Packing took a little more time than usual as everything had been removed from the car, reorganized, and repacked in the car. Since the motel did not serve breakfast, we were on the way south to Deadwood, stopping for gasoline and breakfast sandwiches. 

Kay shuttled me to Dumont Trailhead where I changed into a riding kit ( Spandex padded bibs and a Lycra Spandex KATY Trail Jersey). A “Beginning” photo was made and the ride south to Mystic Trailhead began. The first part of the trail sided a highway, but differences in elevations reduced traffic noise such that it was barely noticeable. Much of the adjacent land was being used as rangeland; consequently, several gates were across the trail. Accompanying old homesteads wildflowers bloomed along much of the trail and remnants of ranches were sparsely scattered about in this narrow valley. Further along, the gurgling sound of a trail side brook could be heard as the bicycle glided downhill. Just north of the Rochford trailhead, the first of 4 tunnels on the Mickelson Trail appeared (Tunnel “D” on the official trail map. MP 85.3). Even without sunglasses, going from daylight into the tunnel was a near blackout experience despite the bicycle’s strong headlight being on its brightest setting. 

Past Rochford, the trailside brook became larger, and was occupied by increasingly larger rapids—music to the ear. Just north of Mystic, the trail passed through the second tunnel (Tunnel “C” on the official trail map, MP 76.9), a short one. Wetlands filled with wildflowers and tree-covered mountains encompassed the trail before arriving at the Mystic Trailhead.

This was the first of two rides on Wednesday, 18.19 miles with an elevation “loss” of 198 feet, and my first on the Mickelson Trail. The downhill glides were exhilarating! The only disappointment was about 10 miles into the ride, the right pedal fell off! And, this was the first time the new TREK DS 4 had been ridden. With a multi-tool bicycle tool kit, it was reinstalled and tightened until a larger pedal wrench could be found. Lesson learned: after a lengthy road trip and before a ride, carefully inspect the bicycle; don’t trust anything to chance!

Plans were to stay at a B&B in Spearfish for a couple of nights, then move to a Lead B&B for a couple of nights, before driving to Custer for one night at a B&B. Things didn’t work out as planned. Kay called the Spearfish B&B host to reconfirm reservations; having not received a return call, she phoned again, and then texted. Still, no response. We shuttled back to Dumont for the last “leg” of today’s ride. 

At Dumont the right pedal was tightened with a large wrench at a trailhead bicycle tool station. The trail began an uphill 1.5 mile segment before flattening at it’s highest point at 6,216 feet. And then the fun began—for the next 5 or so miles the downhill trail ran through a deep forest, requiring little to no pedaling, and I reached a maximum speed of 33 mph (an advantage of having a big body) and probably exceeding the trail speed limit. Another short uphill section was followed by a couple of miles of flat trail. At this point, a spur trail broke off the left towards Lead, South Dakota, and residential and commercial development could be increasingly observed. In a hurry to reach Deadwood before dark, I inadvertently forgot to make photos—shame on me. The ride was 16.49 miles with an elevation gain of 349 feet, making the afternoon’s total 34.68 miles with a total elevation gain of 538m feet.

Late last night, we did a sunset drive through Theodore Roosevelt NP, our last foray into the park, and one that would yield a beautiful sunset and moon rise.

.A life list item, three days was plenty sufficient to see the sights unless one wanted to do a lot of hiking. The Medora Musical is a musical revue that produced each summer at the open-air Burning Hills Amphitheater near Medora, North Dakota. The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation (TRMF) maintains the amphitheater and historical properties and projects in and near Medora (basically the who town, including restaurants, hotels, gift shops, etc. 

The amphitheater was carved out of the side of the badlands in Burning Gulch by local volunteers, cast members and boys from the Home on the Range Ranch. The original theater seated between 1,000, and 1,200 people. It was constructed of wooden benches on the hillside with rustic buildings that formed a set around the stage. The natural acoustics of the hillside meant that no sound system would be needed. 

The musical is a look back at the “Wild West” days of the region and includes references to Theodore Roosevelt, who spent time in western North Dakota, including in the nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

We have been blessed to see so many wild animals in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, including American Bison, Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, wild Horses, wild Turkeys, and Big Horn Sheep—everything except for an elk which are rarely seen even by USNPS employees. The wild horse herds in the South Unit have ancestry dating back to the Wild West days of the late 1800s. Some say they are descendants of Crazy Horse’s herd, while others say their genetics are from the days in the late 1800s when ranches would turn horses loose, and catch and break them as needed. They look like pets, but are not at all docile.

Yesterday, we drove through the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We immediately saw wild turkeys, and as we drove further bison crowded the road, stopping traffic. And on the way out, Big Horn Sheep were feeding along the scenic drive. 

