Day 23: Rapid City to Wall, SD

An easier day, only 58 miles, almost a rest day by our standards. I needed it because my knee had some twinges and I rode slowly. We are lucky to have several doctors among the bikers, and a physical therapist, Mike, told me to apply a cream and ice it. Tomorrow I shall need good legs. The scenery is flattening out and the air temperature is rising as we descend from the Rockies. Today's ride was undulating....fun.

Day 22: Hot Springs to Rapid City, SD

Everything happened today. It was considered the second hardest day of the tour with an ascent of 5,000 ft and a distance of 75 miles. We began in thick fog and climbed for the first 30 miles, through Wind Cave National Park (pictured) - just breathtaking - where bison were roaming, up to the unfinished Crazy Horse Monument. Then a further climb through towering rock formations to Mount Rushmore, and lunch in Keystone. Dark storm clouds were closing in as we made a dash for the hotel, but when a piece of hail hit my head, Kate and I sought shelter in a toy store. The storm was so intense that the store filled with two inches of water and the outside looked like snow. As if that weren't enough, I suffered a flat tire about two miles from the hotel, which I repaired on the roadside. The motel had no hot water for showers.