Ahh the ride through Mt. Rushmore: Quite the challenging m
orning for me. The Black Hills can be beautiful and unforgiving all in one... so gorgeous, so many climbs. I rode with Erik, Mary, and Steve into Rushmore and we had quite a lovely time. Sweet downhills and sick views made up for those crazy uphills... and four gentlemen awaited our arrival at the top of a hill. Looking at this trip as a whole, I'm starting to realize how many awesome places I'm getting to visit... places I may never have packed up and vacationed to but that I have always wanted to see. 
Hanging out in the National Park, the craziest thing happened to me... a butterfly landed on my head... a little symbol that everything is going to work out just fine ;)After Rushmore, the team rode through Hell Canyon... appropriately named based on the scenery... dead trees, sharp turns, and a hill or two... or ten... But still an amazing sight. 
Later in the day I lost a contact... With a lovely -8. 25 perscription, I eyepatched the rest of the day. Entering Wyoming, the team caught a sick tailwind all the way into Newcastle. The church we stayed at was lovely. I hit the hay around 9 knowing that an early wake up lay ahead.