…and a Rest Day!
I must admit that I was disappointed yesterday when our hotel was well outside of Spearfish proper. Its a great little town and I was looking forward to visiting old haunts. It seems that not many hotels can accommodate 21 riders, 5 guides 3 vans and 2 trailers however! The hotel doubled as a convention center and was huge, (how huge was it?) It was so large that I exited the building on my bike on one end and was well warmed up by the time I arrived at the front. Nevertheless despite this small disappointment, riding today was a pleasure. The mileage, elevation and geography was similar to my foothill training rides. What would we find around the next corner?
The day started with a bang as we descended to the entrance to Spearfish Canyon. It is 20 miles of waterfalls, wildlife and generally drop dead scenery. The high canyon walls and deep canyon floor are composed of mostly limestone. It has distinctive rock ledges that are the same ages and type as the Grand Canyon. I actually got behind the group as I had to make a call to guide Rae to pick up my gopro that I had left in time-lapse mode in the parking lot (see video below). This left me alone to absorb the beauty and cool quiet stillness of this landmark. The road sports a 1-2% grade and makes for an easy climb. It seemed that the first 20 miles slipped by very quickly.
Next up on the agenda were a series of climbs up to the town of Lead where gold was discovered 1876. Even though mined for gold, the town name was inspired by lode mines in the area . An outcrop of ore is called a “lead”. When South Dakota was admitted to the Union in 1889, Lead was its largest town. Now it has dwindled to less than 2000. The ups and downs continued and would until we reached the plains of Rapid City. Each climb was a little less although the temperature increased as the time progressed and the elevation decreased. Two miles of bike path led us to the historic but refurbished Alex Johnson Hotel , our home for two nights.
| Distance (miles) | Elevation Climbed (feet) | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|
| 1597 | 68,462 | 56,095 |
| Fitness | Fatigue | Form | TSS Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 135 | 249 | -119 | 234 |
9 responses to “Day 19 Spearfish SD to Rapid City”
Leigh says:
September 6 , 2022 at 12:13 am
What a glorious adventure! So jealous!
brb5280 says:
September 6 , 2022 at 2:00 am
Thanks for following Leigh!
Eric Britton says:
September 6 , 2022 at 1:13 pm
Finally some trees again! Looked like a beautiful ride, and hopefully one that helped your body recover. Have a great rest day Bruce. Love the photos , videos and stories. Go Bruce!!brb5280 says:
September 8 , 2022 at 3:03 am
Yes the ride out of Spearfish reminded me a lot of riding Deer Creek Canyon and Evergreen.
Mike Hurley says:
September 6 , 2022 at 2:59 pm
Very impressive! Those canyons look pretty sweet!
CT Lin says:
September 7 , 2022 at 7:19 amIs someone your editor on these videos or are you staying up all night putting them together? Pretty cool vignettes.brb5280 says:
September 8 , 2022 at 3:01 am
Takes me about an hour for the video. Makes me put my feet up and rest rest rest for recovery. The group shares photos so fun to see the day from
so many viewpoints.
Dale Brott says:
September 8 , 2022 at 4:02 pm
Pretty cool, Brucebrb5280 says:
September 9 , 2022 at 3:14 am
Thanks Dale. Hope the Spanish Trip is going well.
Wanderings 