Black Hills National Forest – Gav's Cycling Adventures

Spearfish to Rapid City

Jul 13, 2022gavscyclingadventures

Sunday 3rd July to Wednesday 6th July – Stages 50 to 52.

Sunday 3rd July – Spearfish to Hill City (Stage 50)

We packed our camping equipment & were on the road by 8.45am for the first of 3 days of adventures in the Black Hills. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is an area of outstanding natural beauty, but isn’t that well known – luckily we were aware of it from our Adventure Cycling Association maps. The road follows an old railroad route, so although it climbs for the best part of 22 miles, the gradient rarely exceeds 4% & is one of the top 50 scenic cycle paths in the USA.

The cliffs rise over 1,000 feet on either side of the canyon & are covered by trees as the scenic 14a road follows the path of Spearfish Creek. Along the way are Bridal Falls (photo 3 below) & the Devils Bathtub (photo 4).

As we continued up the canyon, we were passed by a few small groups of cyclists – we were no match for their carbon bikes! The red, yellow & white cliffs occasionally peaked out from the forest as we reached the Latchstring restaurant where we pulled in for a coffee & to top up our water bottles.

We stopped briefly in one of the picnic spots, so we could cool down when enjoying a handful of trail mix – while I sat there, a chipmonk came over to investigate if there were any scraps for him! Spearfish Canyon was used as a location for some of the scenes from Dances with Wolves & there was a signpost to direct film buffs up Forest Road 222.

The canyon widened out as we neared Cheyenne Crossing, with small lakes appearing where manmade weirs had been installed. At Cheyenne Crossing we followed the 14a as the gradient suddenly increased in severity – this part of the climb was about 3 miles in length & took us past where Don had planned to stay last night. We then enjoyed a couple of miles of downhill before taking a right turn onto a smaller backroad.

We saw a long distance cyclist heading in the opposite direction & I actually had time to take a photo as we passed each other, shouting “Safe Travels” to each other. We had one final road climb before today’s adventure began in earnest.

The George S. Mickelson Trail is 109 miles in length, is shared by cyclists, hikers & horse riders & was completed in September 1998. Much of the trail passes through National Forest Land as the 100 converted bridges & 4 rock tunnels enable users to travel from Deadwood to Edgemont – its surface is primarily crushed limestone, with stretches of gravel. The trail follows the old Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad branch line.

We joined at the Englewood Trailhead on a gentle downhill section (milepost 98.5), perfect for getting used to the different surface! We were both a bit wary to begin with, as we haven’t done too much off-road riding with the panniers, however, we soon felt more confident. At times the trail followed the road, but there were also sections that took us into the wilderness, so it really felt like an adventure!

The trail continued to descend for the next 23 miles. Along the way we passed through 2 of the rock tunnels, followed the course of Rapid Creek, cut through forest & stopped in the town of Rochford for an ice cream & to top up our water bottles again. The local tap water was high in iron content, so the owner of the Rochford Mall kindly shared her daily water supply with us. Another of many generous acts we’ve experienced on our adventure to date.

Passing through Mystic, we encountered Pony & then Bobcat Gulch – there was a beautiful river beneath us & this marked the point where our descending ended.

We now had to climb the Mickelson Trail!!! Up to this point we thought we had a bailout option of riding the road – we could now see that was gravel too, so time to accept our lot in life & get on with it. The views were breath-taking as we steadily gained altitude, the trail was a constant gradient & although it was hard work, I enjoyed myself – being that bit heavier than Sean meant the bike handled better & I was able to get more traction.

On the early part of the climb 2 horse riders were heading down the trail & we exchanges pleasantries, but other than that, we had the trail to ourselves for the next 8 miles as we continued climbing. We would occasionally cross a creek on one of the wooden trestle bridges. As the trail topped out at Red Fern we stopped again to fill our water bottles, this time at a handily placed picnic site with a hand pump to draw water.

From Red Fern we had a gradual 8 mile descent into Hill City (mile point 60.1), where we were staying at the Trailside Campground – yes, the campground straddles the Mickelson Trail. We’d travelled 38.5 miles on the trail & it lived up to its billing as an adventurous day out. We also understood why Don had decided to take a couple of days to make the journey!

We set up our tents & then set about trying to recover in the shade – we’d drunk 9 bottles of water (just over 5.5 litres / 10 pints) on our day out, yet still we were thirsty! The temperature had been 85 degrees, so had taken its toll over our 6 hour ride.

