Day 25 Custer, SD to Rapid City, SD

Yesterday afternoon, after I set up my tent at Custer High School, I couldn't find my water bottle.  I looked everywhere, but it was just gone.  I hoped that maybe it would turn up in the Lost and Found.

As I was packing up this morning (after a really chilly night in the tent), I found my water bottle.  It was under my tent, under my air mattress!  Not only would I fail the Princess and the Pea test, I failed the Princess and the Water Bottle test.

Anyway, we had breakfast in downtown Custer, which is home to many buffalo.

Not far from Custer, there were real buffalo!

We climbed uphill for several miles and entered the Needles Highway.  The first stop was Sylvan Lake.

Then, we were in the midst of the Needles Highway.  It was so beautiful, and I'm amazed that I'd never heard of this place before.  On this bike trip, today rivals the day riding through the Grand Tetons for amazing scenery.  And, just like that day, pictures don't do it justice.

This is The Eye of the Needle.

I'm standing in front of one of the two tunnels we went through on that highway.  (We went through a couple more later on the way to Mt. Rushmore.)

Here are more views of the Needles.

After we left the Needles Highway, we got on the Iron Mountain Road, which heads up and up, toward Mt. Rushmore.

Several cyclists, myself included, stopped at the Elk Horn General Store for snacks.  Chocolate milk, a granola bar, and an ice cream bar, and I was ready to tackle more hills.

As we climbed up and up and up, we got some views of those presidents on Mt. Rushmore.

Finally, we got to the top of the Iron Mountain Road and started going downhill (for awhile).  After lunch, we were on rolling hills on the way to Rapid City.  I saw donkeys and a goat, who seemed to want to come check me out.

I didn't like the hills, but I liked the sky on the way to Rapid City.

Today was a really tough day of riding (we rode 67 miles and had nearly 5,600 feet of climbing), but it was so beautiful!  Tomorrow we ride 80 miles and have less than 1,500 feet of climbing.  It'll be like a rest day!