August 28, 2017
MOUNT RUSHMORE K.O.A.: Fun At the Famous Monument
There are two routes to get from Hill City to Mount Rushmore National Monument. I think I chose the better one. Route 244, also known as The Gutzon Borglum Memorial Highway is closed to trucks and commercial vehicles and it has some of the most stunning scenery of my entire tour. It has lots of big hills too. Here are some pictures of the scenery along with my deeply meaningful captions.
It was another half-mile beyond George's profile to the Mount Rushmore entrance, where I got in line with all the cars and RVs to pay my entrance fee. Actually, there were several lines of cars and RVs in front of several gates. It was much like a very busy toll station on the New Jersey Turnpike.
The line moved pretty quickly, and when I got to the booth the ranger just waved me through. "No charge for bikes," he said.
"Really?" was my stunned reply.
"Really. And you didn't have to wait in line either. You could have just ridden right past the cars."
"That's okay, I didn't mind waiting," I lied.
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I hiked down the paved trail to the base of the mountain. It felt a little strange to be looking straight up Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln's noses. I thought of Cary Grant and Martin Landau chasing each other around up there in North By Northwest. I can't figure out how they did that.
I'm not a super-patriot or anything like that, but Mount Rushmore really is inspiring. Of course, I think that would be true no matter whose faces were up there--even if it was the faces of four great cartoon characters such as Fred Flintstone, Bugs Bunny, Jonny Quest, and G-2.
I spent about 90 minutes there, hiking the boardwalk trails and taking in the same visitor centers and gift shops and eateries as all the other thousands of tourists.
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Mount Rushmore hadn't been on my original itinerary for this tour. I've been there before and didn't really need to see it again. Instead, my plan was to spend just two days in the Black Hills and then head back down to the grasslands and badlands. I had to maintain my credibility as a Great Plains explorer, you know. Alas, I no longer have that credibility.
The Black Hills are mountains, not plains. They're a geological aberration--an isolated island of high elevations and tall pine trees surrounded by a sea of grasslands and badlands that make up the true Great Plains. But I'm not going to lie to you. I like it here in the Black Hills--view-blockers and all--and I'm going to stay up here for a while.
The temperatures are going to be in the 90's for the next few days down there on the plains and my body already feels like it's been rubbed down with habanero peppers. My lower lip is blistered to the point where people probably think I'm a leper. The constant sun is taking its toll and at least there is some shade up here in the mountains. Plus, I am spending beyond my budget, I miss my family, my cycling shoes are falling apart (I've ridden the last two days in my hiking shoes on SPD pedals) and I cannot bear the thought of riding any further than Rapid City under those conditions. Last night, from the comfort of my air-conditioned motel room, I reserved a one-way rental car from Rapid City to Minneapolis.
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Enough with the complaining and the excuse making! The car rental is still a few days away. Today is what matters, and today I got to bike up and down the highway named after the dude who was in charge of carving the faces of four presidents into the side of a mountain, and I got to see some amazing sights.
As I was backtracking a few miles to the KOA Kampground, (yes, you read that right, a KOA) a car passed me and quickly pulled to the side of the road. Seconds later I was being waved down by my new friends and bike chain fixers, Kevin and Terry. It was a pleasant surprise I must say. They were the only bike touring folks I met on this entire tour. I got a hug from Terry and another beer offer from Kevin, and this time I got a picture of them.
Alright, I admit it, I'm writing this at a KOA Kampsite. A phalanx of Kamper Kabins hover behind the site I was assigned. The kampground is overdeveloped and the sites are krappy. There was no eskaping these konditions. Yet, I figured if I kould adapt to kamping behind a konvenience store as I did last week, I kan certainly adapt to this-- especially since I had a kouple (4) kans of kold beer to help me.
Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 582 miles (937 km)
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