In the last update, I promised you a photo of Don (aka Gus to us for a couple of days!!) – here he is at Trailside Campground! We chatted while Don prepared his dinner & shared plans for the coming days, Don & ourselves planned to stop at Keystone tomorrow, but were taking different routes. I hope we bump into Don again, as we really enjoyed his company & it’s great to meet up with someone who ‘gets’ what you’re doing & can provide experience & insights to make the adventure even better. Along with a few other people we met in Spearfish, Don recommended cycling in Wisconsin if we get the chance.

Stage Stats – 63 miles, 4,091 feet of climbing. 38.5 miles of off road riding on crushed limestone, with a long climb thrown in for good measure.

Monday 4th July – Hill City to Keystone (Stage 51)

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Hill City to Keystone is 10.9 miles point to point on Highway 323 – obviously that wasn’t the way we would do it!! We were on our way by 8.45am once more, picking up the Mickelson Trail again. Almost immediately we spotted a sign for Quails Crossing – initially I thought it meant the birds, I later worked out it was an instruction, telling everyone to keep out, except customers of Quails Crossing. I prefer to think of it as a crossing specifically for quails!

The trail was gradually climbing for the first 5 miles, at which point we had a decision to make – continue on the trail for another 10 miles (5 up & 5 down), or take the road into Custer. I chose the trail & Sean chose the road – this was the first time that we’d be riding on our own, but it was important that we were able to make our own decisions. We agreed to meet up for coffee in Custer & then continue the rest of our ride together.

The trail continued climbing past the eclectic Boyds Antiques, they looked to have everything no-one ever needed! Every now & then the trail & road would converge, but not surprisingly I didn’t see Sean, he’s strong going uphill on the road, whereas the trail is slower going.

At the summit of the trail climb I could see across to Crazy Horse Mountain – home of the world’s largest mountain carving in progress. The memorial was started in June 1948 & when finished will depict Crazy Horse riding a horse & pointing to his tribal land. Korczak Ziolkowski was commissioned to sculpt the memorial. If completed as designed, it will become the 2nd tallest sculpture in the world at 563 feet high & 641 feet long. The Statue of Unity in India is the tallest.

Chief Henry Standing Bear, when talking about his maternal cousin Crazy Horse said “My fellow chiefs & I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes also”. When reading about the memorial, it became clear that not all Lakota Tribespeople agree with the Crazy Horse memorial. Some members of the Tribe believe that carving his image in the mountain pollutes the Lakota lands. There are two sides to every story.

The photo on the left was taken by me, but the second photo is lifted off the internet to show what the memorial will look like when finished.

The trail then started a 5 mile descent, twisting & turning through the rocks & forest at a constant 4% gradient. With all the kit on board, Gene Genie actually feels well balanced, even on gravel. As I reached Custer, I exited the Mickelson Trail at the 44.5 mile post – in total I’d ridden 54 miles on the gravel & thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!!!

Sean was waiting for me by the side of the trail & had been there a bit over 5 minutes, which wasn’t too bad for either of us. We found a small coffee hut, with seating in the shade & enjoyed a coffee & muffin each. We also met Seanna, her daughter Hayley & young son, Max. She had previously served in the military & is now an air traffic controller with the FAA in Denver. Her husband is a personal trainer & at one time was looking after a baseball player on the New York Yankees roster! It was a really enjoyable 20 minutes chatting with Seanna & Hayley – I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.

From Custer, we set off towards Custer State Park & along the way we learned a bit more about General Custer’s Expedition (in addition to the sign needing some repairs!!), as well as stopping at Gordon Stockade Historic Landmark. This is an exact replica of the Stockade that was built in December 1874, to keep the first “gold seekers” relatively safe from the Indians.

At the time, there was a standing order forbidding any white gold seekers from entering the Black Hills, however, 26 men, 1 woman & 1 boy carried on & built a stockade anyway. The fort was abandoned when the army forced the gold seekers to return to Fort Laramie in Wyoming, but that wasn’t the end of the story, as the military moved into the Gordon Stockade & used it as a temporary home.

Custer State Park is less than 1/2 mile from Gordon Stockade, so in no time at all we were exploring Gordon Lake & then descending through the forest. We were both pleasantly surprised that the State Park was so quiet on a public holiday.

