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!