Four New States, 6,100 Miles Driven, and 410 Miles Ridden

Our 21-day road trip took us to four new states: Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, and Nebraska. My husband planned every detail of the trip, made all of the hotel reservations, and drove every single mile. Yes, I’m married to an incredible man and know I’m spoiled! We did a little hiking and lots of cycling – 410.2 miles to be exact – and for the most part, the weather cooperated nicely. 

This is going to be a long post covering three weeks, so please feel free to quickly scroll through looking at the pictures which I tried to condense into collages to make it easier. I eventually plan to recap some of the rides…

 

Overview of Week 1: July 28 – August 3

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from July 28 – August 3. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Road trip day 5: Drive from Edina, Minnesota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Cycling: 14.03 miles
• Average speed: 12.2 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 341 feet
• Start time: 9:13 AM
• Location: Scenic Byway in Edina, Minnesota
• Weather: 74° and mostly sunny, climbing to 80°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

You may recognize my friend Betsy from bike rides back home. Our road trip took us past their summer home in Minnesota where we spent a night and fit in a quick bike ride to view the Minnehaha Falls.

 

During our ride, we rode past a very familiar rabbit that I’d seen on Jessie‘s blog many times. After brunch, Betsy drove us to see some of the local sights including the house Mary Tyler Moore lived in in her very popular 1970’s TV show. We also stopped at a park where we saw lots of cool art including the cherry and spoon that Jessie has also run past. The same park had a giant blue rooster, huge wind chimes in the trees, and many other cool sculptures.

 

Monday

Road trip day 6: Drive from Sioux Falls, South Dakota through the Badlands to Spearfish, South Dakota

Cycling: 23.03 miles
• Average speed: 13.5 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 348 feet
• Start time: 7:57 AM
• Location: Sioux Falls Greenway Trail
• Weather: 72° and partly cloudy, climbing to 80° (feels like 83°) and mostly sunny
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

Before getting on the road again, we rode from our hotel to the Greenway Trail, a beautiful wide and well maintained trail which loops around Sioux Falls. The falls were quite flat without the usual steep drop, but were flowing high and churning up a lot of foam.

 

After our ride and a quick shower back at the hotel, we started our long drive to Spearfish with a stop in Badlands National Park.

 

Tuesday

Road trip day 7: Spearfish, South Dakota

Walking: 3.03 miles
• Average pace: 15:23 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 41 feet
• Start time: 6:54 AM
• Location: Spearfish, SD Walmart parking lot
• Weather: 70° and sunny, climbing to 73°
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

Hiking: 1.88 miles
• Average pace: 31:33 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 418 feet
• Start time: 11:02 AM
• Location: Devil’s Bathtub, Spearfish Canyon
• Weather: ~85° and mostly sunny
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

Because I hadn’t walked for several days I headed out of the hotel for an early walk before we started our day’s adventures in Spearfish Canyon. There was no good place to walk in the immediate vicinity of the hotel, but I found a Walmart just ¼-mile away and did laps around its greater parking lot.

Our first stop in Spearfish Canyon was at Bridal Veil Falls which was right off the road. The most dangerous part of this stop was crossing the road to look at the falls. Our timing was such that we were in South Dakota during Sturgis, a humongous motorcycle gathering. We learned very quickly that 95% of the motorcycle drivers don’t stop for pedestrians, even if they’re in the crosswalk.

 

The hike up to Devils Bathtub was beautiful with very little elevation change and wouldn’t haven’t been too difficult had it not been for having to cross the little river multiple times. I crossed mostly on rocks and logs with no problem, but fell hard on my left shoulder and hip when I stepped on a wide flat slippery moss covered rock where there were no other options. Luckily, only my pride and confidence were hurt which kept me from going to the very, very end of the hike to see the actual Devils Bathtub.

The hike reminded me very much of Big Spring Branch near the farm where water flows from a spring at the top of a small mountain into rock lined pools cascading one after another down the hill. My adult and younger cousins and I hiked that each summer at our family reunion, always having a blast.

 

Wednesday

Road trip day 8: Drive from Spearfish, South Dakota to Deadwood, South Dakota

Strength training: 15 minutes of core

Cycling: 45.44 miles
• Average speed: 11.7 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,001 feet
• Start time: 9:33AM
• Location: George Mickelson Trail Hill City/Rochford loop
• Weather: 70° and partly cloudy with 39% humidity, climbing to 80°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

We left Spearfish decked out in our cycling clothes and stopped off in Hill City to ride an out-and-back section of the George S Mickelson Trail, a rail trail with quite a bit of elevation and a daily fee of $4 per day, or annual feel of $15. We each bought an annual pass since we planned on riding on the trail over the next few days.