We stopped for a coke & cake at Legion Lake, while we watched canoes, kayaks & rowing boats making their way around & across the lake – a very relaxing 30 minutes! The road continued descending, until 13 miles after entering the State Park we reached the Visitor Centre, where we spent 20 minutes wandering around the exhibits & learning how nature, wildlife & man survive in the same space.

The road continued descending for another 2 miles until we left Custer State Park & took a left turn for the 12 mile climb up Iron Mountain Road. We were on the lookout for wildlife & couldn’t believe our luck, when there on the verge was a bison grazing on the grass. I made sure I was a safe distance away, then took a quick snap, before leaving the bison in peace.

The climb twisted & turned through grassland & then forest, giving us a first fleeting view of Mount Rushmore, some 15 miles away. The climb took us about 1 hour 45 minutes to complete, with plenty of 7% – 8% sections & we both said it was a tough climb, with similarities to the alpine landscapes of Europe.

As we neared the summit of the climb, we had huge views across the plains below – we could see a localised rain storm in full flow, while we basked in the sun!

As we reached the overlook, we finally got our reward for our 1 hour 45 minutes of full-on effort – the Four Presidents of Mount Rushmore were in front of us! I had to use a x10 zoom to get the first two close-up photos – you get a better idea of perspective in the 3rd photo, the Four Presidents are on the rockface behind us. We were still 7 or 8 miles away at this point. As we’re planning to visit Mount Rushmore tomorrow, I’ll save all the facts & figures for then!

The descent from Iron Mountain is full of sharp corners, single track, 3 tunnels & a couple of 720 degree “pig tails” where the road twists round underneath itself much as a pig tail loops around itself. While we needed to concentrate, it was also a fun descent!

Within 15 minutes we were at the junction with the road to Mount Rushmore & today’s epic adventure was drawing to a close. All the remained was to check in to our hotel, then head out for dinner & a couple of pints to celebrate another amazing day in the saddle.

Stage Stats – 51 miles, 3,832 feet of climbing. An additional 15.5 miles of off road riding on crushed limestone, exploring Custer State Park, a long climb of Iron Mountain Road & our first views of Mount Rushmore.

Tuesday 5th July – Keystone to Rapid City via Mount Rushmore (Stage 52)

We were up bright & early for breakfast, so we could spend a couple of hours exploring Mount Rushmore. Our motel owners very kindly agreed to look after our panniers, sleeping bags & tents, so we could ride up to Mount Rushmore without any unnecessary weight – although the climb is only a couple of miles in length, most of it is 10% plus in gradient! You may be able to make out Sean at the bottom of the 4th photo.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Construction started in October 1927 & it was opened in October 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum & his son Lincoln. The four Presidents depicted in the sculpture are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt & Abraham Lincoln – their faces are approximately 60 feet tall.

But why choose these four Presidents above others? It’s a question that is asked a lot & the answer is possibly more simple than you might expect – Borglum selected them because they represented the most important events in the history of the United States.

George Washington, first President of the United States – born in 1732, died in 1799. Washington led the colonists in the American Revolutionary War to win independence from Great Britain. He was the father of the new nation & laid the foundation of American democracy. He is the most prominent of the four Presidents & represents the birth of the United States.

Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States – born in 1743, died in 1826. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, a document which inspires democracies around the world. He purchased the Louisiana territories from France in 1803, which doubled the size of the country, adding all or part of 15 present day states (it also resulted in the Lewis & Clark Expedition – much of their route we’ve followed). Borglum chose Jefferson to represent the growth of the United States.

Theodore Roosevelt, twenty-sixth President of the United States – born in 1858, died in 1919. Roosevelt provided leadership when America experienced rapid growth as it entered the 20th century. He was instrumental in constructing the Panama Canal, linking the east & the west. He was known as the “trust buster” for his work to end large corporate monopolies & ensure the rights of the common working man. Borglum chose Roosevelt to represent the development of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States – born in 1809, died in 1865. Lincoln held the nation together during its greatest trial, the civil war. Lincoln believed his most sacred duty was the preservation of the union. It was his firm conviction that slavery must be abolished. Borglum chose Lincoln to represent the preservation of the United States.

It was a real education to learn about the four Presidents, why they were chosen & how the monument was constructed. It should also be noted that it isn’t without its critics. The Lakota Sioux were the original custodians of Cougar Mountain (as it was originally known) & the United States asserted control of the Black Hills (including Cougar Mountain) when gold was discovered in the 1870’s, forcing the Sioux from their reservation. The legality of this act continues to be disputed to this day in the courts.

