It's threshing bee season, and that's where I've been spending most of my time lately, However, I did head out west to the Black Hills over Labor Day weekend with my wife. We have a pair of new Trek FX2 bikes and went to ride the old CBQ rail to trail--the Mickelson Trail. I suppose I'll break this story up into two parts.
Part 1
The Mickelson Trail is 109 miles long, and I was thinking of riding the entire thing north to south in one day. Never mind the farthest we've done to date was 35 miles in one day, on the level ground of the Root River Trail in southeast MN! The day we were to set out was forecast to hit 90 degrees though, and we'd be at 5,000 to 6,000 ft. The hills were not over 3 or 4% grades, BUT.....they could be 10+ miles long with no break! We decided to cut it short and ride Deadwood to Hill City, about 42 miles. The northern portion of the run is mostly through forest and is shaded. Our Trek bikes are very lightweight and have 24 gears, but those mountain grades showed no mercy! My wife was staying in gear 1 or 2 and making less than 5 mph. I could see she would never make it to Hill City! She seemed to be in the early stages of heat exhaustion. There is no cell phone service along there, virtually no road crossings, and no houses. Once you're on the trail you are pretty much on your own and committed to finishing! The only town along the route is Rochford, and it's tiny. When we finally got there we went for cold drinks at the only place in town --a biker bar. The place was crowded with about 100 bikers milling around. I told my wife I was pulling rank on her, and was leaving her there. I'd ride on to Hill City (~22 miles), get the car, and come back for her in maybe three hours. She asked, "So what am I supposed to do here for three hours?" I suggested she grab a beer and shoot pool with the guys. She replied, "You're ditching your wife at a biker bar?" Hmm. That didn't sound like such a great idea when she put it that way. I then suggested she catch a ride with one of the bikers back to Hill City, riding on the back of a Harley, but she didn't like that idea either. In the end we found an out of state tourist couple from Elgin, IL that gave her a ride back. As a bonus they had a pickup truck and we put her bike in there. I rode on ahead, and made the entire 42 miles before dark with no problem. Not bad for a guy who was nearly dead seven months before! Mickelson Trail is considered one of the top 10 most scenic bike trails in North America, and parts of it were spectacular. Next time though, I think we'll only tackle Dumont to Hill City, about half the distance. And, make sure it's under 80 degrees! Anyway, some shots. this would have been a world class rail line to photo, especially back when it was done with steam engines!
1. Tunnel D. Wife resting in the cool tunnel while I take a few shots.
2. Tunnel B. (There were four tunnels.) Note there is now only one bike!
Kent in SD