The weather was pretty much perfect when we parked at a main trailhead next to the train station where a tourist train still runs, but not along the rail trail where we’d be riding.

Our ride started with a long upgrade to get out of Hill City which meant a nice long 8’ish mile descent at the end of our ride. The gravel trail was dotted with shelters and water pumps, and this particular section included several cool tunnels. There were gates to open and close as we rode in and out of property with cattle, and the occasional cow/horse pile to dodge.

We watched the sky turn from bright blue to dark and threatening as we approached our turnaround point. About 7 miles later it started raining as were were approaching the Mystic Trailhead. We ducked into the shelter with several other cyclists just as a storm moved into the area. We waited until until the thunder and lightning moved out before resuming our ride, once again in the beautiful sunshine.

 

Thursday

Road trip day 9: Deadwood, South Dakota

Cycling: 56.2 miles
• Average speed: 11.5 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,736 feet
• Start time: 9:16AM
• Location: George Mickelson Trail Deadwood/Rochford loop
• Weather: 77° and sunny with 44% humidity, climbing to 91°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

What better way to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary than to do something we both love, grinding some gravel on a beautiful rail trail! We rode from our hotel, hopping on the trail just a short distance out of town. We had lunch at the Moonshine Gulch Saloon at the turnaround point.

 

Friday

Road trip day 10: Drive from Deadwood, South Dakota to Custer, South Dakota

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Walking: 1.52 miles
• Average pace: 18:40 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 26 feet
• Start time: 5:09 PM
• Location: Hotel to downtown
• Weather: 87° and partly cloudy with 22% humidity, dropping to 80°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

With a long day ahead of driving through The Needles and to Mount Rushmore, we were up early to work out in the gym before hitting the road.

 

Saturday

Road trip day 11: Custer, South Dakota

Biking: 51.19 miles
• Average speed: 11.9 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,087 feet
• Start time: 8:09 AM
• Location: George Mickelson Trail Hill City/Sanator loop starting in Custer
• Weather: 78° and sunny with 31% humidity, climbing to 91°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

The weather continued to be outstanding with low humidity making the higher temps tolerable. It felt much warmer, though, with less tree coverage than on our previous two rides on the Mickelson Trail. The highlight of the day’s ride was seeing the Crazy Horse monument (still very much under construction), both from the trail and inside the park ($10 per bike).

Earlier my husband had suggested that we should ride the entire trail, so at what would have been the end of the day’s ride, we decided to add 12 miles so we’d have less to ride the next day.

 

Overview of Week 2: August 4 – 10

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from August 4 – 10. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Road trip day 12: Custer, South Dakota

Cycling: 75.55 miles
• Average speed: 11.9 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,375 feet
• Start time: 7:14 AM
• Location: George Mickelson Trail Edgemont/Sanator loop
• Weather: 75° and partly cloudy, climbing to 99° and mostly cloudy with 16% humidity
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

Without someone to drop us off and then pick us up, the only way we’d both be able to ride the entire 109 miles of the Mickelson Trail was to do out-and-backs which resulted in riding the entirety of the trail, twice. Once I get a challenge like that in my head there’s no backing down so we were up early and on the trail for the final segment which would also be the longest, windiest, and hottest.

We drove south to the main trailhead so the first half of the ride would be at a gradual uphill and we’d have a nice little mostly downhill finish. We couldn’t find water or restrooms at the trail head (we later found the restrooms when we finished), but after that there was water and a restroom at least every 16 miles.

We quickly discovered that there was a fierce headwind, all the more reason to look forward to the turnaround. Sixteen miles into the ride the sky got dark and threatening, the headwind picked up to 14 MPH, and we considered turning and riding back to our car. Thinking about how nice the tailwind would be on the return downhill trip kept us focused as we pushed through the wind for another 21 miles.

Shortly before heading back south, my husband looked at his phone and realized that the wind was shifting and we’d be facing an even stronger headwind on the return trip. I was shocked to see a heat advisory pop up on my Garmin, but when the temperature topped out at 99° it felt like we were in an oven, and with the headwind, it felt like a convection oven. I was getting dehydrated despite the amount of water I was drinking, and with 16 miles to go and very little shade, I was beginning to question my life choices thinking that we really could get into trouble in such a remote area with few other cyclists around – heat and exhaustion will do that to you.

