Mickelson Trail Day 3

Sunday, September 20, 2015:

Rochford To Deadwood, 26 miles:

A short day today started right out of the gate with the ten miles remaining uphill to the top of Dumont Grade. It also started out darned cold. I spent the night down in Spearfish, as it was the closest place I could get a room. I found out in the morning at breakfast, I wasn't the only one, there were several other riders in the same hotel. We got to Deadwood early, just before 7am. The first bus was supposed to go at 7:30, but, buses leave when full, and it was just pulling out. Oh well .... so I'd catch the second one. It was quite pleasant in Spearfish, so I only put shorts on, and short sleeves, it was supposed to get up to 74 degrees today in Deadwood. It wasn't quite that pleasant in Rochford, however as my bike had frost all over it, then after riding about 15 minutes, I went to get a drink of water, (I had left my water bottle on the bike) turned it up, squeezed ...... and nothing came out .... shook it hard, felt the ice knocking around in there, and breaking up, then I got some water. I think that there may have been a little skim of ice in the bottle, but the valve had frozen. Got a bit colder than I thought. I left there with shorts on .. got 1/2 mile up the trail and immediately stopped and pulled my tights on and wished I had a warmer jacket with me. Shivered for 5 miles before I finally warmed enough to be comfy. 

 The trail on this section was much coarser gravel, with sections of soft and loose stuff and rocky layers. Going down the north side there were some rough sections and lots of softer and loose areas. The hybrid and cross riders found it paid to be vigilant.

Loved all the bridges! Not hard to get scenic photos anywhere along this trail!

 The number 4 and last tunnel on the ride. The tunnels were very nice, with wooden beam entrances, they looked to be very original, and hard rock blasted interiors. Really cool tunnels.

 Some local color up near the summit of Dumont Grade.

 Horse! Such brilliant color variations with the bright horse colors against a wonderful green background, and the black cattle in the back. I thought it made for a good contrast of colors. 

Pretty little ranch way back in the back.

 I was admiring the view when a nice young lady rolled up alongside and asked if I wanted her to take my picture .... sure ....  she did a great job. She was an blogging advertising sales person from Arlington, S.D. , Just 30 miles from where I grew up. Great to talk to and we chatted for a ways down the hill. I coasted away from her going down the hill. Most of the hybrid riders kept their fingers on the brakes most of the way down because of the changing trail conditions. None of that affected the Fattie, however ... The Beast was flyin' by them all. 

As we topped the high point of the grade, a young man on a bright orange Salsa Warbird passed me pedaling furiously. I was coasting off the top, and for the whole 8 miles, I never turned the crank. Just tucked into my aero position behind my Jones bars and coasted. 4 miles down the grade, 22/23 mph and I caught and passed the Warbird, He was still pedaling. There was enough soft trail surface, he had to keep pedaling with his skinny 700/32 tires just to keep going. He was surprised when I passed and told him I hadn't pedaled a stroke since the top. When he did finally catch me at the next trailhead, he wanted to know all about the bike. All the way down that upper portion of the grade, never below 20mph and usually around 22 to 24 mph and never turned a pedal. Fun. I wasn't going to race down, but coasting at that speed on a fattie was just too tempting. Soft spots, rough spots, loose spots .... nothing mattered, just tuck and scoot! 

 I caught up to another Fatbike, a Mukluk, and we chatted for a bit, he was with a small family group, and all of a sudden, they all pulled over to the right and stopped. I did too, and if I hadn't, I'd have missed this shot of the Homestake Gold Mine .... the largest operating underground gold mine in the U.S. I took the tour many years ago and I believe they said those tunnels went over 6500 feet down.  Seen through the opening in the trees, the tall building that looks a bit like a grain elevator is actually the shaft elevator for the mine.

 After a short, fairly level stretch, it was a pleasant downhill the rest of the way into Deadwood from here. There was one hairpin that everyone warned me about, and, they also had the main gate closed just before you got there and a hairpin sign. You had to squeeze through the walk gate, making you slow dramatically. Good thing too, right at the curve and all the way through the tight hairpin, the gradient increased dramatically, and there was a very, very loose surface. I'm glad I paid attention to the warnings, at even 10mph you would have left the trail. I broke rear wheel traction at 5mph in the middle of the turn!

The rest of the way into Deadwood was uneventful, and when I crossed the finish line, I was actually sad that it was over. I think If I had arranged for a bit more time, I'd have turned around and did it the other way....... next time, I'm riding back to Hill City, anyway. 

There was a line waiting to take their pictures at the sign .... I didn't feel like waiting, so I just took a picture of the sign with someone else's bike by it. The sign was what I wanted anyway, and I wasn't going to get it unoccupied so I took it this way. 

