We had a fabulous morning! After a great breakfast in Hermosa, we headed southwest into Custer State Park in the Black Hills. Ten miles into our ride, just as we entered the park, we hit a special kind of traffic jam… bison! There was a herd blocking the only road through! After observing (from a distance) we returned to the park entrance to be shuttled safely through the herd by the van, where we got to see them up close. The rest of the day we kept our fingers crossed that we’d see more!

We had a bunch of uphills and downhills throughout the park, slowly gaining feet as we climbed up to nearly 5,800 ft! In a few days we’ll almost double that, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.) The mountains and trees were a refreshing change; I feel like we haven’t been in a forest in ages!

Our first rest stop was at Sylvan Lake, where we got to hang out on a dock and have snacks. Our second rest stop was at a trailhead, so some of us went for quick little hikes during lunch! It’s great being in such amazing natural areas. For the first two thirds of the day, we gained elevation. For the last third, it was almost entirely downhill! It was so fun getting to fly down some gorgeous and open roads.

The Wyoming state line was near the end of our ride, and we got to New Castle in the early afternoon and took naps, read, journaled, generally unwound. Then we were visited by our board member Nathan’s brother (thank you for the snacks!) and had dinner. It was a great day, and another park in the books. Truly one to remember, and one that marks the beginning of the many mountains that are soon to come!

— Marielle