33 - South Dakota - Post-marathon

The morning after the marathon, I decided to take it easy and see the sights in South Dakota; I drove to the Black Hills Harley-Davidson in Rapid City and looked into renting a motorcycle.  The weather forecast was perfect for a motorcycle excursion.  So I did it— I rented a Ember Red Sunglo Dyna Switchback and hit the open road.  

The Badlands were a bit out of the way, but they had to be seen.  So I blasted out of Rapid City on Interstate 90.  Riding the motorcycle on the interstate wasn't much fun, but there was a lot of sights to be seen and it was the quickest way to the Badlands, my first stop.  

Along the interstate, there were tons of billboards for Wall Drug, which is located in Wall, South Dakota. Wall turned out to also be a good place to exit the interstate since an entrance to the Badlands National Park was just outside the city limits.  I expected Wall Drug to be a small town drug store with a luncheonette.  Not the case, Wall Drug is a tourist metropolis occupying most of downtown Wall. It was a bit overwhelming but still a must see if you ever happen to be in Wall, SD! 

From Wall, I headed into Badlands National Park and rode along the Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway. This approximately 30-mile drive on SD 240 cuts through the middle of breathtaking formations of Badlands National Park.  It follows the "natural contours of the Badlands escarpment, weaving  in and out of the native grasslands."  Scenic overlooks, with names like Seabed Jungle, Pinnacles, and Prairie Wind, all offered amazing vistas. 

Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse were next up, but I had to go back through Rapid City to get there.  I found a less crowded, smaller 2-lane state road to take me back to Rapid City.  Fortunately I stopped for gas just before I left for  Rapid City because there was NOTHING along this road.  It was a nice crusin' rode but no where to stop for anything.  

Actually, there was one sight to see (picture of dinosaur on the right). I have NO idea what it was doing in the middle of nowhere.


 



Crazy Horse Memorial was my next brief stop.  The Crazy Horse Memorial is only half finished.  They say it will take another 50 years to complete.

Below, on the left is what has been completed as of June 4, 2012 (not much!).  On the right is a model of what the completed Memorial will look like.

Monday, June 4, 2012

There was still a few more hours of light, so I took the "scenic" round-about-way to Mount Rushmore, more Scenic Byways—Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway and the Wildlife Loop Sate Scenic Byway.  

Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway
This 70-mile drive offers breathtaking views of some of the Black Hills' most stunning scenery. The popular Needles Highway (SD Highway 87) and Iron Mountain Road (US Highway 16A) are both part of the byway. Needles Highway features tunnels, hairpin curves and slender granite pinnacles.
Three granite tunnels on Iron Mountain Road perfectly frame the faces of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the distance. Also on the route are three pigtail bridges, built in the 1930s, which have a corkscrew shape.

Byway Wildlife Loop State Scenic Byway  
The Wildlife Loop Road (SD Highways 87 and 16A) in Custer State Park is pure nature at its best. There are open grasslands and rolling hills speckled with pine. Many of the park's wildlife species occupy this area and are commonly seen. They include bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, deer, elk, coyote, prairie dog and numerous birds. Also, some of the park's wild "begging" burros live at the southernmost end of this road. This 18-mile route follows the diverse landscape offering views of mountain foothills, prairie meadows and lush stream beds. The park is home to one of the world's largest publicly-owned bison herds.

The ride was absolutely AMAZING!  Finished in Keystone just as it was getting dark and got a room there.

Next morning my plan was to go see Mount Rushmore. But it was yet another gorgeous day for riding, so I did a "drive-by" of Mount Rushmore and rode the scenic byways again before I had to return the motorcycle to Rapid City.




Am I ever glad I did!  As I was driving part of the Wildlife Loop,  I came upon a bison on the side of the road.




Further along, there was a burro smack dab in the middle of the road.  I'm not familiar with burros, so I wasn't even sure what it was.  I yelled at it, honked at it, flashed the high beams, but it was not budging.  Finally I took my chances and slowly went around it.
No reaction whatsoever.

It was getting close to the time that I had to return the motorcycle, so I had to change pace and high tail it back to the Harley dealership.  I returned the motorcycle, got back in the rental car, stopped in Rapid City for lunch, AND then went back to Mount Rushmore.

I spent the afternoon there taking in the beauty and symbolism of the four presidents.  I then had dinner in Keystone and decided to spend the night there again.  At just before 9 PM, I went back to Mount Rushmore for the Evening Lightening Ceremony.







This South Dakota marathon experience was above and beyond my expectations. I NEVER imagined South Dakota being so fascinating! If you have the opportunity, South Dakota is a must see.

33 - Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon - Deadwood, South Dakota

On the Sunday morning, there were 347 plus people in the town of Rochford for the start of the

 Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon,  "26.2 Miles of Breathtaking Black Hills Beauty."



The marathon course was point-to-point; we were bused out to the start in Rochford, a tiny old Western town with a population of only 25 inhabitants,  just after 6 AM for an 8 AM start.



Here I am passing the Moonshine Gulch Saloon during the beginning of the marathon.  I'm on the right wearing black sweatshirt and pants and white hat; it was cold waiting for the start.  The sweatshirt and gloves got tossed soon after this picture was taken.  The temperature rose quickly.



 
The majority of the race is on the George S. Mickelson Trail, an old railroad bed named in honor of a late South Dakota governor.   The "Mick," as it is called, is a wide trail of crushed gravel —not a "gnarly" single-track trail—thank goodness.  The marathon climbs for the first 14 miles to an elevation close to a mile up, before dropping again over the final 12 miles.  Both incline and decline are extremely gradual, but it STILL takes a toll. 

For the first half, I took it REALLY easy; then I enjoyed the decline the second half.  It seemed that all the runners settled into a pace and held it for the entire marathon.  My strategy of "picking off" runners toward the end didn't happen.  There was no one to pass! 


Final Results:
Overall place: 132 out of 347
Division place: 4 out of 32
Gender place: 29 out of 161
Time: 4:31:35
Pace: 10:22
13.1 split: 2:18:16
Gun time: 4:32:04

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.