On the way back to the motel to pick up our kit, we made time to stop at Peggy’s Place for a tasty slice of peach pie & a coffee, as well as admire the sculptures at Dahl’s Chainsaw Art.

We loaded up the bikes, thanks our kind hosts for looking after our kit & set off on the short ride to Rapid City. We took the scenic Adventure Cycling Association route, which took us along quiet backroads that twisted & turned their way through the tight forest, as the topography required the road to rise & fall sharply – our legs were soon stinging!

As we left the Black Hills National Forest Behind us, we encountered one last steep hill, then had big views across the valley below. As we descended to the main road, we had one final treat in the form of a life-size model of an old stagecoach & horses.

The final 5 miles of today’s ride took us across Rapid City to our motel for the next 2 nights – we have separate rooms, which is always a bit of a treat for us both, as it gives us a chance to unpack all our kit, spread out & relax! As tomorrow is a rest day, we had a couple of beers at 2 different bars & reflected on all we’ve seen & experienced recently.

One final statistic – today’s ride took us over 3,000 miles for the adventure so far!!!

Stage Stats – 29 miles, 2,543 feet of climbing. A climb up to Mount Rushmore, followed by a short ride to Rapid City for a well earned rest day tomorrow.

Wednesday 6th July – Rest Day

A lazy rest day which involved a relaxed breakfast, doing the laundry, sorting through our kit & identifying things to send home (we packed & shipped 9 pounds in weight between us) & planning routes & stops for the next 3 days. But as always, the plan is fluid.

Gillette to Spearfish

Jul 10, 2022gavscyclingadventures

Thursday 30th June to Saturday 1st July – Stages 48 & 49

Thursday 30th June – Gillette to Devils Tower National Monument.

We were up & on the road by 8.30am, as we were hoping to arrive early enough at our accommodation to enable us to have a look around Devils Tower, made famous by Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster – Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

It took about 5 miles to cross town & make our way onto deserted roads & along the way we saw our first piece of industrial architecture in the form of the Black Hills Energy Complex. It seemed a big coincidence to see this the day after reading about Powder Basin’s supplies of low-sulphur content coal!

We were soon following the course of the Donkey Creek & a railway line from the Black Hills Energy site on Highway 51. As we crossed a bridge I was pleased to see a train on its way towards us on a separate line. Little did I know that around the next corner in Rozet, we would pass a railway siding where thousands of locomotive engines were lined up, one behind the other. There wasn’t any freight, just engines!

I did some research after today’s ride to find out why – in the region of 40% of all the coal produced in the USA is from Wyoming & the majority of that passes through Gillette. However, the USA has finally re-joined the Paris Agreement on climate change & as it starts finding & using cleaner & cheaper sources of energy, there is less need for coal.

Donkey Creek is where all the spare locomotives are ‘parked’ – as recently as 2020, over 2,500 locomotives were mothballed here. There looked to be even more there now. This will have serious ramifications for Gillette – it’s still the coal capital of the USA, but that may not be the case for much longer. The largest coal mine in Wyoming is 90 SQUARE MILES in size & the coal is near the surface, so it’s mined by trucks with shovels so big, a US size family car would fit inside it!

Like so many towns & cities before it, Gillette needs to re-invent itself, but that won’t be simple or quick to do.

Continuing along the deserted 44 (it’s a frontage road for the I-90), we were hopeful that the small town of Moorcroft might offer up a coffee option. When we pulled up at Donna’s Diner we knew we’d hit the jackpot – home-baked fruit pies served ala mode were on offer. I chose the cherry pie & Sean went with the blueberry option. It was absolutely delicious & made up for the barren days since our stop in Boulder (on our way to Helena)!

As we left Moorcroft, we saw our first sign for today’s main event – a mere 31 miles to go. We passed farmers working hard in their fields, as they baled up the hay. At Keyhole Reservoir, I was expecting the green fields in the photo to be under water. As we circumnavigated the lake, the road took us up & down gentle rollers, which created a photo opportunity!

We still had a couple of 20 minute climbs ahead of us & the first one came into view soon enough. We were still skirting the edge of Black Hills National Forest, which offered us some protection from the mid-day sun. The climb up to Carlile would take us up to the plateau where we’d get our first long distance view of Devils Tower.

