The Many Faces of South Dakota: Part 2 of 2

The words unusual, extreme, severe and record breaking no longer have the umph they once had. With the Missouri river flooding and rain fall beyond belief, this is the year where new adjectives to describe our world are needed. On the bicycle I not only see, but feel and experience the nuances of nature, weather and how the human species has chosen to affect the delicate balance of the planet. The earth herself has tides, ice ages and droughts, heat waves and thunderstorms. Her moods and climates vary as part of the cycle of life. But we have thrown a wrench into the mix, and have taken her moods and made them into viscous mood swings that seem to be getting worse and worse.

As I have crossed South Dakota, this state where they used to go weeks on end without rain, I have ridden with rain and the threat of rain everyday. The rivers are all flooding, and will remain so until the winter. The prairie has abandoned houses from those who rushed in to an environment, tried to make it something it wasn't, and learned a hard lesson. We have chosen to create a civilization and way of life that has as a necessary foundation: pollution, violence, war, greed, anger, lies, and hatred. We have chosen this. While I see much of this on the road (cough CARS cough), I also see that which makes the human animal so wonderful. Our love for each other, our warmth, sharing, care and kindness are attributes that make the human community so amazing. We can choose to destroy the waters, the skies, other peoples and places, or we can choose something different.

… From the capital Pierre, I entered my so far longest stretch of no mans land. A 66 mile no service section where, had it been the normal 100 degrees most likely would have found me eating the abundant grass searching for water. Instead, with a grin on my face as the headwind battled me, I made it to Midland and partook of a feast hosted by a very large family reunion. The next morning, it was Badlands or bust. Another wonderful headwind made my journey all the more difficult, as did the near constant rainfall that day. However, it was worth it as I cycled into the eroded rocks, cliffs, ravines and colored soils that have seen large mammals that no longer roam this world. I also learned that the Badlands are greener due to the rains than they have been for a long, long time. Set up camp in the high winds, meet another bike tourer from NYC going to San Francisco who made the horrible mistake of putting her wheel in the bike stand and having the wind blow it over. This will always equal one thing: bent rim.

With rains and winds waking me, I got an early start on the scenic drive and got to see, feel, taste and smell this wonderful geological landscape nearly by myself. Plus, without cars and rvs on the road I was able to switchback up and over the 4 major passes that, with the wind, made me take over 4 hours to go 25 miles. And I still had 65 more to go!?!?!

First, it was a break at Wall Drug, the “South of the Border” of the Midwest. Got my ice water and had a 20 mile stint on the interstate before getting off and continued to plow into the head winds and the constantly rolling grasslands. About 10 miles out of Rapid City, and after over 9 hours of cycling, my wonderful warmshower hosts rescued me and saved me from most likely another 2 hours of biking, and a killer hill to get to their house. Rapid is a prime gateway to the Black Hills, and with the pine trees, mountains, and zig zagging roads, after more than a week of the South Dakota vastness I made it to it's crowning jewel.

The jewel, however, is hilly. With pines, and cottonwoods, jagged rocks piercing the sky, hills of dark reds and greens, twisting mountain roads with tunnels and bridges, the Black Hills are a magical cycling experience. My first stop was Mount Rushmore, which I hadn't really thought about being a mountain. Well, it is. 10% grade for 2 miles of grueling climb and I panted and sweated my way to the viewing platform of the stone carved faces. Then I left. And left with a furious downhill until, as all my downhills would prove, another grueling climb began fresh.

Even though I sweated and grunted and ached form the climbs, the hills provided me with wonderful vistas, pure and clean energy emanating form the trees, rocks and abundant wildlife. After a night camping in Custer State Park, I hit the roads early to avoid traffic, but it turns out I only avoided car traffic. Had my first encounter with the giants beasts, Bison. There two stood, carelessly in the road, staggeringly big and smelly, and in my way. So I stopped, and waited, and waited, and waited. 20 minutes a car came by and drove right up to the bison. It didn't care. He yelled and slapped his car and finally, slowly, it walked just enough for the car to pass. Soon a park ranger came and gave me some blockage so I could get by without completely fearing for my little life being squashed by the bison. Of course, this was all on top of being ridiculed by prairie dogs all day long. They chirped, and barked and called out to me for hours. Amazing.

Underneath the waving grasslands, as I discovered, is wind cave. One of the largest, most complex cave systems in the world, only 5% has even been discovered yet. Spent an hour underground, seeing delicate formations nowhere else on earth. And it was nice and cool, an added treat. From there it was to Hot Springs, where I am staying two nights and visited the Mammoth Site, an ancient sinkhole where hundreds of mammoths fell in and their bones have been well preserved. And I imagine a certain brother of mine snickering that I too probably got stuck in the sink hole. But no, I didn't. They didn’t have any turnstiles there.

boxwork at wind cave

And so, from Hot Spring I will end my mammoth adventure of South Dakota. I head west to the Wyoming border and then due south for several days as I make my way to Boulder Colorado. Remember, if you want to send me mail or any surprises, I will be at this address in about a week-ish and staying for about a week-ish. Check out all my SD pics https://picasaweb.google.com/rossbikepics , and keep on keeping on.

Send me mail at:

Ross Guberman

c/o Jamie Seiffer

3345 Chisholm Trail (#206)

Boulder, CO 80301