Down To The Prairie On Bikes

Tuesday, September 28th, Custer SD to Edgemont SD: On the third day of clear blue skies and low humidity, we biked 44 miles, mostly downhill, which was a good thing, since there was little shade for the last twenty miles and a temperature around 90 degrees. We passed prancing deer, wild turkeys, loads of grasshoppers, but no cyclists, along the path. Off the Mickelson Bike Path, at a bar in Pringle, pop. 113, the bartender cheerfully filled our water bottles. (To be continued)

Up And Over

 (Please click pictures for a larger view)

September 26-27, 2010 - Our bike ride from Deadwood to Mystic was a challenging one. We are not accustomed to this altitude nor to biking uphill almost two thousand feet for fifteen miles without an inch of downhill. Despite Janet's chain coming off the gears in a remote location above 6,000 feet, we managed to get to the summit, where we were thrilled to ride fifteen miles downhill. The George S. Mickelson bike trail, on the the former right-of-way of the Burlington North RR, is one stupendous experience, especially with blue skies, 80 degrees, low humidity weather. That was day one of the 109 mile journey.

Today, we used low gears again to climb another mountain, and then, it was: "bonzai" down to Hill City and Custer.

The Bigger Than Life Sculptures In The Badlands

I last visited this area with my parents in 1948. It was that year when Korczak Ziolkowski, born in Boston, self-taught, began the monumental sculpture of Chief Crazy Horse at the invitation of Chief Henry Standing Bear. The work continues.... In '48, at the age of 8 years, I marveled at the sight of the Presidents on Mt. Rushmore. I am particularly happy that T. Roosevelt is there. After viewing these monuments, we enjoyed driving along the "Needles" highway and Custer State Park, which is hosting the annual Buffalo Roundup. We found lodgings in the village of Custer.

On The Road Again-Minnesota to Rapid City, South Dakota

It's a good thing we didn't know the weather report for southern Minnesota or we would have been reluctant to leave Rockford, IL, yesterday; we drove all day through a storm that was described on the radio as a "once in fifty years" storm. Sadly, many families had to vacate their homes due to flooding and the threat of flooding.

When we finally made Sioux Falls after a harrowing eight hours on the road, we stopped at a Starbucks for a few minutes to decompress. Then, we headed to the home of a family which participates, as we do, in the Evergreen Travel Club. After dinner, our hosts drove us around the older parts of the City (at pop. 150,000, it is the largest city in South Dakota).


                                          Sioux River Falls, Sioux Falls, SD

                         
After a delicious breakfast of oatmeal brûlée, we took to the road across the state to Rapid City, SD. We had a close call as we are getting less gas mileage than usual, due to the bikes and our increased speed. We suddenly realized that we were down to a half gallon with no exit from the interstate far as we could see; yet within five miles, we rounded a bend and came to a lone service station on the prairie.
                                          South Dakota Prairie Scenes

We arrived in Rapid City. Under a blazing sun, we set out with our bikes along Rapid Creek and around Canyon Lake Park for an hour and a half.

                                          Couple fishing at Canyon Lake                   

                                           Janet at Canyon Lake, Rapid City, SD, 9/24/10

Then off to the Firehouse Brewing Company in the restored historic part of the city we went for a comfort meal and some locally brewed ale.

Anderson Japanese Garden

Coming into Rockford, Illinois from I-90 along a strip of motels and big box stores, one would not imagines that a few miles further one will come to a magic spot near the Rock River - a Japanese garden said to be the finest in North America. We sipped sake at the Garden's Seasons restaurant as we watched a fierce but brief thunder storm. We also enjoyed an excellent dinner as the sun set.

In daylight, we shall take a meditative walk in the Garden. Will it please us as does the Japanese garden in Portland Oregon? The answer is that our memories are failing us and we cannot make the comparison. They were both designed by Hoichi Kurisu. This Japanese Garden is beautiful and induces one to enter a meditative state of mind. We recommend it to all who travel through this part of the country. We also got some exercise riding our Marin bikes along the Rock River bike path.

Tonight, September 22, we ate at Brio, a small plate restaurant in an antique 1879 building in downtown Rockford. Highlights of the dinner were Roast Elk and Tempura Asparagus. All six plates were delicious.

A heron along the Ohio and Erie Canal


- Posted from my iPad

Cleveland to Rockford, il

September 20
Pictured are: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, which was designed by I. M. Pei, the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath, now a bike path along the Cuyahoga Rive, and a lock on the canal.












Posted from my iPad

New York to Ohio

September 18, 2010

We drove through Massachusetts to arrive at downtown Chatham, NY, where we visited with Ben Clark, were entertained by Luna (bright eyes, see below) and enjoyed some Mexican food at a local restaurant.







September 19, Sunday

On our way through western NY, we passed through land of the Seneca Nation, with many billboards along the intrastate, featuring Native Americans. There are vineyards on both sides of the road that would be fun to bike through (maybe on the way back). The Seneca people are fighting with the State of New York over tax revenues from tobacco sales. (Lake Erie in background) And arrived in Cleveland's western suburb, Lakeside, where we visited Ann and Darrell.




We dined at a restaurant, Touche, at the edge of this canal after viewing the rose garden nearby.

The last time I made a long loop trip across the country I rode in a sky-blue '36 Ford convertible with a rumble seat. Sometimes we travelled at 60 miles an hour, but then, we had to deal with two lane roads, road hogs and flocks of sheep crossing the road. In this picture, you see my parents and me and "Mitsi."



- Posted from my iPad

Getting ready to bike rails to trails

Our bikes are ready for the trails - are we?
We begin our journey Saturday afternoon, Sept. 18.


- Posted from my iPad

Location:Cambridge, MA