In addition to the wind and heat, this section of the trail was the toughest with small loose gravel and sections rutted where livestock had hung out. It had the least amount of tree coverage leaving us exposed to the sun and wind. In addition to seeing a dead rattlesnake, we saw slithery tracks where they’d crossed the trail after a rain making the signs to watch for rattlesnakes and poison ivy all the more meaningful.

Despite how tough our ride was, we finished unscathed and elated!

 

Monday

Road trip day 13: Drive from Custer, South Dakota through Wyoming to Billings, Montana

Strength training: 15 minutes of core

Walking: 1.64 miles
• Average pace: 22:10 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 350 feet
• Start time: 10:52 AM
• Location: Devils Tower loop
• Weather: 70° and cloudy, climbing to 87° and mostly sunny
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

The hike around Devils Tower (from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind) was easier than expected with a wide paved trail winding around the monument. We stopped often to take pictures so it really wasn’t much of a workout. We could see climbers near the top which was pretty cool.

 

The rest of the day included lots of sitting in the car as we made our way through Bighorn National Forest. We went out of our way to see Bighorn Canyon where the gulch winds around the huge parking lot with plenty of vistas from various spots. Surprisingly, we were the only people there – apparently not enough Instagram influencers know about it. LOL

 

Tuesday

Road trip day 14: Drive from Billings, Montana to Dickinson, North Dakota

Cycling: 1.03 miles
• Average speed: 10.3 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 0 feet
• Start time: 9:11 AM
• Location: Billings, Montana hotel parking lot
• Weather: 70° and sunny with 49% humidity
• What I wore: shorts, s/s t-shirt, and Hokas

Just so I could say I’d ridden my bike in Montana, I took it for a quick spin around the hotel parking lot before we got back on the road.

Once we arrived in North Dakota, our first stop was Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit where we drove around the entire loop road, stopping to take pictures of the cute little prairie dogs, wild horses, huge bison, and wild turkeys.

 

Wednesday

Road trip day 15: Dickinson, North Dakota

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Cycling: 14.23 miles
• Average speed: 12.0 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 837 feet
• Start time: 6:31 PM
• Location: Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit
• Weather: 66° and cloudy with a slight breeze and a few rain drops, dropping to 64° with the sun peeking out
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, jacket, and fingerless gloves

We woke up at 5:30 to 43° (feels like 39°) with 18 MPH wind blowing rain sideways. I turned off the alarm and fell back to sleep – there was no way I was going to ride in that kind of weather. After sleeping in a little bit, we rescheduled our day’s plans and hit the gym for some strength training.

Rather than going back to the Teddy Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit for a late morning ride, we drove farther north to the North Unit. After stopping several places for pictures, we got back in our car and moments later had a close encounter with three bison who were walking down the road toward us. They kept coming so my husband quickly put the car in reverse because we didn’t want to know what would happen if the bison got any closer to our car – they’re known for head butting shiny cars.

 

I was on full alert when we eventually got on our bike for a short ride through the park. We saw bison at several different points, most far away in the field and I was just fine with that. After putting our bikes on the back of our SUV and climbing safely inside, we saw more bison crossing the road in front of us as we left the park (bottom middle picture in the collage).

 

Thursday

Road trip day 16: Drive from Dickinson, North Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota

I could have gone for a walk when we arrived at our hotel, but opted instead to make it a rest day.

 

Friday

Road trip day 17: Drive from Sioux Falls, South Dakota through Iowa through Nebraska to Emporia, Kansas

Strength training: 15 minutes of core

Cycling: 22.31 miles
• Average speed: 13.4 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 364 feet
• Start time: 6:34 AM
• Location: Sioux Falls Greenway
• Weather: 50° (feels like 43°) and clear, climbing to 56° and sunny
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, jacket, ear warmer headband, and nitrile gloves under fingerless gloves

Walking: 1.06 miles
• Average pace: 17:52 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 3 feet
• Start time: 12:02 PM
• Location: I-29 rest stop
• Weather: 69° and mostly sunny
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Back in Sioux Falls, we rode the same route we’d ridden 11 days earlier only in reverse. We stayed focused on our workout and didn’t stop at the falls this time. Later in the day, I sneaked in a walk while at a rest stop.

