parking lot was slow and very noisy, but thankfully the sun was behind a cloud so the exposure wasn't so bad!
Check one off the bucket list honey.
Turning South we rode over a ridge, the sky cleared and the road flowed down into a long shallow southern drainage with miles of gradual descent at a nice clip. The road was called "Wildlife Loop" and at its southernmost lowest elevations it delivered in spades as the occasional prairie dog was replaced by a herd of mooching donkeys (in the road) which was replaced by a herd of bison (one of which was in the road), then topped off with a Pronghorn (which was in the road but only to get to the other side).
Turning back North we had the opportunity to thoroughly study the primates called human in scenarios as diverse as
- behaviors upon getting an RV with car in tow stuck in a one-lane tunnel;
- country store porch etiquette;
- reverie disruption practices of motorcycle riders;
- bonding of Pennsylvania vacationing family with cyclists over shared near-bison moment;
- herd mentality of large groups at the foot of the popular Mount Rushmore monument;
- nice social graces of folks in pickup trucks from Missouri;
- special care taken by Mount Rushmore gate keepers to guide cyclists to the right parking deck to find their SAG vehicle;
- degree of rapidity required of drivers approaching Rapid City on US 16.
A first for me on this ride was a 360 degree turn taken at speed. The road designers of US 16A had a fun time putting in loop-de-loops and tunnels oriented so you could see Mount Rushmore through them.
East
South
The kind of dog you don't mind seeing loose on the side of the road:
North
Hwy 16A built to augment the monument by providing tunnel views of it in the distance (scroll photo to see Mt Rushmore in center distance)
The bottom of a three-sixty corner --- whee!
Climbing up to the parking lot was slow and very noisy, but thankfully the sun was behind a cloud so the exposure wasn't so bad!
Why does the pronghorn cross the road?
ReplyDelete