We said goodbye to Wall and the Badlands this morning and spent the rest of the day going up and down rolling hills, heading west and then south. The phrase “rolling hills” gets used a lot here, but this time I really mean it! You roll down, then back up, and down again, without too much effort. So today wasn’t super hard outside of a few long hills (like Radar Hill, aptly named for it’s radar atop a hill). We saw more bison, and the Black Hills lined the horizon for the rest of the day.

Our lovely stayover in Hermosa welcomed us with snacks and then dinner, and we were even so lucky as to meet two lovely people who shared their stories for the Portraits Project! After dinner we took a team trip to Lakota Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe / Six Grandfathers / Mt. Rushmore. Jacob biked there (a great feat that the rest of us collectively decided not to do) and then we came back to have cookies and get some rest. It’s been a great day, albeit not too eventful on the bikes. Tomorrow we’re headed to New Castle and into July!

— Marielle