2020 – Mount Rushmore

18JUL – Drove to Souix City, IA

Drove to Souix City via car. Slept in a motel. Original plan was to start in Omaha, but we decided we wanted to ride through South Dakota rather than Nebraska. The decision saved us some miles also.

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19JUL – Day 1

Left the car in Souix City. Biked to Tyndall. Ate sandwiches for dinner from Casey’s General Store. Spent the night in MidWest LivINN motel. Day 1 miles 104.57

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20JUL – Day 2

I busted a valve stem while pumping up my tires in the morning, before we left Tyndall. This would be the only flat the entire trip (yay us!). Stopped at Ron’s Market (grocery store) in Tripp. Ate lunch at Boogs & Co in Parkston. We then had a 50 mile stretch to Platte. Whole lot of nothing between the two towns. Cell service was spotty once we entered some swamp lands. I stopped at least once to make sure Dad was still rolling. I don’t worry if I lose sight of him as long as he can call me. But when cell services fail, I try not to get to far ahead in case he has to stop for flat tires or some other mechanical failure. In Platte, we stopped at Shorty’s Bar. We rode out of Platte to Snake Creek Recreation Area (park) which had a campground. We still had daylight, so we could have gone further, but the next big town was too far, and we did not want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere. After setting up camp we ate at the restaurant in the park. Day 2 total miles 95.76.

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21JUL – Day 3

A very long day. Only made 3 stops. Rode through Dixon, which had one farm and several abandoned houses. First stop was in Winner where we ate at El Tapatio (Mexican restaurant). Also stopped at Family Dollar to stock up on supplies. Next stop was in Wood at Karla’s Last Kall. Service was lousy, but the burger tasted really good. We proceed to White River. We called the owner of Thoroughbred Lodge Motel, and he told us they were full. The local park had a campground listed on google, but it appeared abandoned. We rolled over to the sheriff’s department, and eventually found a deputy who got us permission to use the campground anyway. We went to the local bar to eat before setting up camp. No showers, or bathroom that night, but the stay was free, and we stole power from an outlet that was still working. I packed wet wipes so I could still clean up. Day 3 total miles 95.96.

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22JUL – Day 4

Hottest day so far. We rode through Wanblee, an Indian reservation town. They setup a blockade on highway 44. They let me through without saying much to me. When Dad rolled through, they apparently asked him not to stop in town, which was basically a death sentence (need water to not die). We stopped at Wanblee Mart. They required masks, which we brought. We bought lunch and ate it outside. Several visitors said hi, and asked about our trip. One guy talked to us for awhile about the town. The movie Thunderheart (1992) was partially filmed around the town. He spoke an Indian blessing (for safe travel) before he left. Eventually someone from the blockade came to the Mart and complained, so we left before things escalated. Next we rode to the Badlands Motel & Campground in Interior. We apparently got the last room available (someone cancelled their reservation). I gave credit to the Indian guy’s blessing from Wanblee for the good luck. We ate dinner at the Wagon Wheel Bar in town. Day 4 total miles 77.35.

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23JUL – Day 5

Still very hot. Rode through Badlands. Saw lots of Prairie Dogs along the highway, and saw a few Antelope. First stop was in Scenic. The gas station was closed, and the pop machine outside was not accepting dollars. The trading post was closed initially, but the post office worker let us use their water pump to fill our water bottles. The trading post opened up while we were filling up our water, so we ended up buying some snacks and soda. Later stopped at the Country Corner (c store) along the highway. Ate lunch at TK Saloon & Grill in Caputa. Finished the day in Rapid City. Saved the final climb for tomorrow. We ate at Hardee’s for dinner, stopped at Menards (mandatory masks!) so Dad could buy parts to adjust his derailleur. I bought some superglue to glue back together my shoes which were falling apart. Spent the night at Motel 6. Day 5 total miles 75.61.

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24JUL – Day 6

Last day. Ate breakfast at Hardee’s then went to the car rental next door. After some negotiating, we rented a car. We cheated a little by unloading any unnecessary bags. We then left the rental car, and made our final assent to Mt Rushmore. We took pictures, look at the displays, watched the short video, and ate lunch in the food court. We also looked around the nearby town of Keystone. The return ride was scarier than I expected. The roads were curvy, and there were random gusts of wind, so I didn’t feel comfortable taking the slopes at full speed. According to my odometer app, my top speed was 37.6 mph. Dad claims he cracked 40 mph. There was still climbing involved to make it back to Rapid City, but the return was still much faster. Once we made it back to the car, we broke down the bikes, loaded up the back, and began the long drive back to Indiana. Day 6 total miles 53.70. Total trip 502.95 miles.