We were still 10 miles away from the National Monument & for the next 6 miles it hid from view, until we turned onto Wy24 & climbed a short, but steep hill.

Our accommodation this evening is being provided by Julianna & we met up with her at the Devils Tower View, where I had a big slice of lemon meringue pie. We then rode back to our tipi lodging where we dropped off all our kit & set off so we could explore Devils Tower further.

To reach Devils Tower, we had to descend for about a mile, pass the Trading Post, show our pass at the Entrance Gate & then climb a twisting 3 mile back road up to the Visitor Centre, which offered up big vistas of the Belle Fourche river valley below.

Devils Tower holds special significance for Native Americans & stories have been passed down the generations. Two young boys became lost trying to find their way across the giant prairie & they realised they were being tracked by Mato, an exceptionally large bear. Soon the bear was upon them & they dropped to their knees, praying for the Great Spirit to save them.

Suddenly the ground beneath them rose up, lifting them high on a giant pillar. The bear continued to try & catch them, getting onto his hind legs & scratching his claws down the pillar. Mato couldn’t catch the boys & he eventually retreated, tired & exhausted. The story ends with the boys being carried back to their village on the wings of Wanblee, a giant eagle.

As we walked round a 1 mile paved path at the base of Devils Tower, we spotted a climber in the shadows, who was rappelling his way back down. You can see him more clearly in the 2nd photo.

When we completed our walk, Sean went to the Visitor Centre & called me over, saying there was a snake in the eaves! A Bull Snake was trying to get into the roof to hunt the bats that were in there. However, that required the snake getting close to a birds nest with eggs in it – the parent bird wasn’t happy with this & kept attacking the snake & pecking its head!!

Descending back to the Entrance Gate we also passed a Prairie Dog city – they were all calling to each other & keeping an eye out for predators.

I stopped for a few more photos on the way back to Devils Tower View, where we stopped for fish & chips, washed down with a beer! It had been a long day of cycling & walking around the Devils Tower, but it was also an epic day out.

It wasn’t over yet, however, as we still had an evening in a tipi to look forward to & we also met Sue, who had travelled from Kansas City. I really enjoy meeting people & sharing our experiences, as it really gives an insight into how people live. Sue was planning to visit Devils Tower in the morning, then explore further afield from there.

There was a also a stunning sunset to enjoy, as the moon rose to take its place.

Stage Stats – 72 miles, 3,176 feet of climbing. A big day of cycling, followed by a couple of hours exploring the Devils Tower. We didn’t experience any Close Encounters!!

Friday 1st July – Devil’s Tower National Monument to Spearfish Campground.

We were up & on our way by 8am – our plan was to cycle 11 miles to Huwett & have breakfast at Red Rock Cafe. On the way I took a few more photos as we said goodbye to Devils Tower & headed along the Belle Fourche valley. My first thought was that I recognised the rocks colour from previous cycling trips to Utah & Colorado.

We had the road pretty much to ourselves as we made our way up & down small rollers on the way to Hewett – a feature of every town is that the City Limits sign includes the size of the population & the town’s elevation. Recently the numbers for the population have been small, while the elevation numbers have been big!!!

Red Rock Cafe was recommended by Julianna (our tipi hostess) & it delivered a great breakfast! While we were eating, Sue (who we met last night) came over & said hello. She’d got up early, driven to Devils Tower, walked the paved route & driven on to Red Rock Cafe too! We also met Rudy & his wife, 2 Dutch cyclists who were riding East to West – in a really uncanny twist of fate, Annmarie (who I met on a US cycling trip to Yellowstone in 2010) had hosted him at the very beginning of his adventure! I only found this out a few days ago when Annmarie got in touch!!!

Leaving Huwett, we were climbing for the next 90 minutes, slowly at first as we continued along the Belle Fourche valley, then we had one final look back to Devils Tower over 20 miles away.

After a short descent, we hit the main climb of the day, which went on for about 40 minutes & hit 10% near the summit. I was hoping for a sign at the top of the climb, but I was disappointed! Close to where the 3rd photo was taken, we learned about the first official government expedition to the Black Hills, led by General George Armstrong Custer. The expedition had more than 1,000 men to scout for a new fort location – the presence of engineers, geologists & miners indicated that recording the topography, geography & location of gold deposits were other important goals.

