Wind Cave: Part 2

 

Yes, this is the same bridge from the end of the last post.  Wanted you to know you hadn't missed anything.  The distant hill is the one I'd just ridden over--where I'd seen the buffalo.

But the way ahead looks clear for a bit.  Let's open it up!

The Wind Cave National Park boundary was at the tree line, as were several wild turkeys.  I stopped to let them cross.

Exiting the park, I immediately entered the Black Hills National Forest.  I could have detoured onto the highway, not far back, and made it home quicker.  But the weather was still good, and time was on my side as well.

Custer County is directly south of Pennington, where Rapid City is located, so I was still heading the right direction.  The blue sign indicates that this is County Rd 336.  A quick map check confirmed that I was where I wanted to be.

Soon, the rock outcrops made the environment more engaging, though the vistas were not as vast as they were back in the park.

Looks like a fire ravaged this hillside not too many seasons ago.

But this one still has some green trees--clinging to life in the exposed bedrock's fissures.

Eventually, I wound my way down through a more consistent forest.  And the surface continued to be well-groomed.

When the road widened and I began to pass intersecting lanes, I figured I must be getting close to the highway again.

I took HWY 244 into Mount Rushmore National Memorial, stopping at the profile view of George Washington.  You don't have to pay to take in the carving from this angle.  And there are rarely any crowds!

There, I zoomed in a bit.  You see him now?

From here, I was home in under half an hour--with 120 more miles on Ryker's odometer than when I'd left, three and a half hours earlier.  About 30 miles had been gravel, whose condition permitted speeds ranging from 10 mph (exposed boulders) to 60 mph (very briefly).  It was a good little trip!

 

Wind Cave: Part 1

 

Yes, it's been a mild winter in western South Dakota this year - but not that mild.  This blog will cover a half-day ride at the end of October of 2024, months before the Oregon trip I chronicled last.  I know, it's been a long time since then.  Guess these photos got stuffed into the wrong drawer.  Consider this a proverbial blast from the literal past.

I began by heading south on Highway 79, toward the Nebraska border.  Before I got that far, I turned west onto a gravel road and aimed for the Black Hills.  As you can see, the weather was mostly cloudy, but temperatures were not too cool.

"Is dumping debris in the roadway really a problem here?" I wondered, as I read the sign.  I'd purposely taken the most remote route to Wind Cave National Park that I could find.  Perhaps I'd strayed too far.  The rocked surface was very nice, though.

I took this hairpin junction to follow Red Valley Road up the hill.  Traffic was quite light.  Obviously, the landscape is predominantly grasslands with scattered stands of pine.  In the summer, there's a lot more color, but it can also get uncomfortably hot.  October is fine by me!

It should also be plain to see that I'd washed Ryker since my return from the Arctic Ocean, a few months prior.  This was actually our first little adventure since then, and it felt great to be in the "wilds" again.

A stone pillar and a diminutive sign met me at the Wind Cave boundary.  I'd been into the 34,000-acre park before but not through this back entrance.  And this time, I planned to traverse most of its unpaved routes before exiting at the north edge.

The tourist shop T-shirt version of this sign reads, "Don't pet the fluffy cows."  It's good advice, but fairly frequently there are still wildlife encounters here and in neighboring Custer State Park that do not end well.  That is, they don't end well for the tourist.

Gaining elevation, I approached a grove of ponderosa.  The park roads were not as wide and well-maintained as the county roads below, but they were well within Ryker's wheelhouse.  We were both enjoying ourselves immensely.

This hilltop parking area provided long distance views in every direction!  Here, I'm looking east toward the Dakota plains.

This is more north to northwest, I believe.  And there is a cave underneath somewhere, as the park's name would suggest.  Kim and I have driven to the entrance and visitor center, but there were other things to do that day - and every day since.  Maybe when it opens for the season this year.

I think we've already had this view - but not so close in on Ryker's dashingly handsome face.

And here's one for Mother.  Most may find it hard to recognize me in my helmet and over-sized glasses - but she still can.  

If four photos from the same location is enough for the rest of you, we'll move on.

Before I'd descended the hill, I encountered my first of two buffalo herds that day.  I count eight.  I believe the rest are trees.  I remained on the trike, and they were content to keep their distance too.

A sturdy little bridge awaited me at the base of the ridge.  Good thing that center section was there.  Lining up all three wheels on one of the longitudinally planked wings would have been challenging.

At this point, I shouldn't have been too far from the pavement.  It was still early in the day, however.  I'd have to find a longer way home.