33 - South Dakota—Pre-marathon

Rapid City, South Dakota was my starting point on Friday morning.  After renting a car there and on my way to Deadwood, I stopped in Sturgis to see all the motorcycle hype...

Went to Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Frame.

 Basically ... there are TONS of T-shirt shops in Sturgis !?!

It was a short drive from Sturgis onto The Lodge at Deadwood, where I stayed for 3 nights. This was also the host hotel and expo site for the marathon.  After checking into The Lodge, I first relaxed in my room and took a short siesta, then picked up my race number and explored the marathon expo for the afternoon.

For the evening, I headed into downtown Deadwood.  The Social Club was recommended for dinner, which is above Saloon #10. I had a scrumptious Alaskan Salmon and a delicious local wine, from Valiant Vineyards in Vermillion, "Artisan Cabernet."




After dinner, I watched a re-enactment of the shooting of Wild Bill Hickok in Saloon #10, and then the capture of Jack McCall, who had shot Wild Bill in the back of the head during a poker game, out on the street in front of Saloon #10. 

Saturday morning, I made my way back down to the marathon expo to get the low-down on what I should do for the day.  Sharon, who was offering free local coffee, was a wealth of information so I followed her suggestions.

Wild Bill Breakfast at the Hickok House Restaurant.  

Stopped at Chubby Chipmunk for some "melt in your mouth" chocolate.  

Drove the scenic route to Spearfish, along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.  

Continued on after Spearfish to Belle Fourche, to see the Center of the Nation Monument.  

Headed west into Wyoming to see Devils Tower National Monument.  It is spectacular! Up there with Ayers Rock in Uluru, Australia but it's right here in the good ol' USA; a must see!  There is a 1.3 mile walk around the base where you can see the formation from every angle.  I took tons of pictures, was in awe every step of the way. 

While driving to the base of Devils Tower, I passed through Prairie Dog Town. Absolutely adorable!

Back at The Lodge that night, I had the obligatory pasta and added some extra carbs with a local brew, Pile O' Dirt Porter from Crow Peak Brewing Company.




This is the first of three posts about my South Dakota trip.