Current Status

Current Status: Success! Ride completed Monday, July 3, 2017 - Stage 38: Velo-Vini-Vidi-Vici Victory Ride! - from Calistoga, CA to San Francisco, CA - 115 miles

Monday, June 12, 2017

Stage 17 Report: Badlands to the Mountain


Monday, June 12, 2017
Start: Interior, SD
Finish: Fort Collins, CO
Total Bike Mileage: 55.2 mi
Cumulative Bike Mileage: 1437.5

An aura of palpable energy this early morning as we awoke at 5:00 am to capture the Badlands when least irritated by higher sunshine or more frequented drive-thru guests. We wanted the Badlands to ourselves and so it was. Within minutes of the Badlands Inn, where we slept comfortably with well-appointed rooms, we rode into the extraterrestrial wonders of the Badlands National Park's geologic formations, mineral striations, and cavernous webbed pits ready to swallow an errant cyclist.


The awe of nature's creations overwhelm one's basic senses. There is rapture, peacefulness, aloneness, fearfulness, inspiration drawn forth from one's soul from these places of wonderment.

The meandering stone paths led you to ever more awe-struck views beyond. And then a dramatic climb, a sudden change in topography, as the land tables to a vista of grassy plains where thousands upon thousands of small ditch-hole homes sprinkled as a subdivision of suburban homes house the great prairie dogs who inevitably steal the attention from the occasional buffalo or mountain goat sightings due to their inestimable cuteness.

I was surrounded by a huge colony of these snappy chatty furry standing-curious dogs and their ever more curious young. I froze, the elder protector leapt at me and placed his sharp teeth against my left knee skin. Ouch! That hurts as I fell to the ground and winced in pain. As I recovered, dusted off, I thought I saw the little toothy culprit chattering menacingly as I scolded his unwillingness to have his picture taken. Bloodied and bruised, I moved on...

Note to the reader:
An alternate version of this segment has been suggested by my biking colleague; that indeed said bloodied knee did occur but that it was due to failing to unclip from my peddles fast enough before falling to my left side while trying my very best to capture one damn image of worth of these shy cute fellas as I was amiably gingerly passing through their homeland.

The reader may choose the story preferred as you wish...

And so we weaved through the Badlands. A little pain but much gain in spiritual kinship with the land and all creatures. We took the dirt road (by van) less traveled, Sagecreek Rim Rd, where we encountered more buffalo (another gift for today was Mike's birthday) to the town of Scenic and then continued on Rt44 to Rapid City, SD. Lunch stop at a modern Panera chain transported us briefly back home. It was tasty and nourishing

Our afternoon ride would test our endurance and will. An immediate 3mi high-pitched climb from Rapid City along Rt16 in the heat of the day brought much sweat and strain. We pushed, I collected a handful of hawk feathers strewn along the roadside (hawk spirit is me, buffalo spirit is Mike) and honorably added one specimen to my cycling helmet.

Hawk and Buffo continued our progress climbing to the Black Hills. Finally, a descent across a harrowing crosswinds bridge but then many more Mike's if grinding climbs. The road split, we followed to Rt16A, a welcome screaming descent to the tourist-trap town of Keystone, SD - gateway to the chiseled mountain.

A final series of climbs, these ever more steeper than the last turn, and there he was staring intently at me, one of my heroes of time gone by, Teddy Roosevelt looking intently at me. Lincoln was disinterested beside him. A glimpse of Teddy and then he disappeared, then all four colleagues emerged together. The road peaked yet my legs were limestone soft from the hardened pursuit. I dismounted honorably, as Theodore would have from his horse, and we entered Mt Rushmore.

The power of the vision before me. Flags of our states and honored faces of American predestination brought forth my Kansas and Nebraska patriotic sentiment. Yes, leaders are flawed human beings (and who is not among us all) but these four were the best for what they did or what they said that would inspire a nation, lay the framework for "e pluribus unum" (out of many, one), the idealized yet ever evolving motto of our nation. Patriotism cannot be confined on this cross-country voyage of our homeland. We have already been through and seen so much of our land and people that my pride and joy as an American could not be contained here, in this inspiring scene where French mingled with Italian and Spanish and German among other languages of tourists snapping photos beside me.

I saluted our leaders with a salute imbued in that patriotism. It called from within and bid thanks to the wonders of America.

From such a high we departed Mt Rushmore National Memorial by van. The day was waning and we were fatigued from the climbs. We entered and progressed through Custer State Park (the rugged beauty of this place, why is this not a national park?!), traversing through winding stone-carved tunnels, around pristine lakes, and then descending through the thick Black Hills pines to the town of Custer, SD.

Evening. Hungry. Tasty Mexican at the Begging Burro Bistro, ice cream shared for Mike's memorable Badlands and Buffalo  birthday.

Van from Custer westward along Rt16. Night falling quickly. We alighted on our bikes just past Jewel Cave for an honorable night cycle crossing into Wyoming. Downhill racing we engorged on speed as the day's elevation gain was consumed to darkness.

A stillness in the vista ahead. Dark clouds. A borrealis-like lightning of sky activity on the horizon. Winds picking-up. We were approaching the great Thunder Basin National Grasslands.

I counted the bolts of sky energy falling ahead. Time for safety inside our tin van. We packed up and then began our 4hr migration southward by van to reposition us in Fort Collins, CO. There, a rest day awaited tomorrow. A day to also reflect, a half-way point on our westward journey, perhaps also in my life as I near 50yo in one month's time, thoughts of the past and present intermingling as I took the wheel of the van and my colleagues rested.

I struggled to maintain wakefulness. Coffee stop, cold water splashes on sun-burnt cheeks. A mild surge of energy. Memories return. A song dear to me plays on the radio. The lyrics evoke an amalgam of happiness and sadness.

And so we finally arrive into Fort Collins, CO at 1:30am to lay our heads to sleep.

Blaze Stage 17 photos


Bikeoo

Badlands landscape awe
Climb to honor Presidents
Thunder Basin strikes

Indexes


Weather: (9)
Beautiful cool sunrise ride through the Badlands

Terrain: (7)
Difficult afternoon climb from Rapid City to Mt Rushmore

Scenic: (10)

Endurance: (9)
Some usual afternoon climbing fatigue

Wildlife and Roadkill:
W-prairie dogs (I love these guys!) songbirds, bighorn sheep, deer, buffalo
R-songbirds

Medical Report:
All good

Bike Report:
All good

Still Having Fun: (11)
Badlands, Mt Rushmore and Black Hills all in one day!

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