 The city of Deadwood provided a dedicated trolley to take us from the Trailhead to the pavilion for lunch and bring us back. Pretty neat little open air trolley ride.This is the pavilion after the ride where we were served our last meal.That really didn't sound right, but it was the last meal we ate with the State Parks ....

 Just a light lunch they called it.

 Downtown Deadwood. I decided to walk back to the car after the "light lunch" ..... 

Deadwood Train Depot.

 A bike of a different ilk seen in Sturgis.. This had a Wisconsin V4 combine engine, an old tractor seat, an old grain binder wheel in the back, and many other old junk parts. Looked pretty cool, I thought.

Some of the Schwag...... 

 Shirt front

 Shirt back.

 I can always use another cap.

 Decals

 Really nice roomy carry all bag. It seemed well made and should come in handy.

 This South Dakota State Parks ride turned out absolutely wonderful! Such great people, and such a wonderful experience. I loved every minute of it.  I really don't know why I had any reservations about the ride, but I shouldn't have. It all worked perfectly. Great ride, beautiful scenery, lovely weather (a bit chilly at times, and one challenging windy day), great food and drink, and wonderful people all combined to make this a memorable experience for sure! 
If I have a caveat, it's on me ....... the weather here is very changeable, take every bit of cycling clothes you have .... warm weather, cool weather, cold weather ..... and rain gear..... regardless of the time of year, or whether or not you think you are going to need it ..... if you got it ..... take it! This is another plus for the way they planned this ride. You didn't have to take all that stuff with you because you went back to your room and your luggage every night. Just prepare in the morning for what you might need.  Bikes ....... the recommended bike is a mountain bike, the next most common bike was a hybrid, after that, a few townies, a couple of road bikes, several touring bikes, and 5 Fatbikes. Do it your way, but this is one you really ought to do ...... 
My choice of bike, for me, was great. The easy rolling Fatbike proved to be a very capable trail bike for the long ups and downs of the Mickelson. The very changeable trail conditions proved to keep the riders of lesser bikes on their toes, but for me, just charge ahead, and don't worry, the bike will take care of me.  

Other conclusions:    If you are planning on doing this on your own, there is abundant lodging and food all along the trail, the hardest climbs are at either end, the weather is, at best, totally unpredictable any time of year, the beauty of the ride is stunning. I like the company of other riders, as well as the leadership of a well experienced tour group, State Parks are great as they know the climate, adversities, and how to make it all work better than anyone else could ....... it's their place after all. This ride, done with the South Dakota State Parks does not disappoint! The ride has become very popular, however, and the 600 rider limit is filled well before the ride. The State Parks and the small towns along the way knock themselves out to make sure you feel welcome and have a wonderful time. Great way to do a ride like this for the first time, plus, I talked to many riders who had done it 8 to 10 times ..... it must be great ...... and it was! Why do it on your own when you can have the benefit of the experience the State Parks provide and the fun and companionship of all the other riders as well. Great ride!! I'm just sorry it's so far away from me. The bike ride was wonderful, the long car drive .....not so much... Yes ..... I was a Virgin ..... but now I am a Mickelson veteran! OooRah!!! 

Mickelson Trail, Day Two

Saturday, September 19, 2015:

Custer to Rochford: 39 miles

Too much beautiful scenery on this day. Three tunnels, and mountain streams with waterfalls ..... be prepared for a picture overload. I had a hard time cropping out many, except the climb up Redfern Grade, which I had done a couple days before and included in an earlier segment. 

Today started out chilly. I walked out of my motel room and started across the street for breakfast and noticed the frost on the top of my car as I walked by, roof, hood windows, etc ..... all had frost ... hmmm .... going to be a cool start today. I brought my red Pearl Izumi windbreaker, which is good down into the 40's. I had already wished I had brought my heavy winter riding jacket. No wind today which is a blessing, however.This was to be one of our hardest days, 40 miles, three big long climbs.  5 miles coming out of Custer, 8 1/2 miles from Hill City to Redfern, and then 3 miles of the 13 mile long Dumont grade to get up to Rochford. The hardest climb was the Redfern grade, 8 1/2 miles of 3 1/2% to occasionally 4%. While that doesn't seem very steep, the fact that it is on gravel, makes it a bit tougher. It's a steady climb with no breaks, and the sheer length of the climbs as well as the fact there were three long climbs, wears you down. I was ready to stop by the time we got to Rochford. There is a lot of climbing on this rail trail. Not like your ordinary "follow the big river" type of trail. You just keep the cranks turning, though, and you will get to the top. Combine the climbing with constantly changing mountain scenery, and the wild temperature swings along with the 6,000 to 7,000 foot elevation all combine to make it all a bit of a challenge for an old man. Today would prove to be probably the most scenic of the three days (in my opinion).

Started on the trail at 7:30am this morning, the sun just peeping over the tops of the trees. Cold and crisp. This is typical of the rugged cuts along this trail.