The North Dakota Badlands in and around Theodore Roosevelt National Park are not as pronounced as the Badlands of South Dakota, but still provide beautiful landscapes. The Little Missouri River provides a scenic backdrop from the high viewing spots along the road.

We’ve seen more prairie dogs and prairie dog towns in Theodore Roosevelt National Park than anywhere we’ve visited. These are Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. They were seemingly everywhere, busy as could be.

Also, we both saw our first wild horses. A long hike to the original, but now unused, Visitors’ Center provided an opportunity to photograph a small group in the distance. Further along the road, there were horses atop a hill, overlooking the gawking visitors. And, of course, American bison could be seen throughout the NP.

Kay said I was asleep in bed last night before 8 pm; I thought it was more like 8:15 pm. We both woke early, and with containers of hot coffee, were on the road about 6 am for our longest drive of the trip. We drove through Fargo, but didn’t slow down for fear of the “shredder” from the movie Fargo. Switching drivers about every two hours resulted in a pleasant drive of over 600 miles, arriving in Dickinson, North Dakota, about 4 pm (time changed from CDST to MDST). After checking into a clean, but otherwise sleazy motel (Rodeway Inn), we drove the 71 miles to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Unit, checking off another longtime “life list” item!

Theodore Roosevelt NP consists of three units: North, South, and Elkhorn Ranch. The North Unit is quite rugged, with substantial geological formations of various colors of clay and sandstone. The Little Missouri River winds and meanders its way through the the Unit, creating a myriad of photo opportunities. Bison roam freely, turkeys are found throughout the Unit, and Big Horn Sheep graze on the grassy slopes. We arrived at the North Unit late afternoon, lucky to find American Bison crossing the scenic drive in the park, causing a “bison jam” in the process. As dusk approached, Kay saw Big Horn Sheep just off the scenic drive, and they posed for several minutes for photographs. Visiting this NP is a life list item for me.

Someone tried stealing my bicycle last night! Fortunately, the bicycles were locked to the Thule carrier as someone attempted to steal the still new TREK Dual Sport. I found it off the rack but still secured with a cable lock about 5:15 am even though the car was parked in front of the room with a balcony no less; it’s likely we won’t recommend this motel! And, thank goodness for the security of a lockable Thule rack.

A stop in Kansas City allowed repair of one of the hearing aids and a bit of shopping at Costco.

Back on the road, we drove north to Sioux City, IA. Widespread high water remains over much of the area along I-29 between St. Joseph, MO, and Sioux City after the catastrophe flooding in late spring and early summer. 

We arrived in Sioux City late in the afternoon, checked-in at the motel, and spent a quiet evening before early bed.

It’s that time of year, again. A birthday “wish” trip, a couple “life list” items, and almost unbearably hot and humid weather in Hot Springs Village is pushing us north, and then west for a couple of weeks. 

Leaving home about noon and a quick stop at BassPro allowed me to pick up Kay in North Little Rock about 2pm. From there we drove to Joplin, MO, to overnight. This will shorten tomorrow’s leg significantly.

The month-long birthday celebration has begun. Having driven to Memphis yesterday, we are attending Photo Expo 2019 today at Graceland’s Guest House Hotel featuring a great vendor display and an impressive list of speakers. Making the most of the vendors, “Kay” bought a new photo printer, photo paper, travel tripod, and a Sony a7riii mirrorless camera (Kay “bought” these things because the Bedford Camera account is in her name).

One of the highlights of the weekend was a trip with friends Dan, Pat, Vic, and Sharon to Marlowe’s Ribs and Restaurant via a pink Cadillac limousine; the barbecue was great, and we recommend this place.\

Another highlight was visiting with granddaughter Harper on Saturday afternoon to celebrate her 7th birthday. After that brief visit, we returned home to prepare for another big trip.

A number of our friends have turned 70 the last couple of years, and have celebrated in different ways: formal birthday dinners or parties, family cruises, drop-in parties, etc. Consequently, for a couple of years now, I’ve been contemplating how I wanted to celebrate. Here were the criteria: nothing formal, no substantial effort by Kay, include a “life list” item, and cause minimal impact and stress on others. As it turns out, it is going to be a month long celebration!

Up early, Kay was a bundle of energy getting the motorhome ready to travel northward. At 8 AM, she asked the folks next door to move their tow vehicle so we could exit, and we were on the road at 8:15 AM. The trip was uneventful, except that the chosen route, Arkansas Highway 9 north from Camden, was closed due to flooding of the Ouachita River. A detour required additional driving but we were in Hot Springs Village by about 4 PM, and dumped and unpacked by 5 PM. And then, it was good to be home.