Monday, July 10, 2017

Monday, Jul 10, 2017 Day 22 Across America North

. . . and free WIFI and ESPN too! 

Percival Prairie Dog makes an appearance (photo by Marty Stabler)

Bison are revered in these parts

Crazy Horse 

Entrance to monument

Lots of hills to get this photo!

Washington from the side on entrance to park

Mt. Rushmore:  Legendary and still captivating

Wearing the Solivita colors while enjoying the moment

The architect of this tremendous sculpture:  Gutzon Borglum


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CAC2017CYCLINGFOR GREATKIDS

While it eventually becomes easy to get in the groove of riding 80-100 miles a day, some days are filled with both physical exertion and sensory overload.  The physical challenge was a lot of climbing (5500+) over 74 miles, but the real stimulation involved the sights and sounds of the South Dakota countryside.  The openness and vastness of this part of the country never escapes me.  While we rode on a main artery from Hot Springs to Rapid City most of the way, there were few/no roads to our left and right most of the time.  I saw lots of cows and a few horses and little or no crop farming.  We were all on the lookout for bison, but only one group of riders got the benefit of Mike Munk's scouting efforts--he went down a road none of us would take on our own, sighted the bison and then waved the following groups in.  He loves to do that stuff!
I did rediscover something that was memorable from my first ride across America in 2006.  Today I again witnessed the Prairie Dog Early Warning Network.  The prairie dogs inhabited a vast area on our right about 10 miles into our ride.  I could hear them alerting their buddies up the road as I drove past so that by the time I neared the end of their colony they were almost standing up and waving to me as I drove by---okay, I said "almost."  They are definitely cute and they numbered in the thousands in this one small area.
Of course the highlight of the day was seeing the Crazy Horse sculpture from afar (we did not enter the park), and then Mt. Rushmore from a variety of angles.  We entered the park from the south west and our ride leaders were waiting for us as we approached a spectacular profile view of George Washington.  While I had previously seen the head-on view of Mt. Rushmore, I had not had this terrific opportunity (see photo above).  Shortly after getting the profile photo, I pedaled around the mountain to the main entrance and, along with 10,000 of my closest friends, walked up the entrance lined with all the state flags and viewed Mt. Rushmore from just above the amphitheater.  I absolutely love this monument to these men that played pivotal roles in building America.  I am still in awe at the quantity and quality of the work involved to shape this magnificent presentation.  It is inspiring!
After filling up my patriotism tank, I knew I still had about an hour of work left to get to the hotel in Rapid City.  Fortunately, the 4 or 5 climbs were not as steep or as long as some of our previous challenges, so I took my time for this last leg.  One item of note: on one downhill, I was sitting straight up, using my brakes regularly and still going over 40 mph--10 percent grades down come fast!
Stay healthy,
Steve
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5 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Glad that you've slowed down to 40 mph so that you can catch some of the sights. Nice to see the Solivita colors at such famous places and it looks like your having a great ride. Stay safe.
P.S. thanks to Dirk for posting the Youtube videos, even though you're usually so far ahead you don't get much face time.

11:45 AM  
Anonymous Les and Lorrine McPeak said...

Les and Lorrine McPeak said...

Bill just told me about the horrific accident! Hang in there Steve! We are praying for you and Arlene...praying HARD! You are one of the most positive men I know! God's not done with you yet! We ARE going to do the Tour of the California Alps/Markleeville Deathride! No Doubt!

12:12 PM  
Blogger SharonV said...

All of your Solivita cycling brothers and sisters are sending prayers and positive thoughts your way. Be strong and we'll see you back "on the reservation "

6:06 PM  
Blogger Shannon said...

Bless you and your team Steve! We at CAC are praying for your recovery. Peace be with you buddy.

8:59 PM  
Anonymous Mike Blackson said...

I'm a little late to the party apparently. Went to make a donation, but it's "closed". Is there still a way to donate? A side note about the prairie dogs. I went through in the summertime and they would frequently stand right at the edge of the sidewalks as we marched passed in formation. On a Saturday morning as we collectively reviewed our demerits for the week someone was told to write a demerit because they saluted the prairie dog. After the laughter I asked if he held the salute until his "superior" (the prairie dog) returned the salute. As I recall we both got a demerit.

12:37 PM  

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