The expedition’s discovery of gold led to miners rushing to the Black Hills. This was a breach of the Laramie Treaty, which in turn resulted in the Sioux Indians defending their lands. The Sioux defeated Custer in the Battle of the Bighorn in June 1876. In 1877 the United States officially confiscated the Black Hills lands from the Sioux, the legality of which is still being disputed in the courts.

Dropping into Aladdin, we stopped at the General Store (the best preserved of the remaining 5 mercantile stores in Wyoming – opened in 1896) for coffee from a pod machine & a processed slice of banana bread. I wasn’t a big fan, but I had to check it out to know for sure that it wasn’t my thing.

We took Highway 111 & headed south, passing a number of ranches & farmsteads with customised gates & signs. We continued to climb (it was beginning to feel as if the whole day was one long climb!) through farmland, with occasional stands of trees – on the far side of the road the soft, sandy soil was being eroded away, as the grassland binding it together had been removed.

As we reached the I-90, we took a small frontage road that took us through Beulah, home of the annual Test Fest – yes it’s a Rocky Mountain Oyster festival, where humans eat bulls balls & it’s an annual June event!!!

Beulah also marks the last town on the I-90 on Wyoming, as the border with South Dakota is just along the road. Spearfish City Campground was now less than 5 miles away, but first we rode along a road on the edge of town where almost every residential property had flowers in the garden – my favourite example is below. As we entered the City Park, we passed a couple of people fishing in the creek that ran through the centre of the Campground.

We were quickly checked in & wasted no time getting our tents set up. I then set about charging up my tech – phone, laptop, power bar & Wahoo, so I can document my adventure.

While we were charging up our gadgets, we met Don (for the next day we called him Gus by mistake – luckily he already knows before he reads this!!). Don is now retired & spends a proportion of his time exploring the world on 2 wheels & has been to places as diverse as Germany, Norway, Denmark, Patagonian region in Chile & the USA of course. His current trip started in Astoria (Oregon) & is likely to end in New York, but it’s all open to change. We’re currently on a similar route & schedule, so we hope to meet Don again in the next couple of days.

While we were on our way to dinner in town, we got caught in a flash storm – the skies changed colour. the skies opened & for the next 20 minutes we were trapped under separate trees as the rain absolutely bucketed down. Ask Mr Google to look up Derecho for even more extreme examples of these types of storm in South Dakota – they saw green skies.

We finally made it to dinner at Nonna’s, where we both chose pasta courses & washed them down with a cheeky beer to toast another 3 days of glorious riding. Tomorrow’s a rest day, so it will be interesting to see how we cope with 3 nights of outdoor living on the trot!

Stage Stats – 66 miles, 3,133 feet of climbing. It felt like we were climbing all day as we crossed the state line from Big Wyoming – to the Great Faces, Great Places of South Dakota.

Saturday 2nd July – Rest Day.

Our rest day started with a walk to the laundromat to wash our cycling kit & off-bike clothes. We then strolled into town & stopped at Uncle Louie’s for breakfast, a 3 egg omelette, toast, juice & coffee.

On the way back to my tent I bumped into Kari from Rapid City, who was camping with her children for the weekend. Stella, her 7 year old daughter was having trouble with the stabilisers on her bike, so I was able to help them sort the issue out & ensure that Stella could continue on her bike ride! This is one of the very few things I can fix & it felt nice to finally be able to help someone else after all the assistance I’ve already received.

We caught up with Don this morning, he’s setting off later today & planning to stop at Trailside Campground tomorrow evening – he gave us the details & we’ve booked a couple of pitches there too.

We picked up dinner from the local grocery store & got about halfway through eating it before an evening storm threatened for the 2nd day running – luckily it didn’t come to anything! As I was washing up my bowl & cutlery, I met Gary & Denise from Wisconsin – they were due to visit the UK this year, but a combination of the war in Ukraine & rising Covid numbers in January meant they’ve had to delay their visit. Hopefully they will get to visit Cornwall & London next year, as well as take their cruise. I really enjoyed spending 30 minutes with Gary & Denise.

At about 9pm Alex from Colorado Springs came over & asked if we fancied joining him for a beer – it would have been rude to refuse! We spent a couple of hours enjoying Alex & Mary’s company (& beer!) – they shared some great ideas on places to visit when we get a bit further East. I’m pleased that I remembered to get a group photo of us all -thanks Chloe for taking the picture.