No wind, loved the reflections and the  crispy feel to it all.You can see the steam rising off the warm water in the cold air.

Frost still on the meadow.

One of the many bridges

Still frosty

Finally .....  SUN! And .....maybe a little warmth to go with it!

There were some times when the trail just hung on the side of the mountain, cliff on one side, and drop-off on the other.

Original tracks, sign and telegraph pole. It does make one wonder a bit ..... it could have been moved to the side of the gate a ways ... 

Another pretty, rocky cut. It was nice when I could get another cyclist in my photos ..... it was so crowded with 600 cyclists after all. As you can see today, the trail does get a bit rough in places.

First view of Crazy Horse Monument.

A bit closer view. I was here about 20 years ago, and I really don't see much accomplished in that time. I'm sure it will never be completed in my lifetime, maybe not at all. The immensity of it is lost in the scope. The face alone is ten stories high. Could you imagine? I really don't know how they can do something that detailed, so large and have it come out so well. If you wish to see any of these full size, just click the picture.

A bit about the sculpture.

Sun peeping through the trees.

"Mommie, Mommie ....Look .... Fatbikes take naps too" ........  

The first of three tunnels we went through today. Dark in there, and long, don't forget to remove your dark glasses before you go in or you may not see the bear.....  There were three tunnels today, and one on Sunday, this was the longest, and most unusual as it curved through the mountain.

I think I'd walk through the stream before I'd go over that bridge.

One of the longer and higher trestles.

The old log church at Mystic.

A couple of old buildings at Mystic.

The ladies at Mystic put out quite a spread for us, all home baked goodies. I looked for a "tips" jar, but didn't find one. I chatted with the little white haired gal seated there and asked her, and she said "There are about 25 families living up here, and we all get together when you do this ride and bake these treats for you riders because you do so much for us here" ..... Well ........All I'd done so far was to eat their delicious treats.

Even goodies for the gluten free crowd.

A bit more rugged part of the trail.

  Another tunnel

This one, you can see the daylight at the other end.

Lots of these pretty little falls and rapids.

First class ride, this one .... they don't make you print your information on your tags .... it came already all printed up for us. Pretty darn nice touch, I'd say.

Bike parking area at Rochford. Put your helmet on your seat, and the nice lady ties a plastic bag (two in fact) over it all and ties it around your seatpost fore and aft. I took my rear bag and camera and left the rest. The bike stays there overnight with a couple of guardians who volunteered to stay there awake all night. This is the 18th Trail Trek, and they have never yet had an incident. Clever arrangement for parking .... they string tight ropes across, put number tags on the ropes for designated parking (there are 600 bikes) and tie us off to the ropes. I only had to wheel my bike there and they did the rest. AND .... with their numbering system I found my bike with no trouble in the morning ....

You can see the big crowd there already. If I didn't have this slow ol' Fatbike, I might have been able to beat some of the crowd.The bike parking area is completely surrounded by growth. I would have ridden right on by if there wasn't someone at the opening to steer me in.

Close up of how they tie the bike to the rope. Worked very well, holds the brake tight, and the handlebar to the rope. Bike is going nowhere, even in a strong wind. 

The Moonshine Gulch Saloon. During Sturgis rally time, you can't get anywhere near this place. They had an outdoor bar for us just off to the right where we had a choice of several brands of beer, from the big names to the craft beers. There was water and soda pop, tea and lemonade, and food, all included with the ride, in the community building to the left of the white car.  Just down the road a bit to the left was a huge tent where we had live entertainment. The school bus to the right was one of 6 that were there waiting for us, to return us back to Custer. I believe they made two trips each. The State Parks and the people of Rochford (I know they are going to hate this description of how to pronounce the name, but think "Crotch" drop the "C" and add "furd" and you will be close). I would have pronounced the name like "Roachford" ..... but no ..... it's more like "Rotchfurd" ... Oh me .... learn something every day. 

This was our light lunch at Rochford, I had already consumed 5 of the cherry tomatoes and a bite out of the sloppy joe. They also had raw broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, I can't handle much of that kind of raw veggies, so I settled for the tomatoes. The food was all great on this ride, and the refreshing beverages were cold and hit the spot.

Our band ..... a five piece country western group that was very good. I really enjoyed them.

You can see some of the crowd and the size of the tent.

There were a few of us that got up there and danced, including the "Old Man" .... 2 beers, two pretty women and 4 dances later had me worn right down, however.

The South Dakota State Parks Department does indeed know how to put on a bike ride. They knock themselves out so all of us had much fun and enjoyment during our time with them. Everything that had concerned me before the ride .... the large number of riders, all the shuttling, leaving our bikes overnight .... all proved to be not worth the worry. It all worked out perfectly. The food and drink were wonderful, all the rest stops, were great ..... AND .... we still had one more wonderful day ahead.