 

Saturday

Road trip day 18: Drive from Emporia, Kansas through Missouri to Bellville, Illinois

Biking: 27.32 miles
• Average speed: 13.2 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 564 feet
• Start time: 6:49 AM
• Location: 2024 25-mile Unbound route
• Weather: 61° and mostly cloudy with a few rain drops early on, climbing to 64° with light rain last ~2 miles
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, jacket, and fingerless gloves

We rerouted our trip to take us through Emporia, Kansas, the gravel grinding mecca of the USA and home of Unbound. We rode the 2024 25-mile Unbound course and wished we’d had time for a longer ride. Even though we ride gravel at least once a week, this was a whole new experience, it was flat. Our gravel roads are in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains so we generally average 50 to 75 feet of elevation per mile.

After our ride, we were anxious to get on the road again because we’d be spending the weekend with my aunt, my mom’s sister who I hadn’t seen since the summer before Covid. My two cousins live near her so we were treated to a wonderful little family reunion.

 

Overview of Week 3: August 11 – 17

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from August 11 – 17. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Road trip day 19: Belleville, Illinois

Cycling: 20.23 miles
• Average speed: 11.9 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 673 feet
• Start time: 9:50 AM
• Location: Metro Bike Link Trail
• Weather: 73° and mostly sunny, climbing to 79° (feels like 81°)
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

I’d texted my cousin earlier to see if she and her fiancé would like to give us a bike tour while we were in town. We rode through a really cool orchard to Eckert’s Country Store and Farm. We had a great ride and it was nice getting to spend extra time with them.

 

Monday

Road trip day 20: Drive from Belleville, Illinois through Indiana through Kentucky to Huntington, West Virginia

Strength training: 15 minutes of core

 

Tuesday

Road trip day 21: Drive from Huntington, West Virginia to Home Sweet Home

Cycling: 33.06 miles
• Average speed: 13.3 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 233 feet
• Start time: 11:15 AM
• Location: Greenbrier River Trail, Caldwell, West Virginia
• Weather: 66° and partly cloudy, climbing to 74°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

We left Huntington dressed in our cycling clothes so we could do our last ride of the trip on another rail trail near the WV/VA border. The weather was perfect and we were very comfortable on the mostly shaded trail.

It was another out-and-back ride and at the turnaround point, my husband set his bike along the side of the trail in a yellow jackets’ nest. He got stung about 15 times on his lower legs, hands, and back. The way he was yelling and jumping around I thought he’d gotten bitten by a snake. Other than continuing to itch, he’s fine now, but it was terrifying when it happened.

 

Wednesday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Walking: 3.04 miles
• Average pace: 15:43 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 84 feet
• Start time: 9:44 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 75° and sunny with 54% humidity, climbing to 78°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Even though on the trip I never felt “done and I want to go home,” it was great to get home and back into my routine. Back at work, I got up early to lift weights before seeing my first three clients and fit in a much needed walk later in the morning.

 

Thursday

Walking: 4.23 miles
• Average pace: 15:38 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 134 feet
• Start time: 5:35 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 65° and clear
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Cycling: 12.55 miles
• Average speed: 15.0 MPH
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 407 feet
• Start time: 10:08 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail Ashburn/Sterling loop
• Weather: 66° and partly cloudy, climbing to 74°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

It was great to get back into my weekly virtual cardio workout with Kim after missing the previous two Thursdays. Seeing her in person while in Iowa made up for the two missed weeks!

Collage credit: Kim

With limited time available for my bike ride later that morning, I pushed a little harder and rode shorter. I’ve got to remember that not all rides need to be 30 miles to be effective. In fact, I enjoyed this so ride much and felt that I got a really good workout so I’ll be doing more of these types of rides. I think it took longer to pump up my tires, apply sunscreen, and get all of my gear together than the 50-minute ride itself. LOL

 

Friday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Balance and stretching: 45 minutes

 

Saturday

Walking: 4.32 miles
• Average pace: 15:09 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 138 feet
• Start time: 6:54 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 73° and mostly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

With family plans for later in the morning, we skipped a few different options for group rides with friends. I headed out instead for a walk, hoping to miss the 8 AM forecasted rain which didn’t hit until around 5 PM.

 

Last Week’s Blog Posts

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

Questions:
  • • Did you make it all the way through the recap without your eyes glazing over? ~ 😉
  • • When was the last time you took a road trip and to where or where would you like to go next? ~ I have not been to any of the Gulf Coast states except for Florida so I need to take a southern route on my next road trip!
  • • Did you run in race this weekend? ~ no

And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!

 

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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!

 

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.