Back From Vacation....

 Sorry it has taken me so long to update. It is always so hard to get back into the groove of things when you get back. We had a wonderful time and once again cannot wait to go back. We left Waseca at 5:00 A. M. Hannah decided to jump in our truck since it is a little more comfy then Jane and Paul's truck. On the way out we did the Bad Land loop. The picture above is of Rick's truck at one of the stops on the loop.

 On day two we went for a 15 mile bike ride on the Mickelson Trail . Rick and Paul dropped me and the bikes off in Custer and then they dove to Hill City and left Rick's truck there. It was nice to be able to ride the trail only one way. The picture above is one of the many beautiful views we had from the trail.

 This is me wishing I had biked a lot more before coming out to SD. The first 5 miles of the trail were up hill. I realized just how out of biking shape I am! Good thing we got to go down hill for most of the rest of the trip. It was a quick but fun bike ride. Next year when we go out I am going to be in better biking shape so we can do the trail from Deadwood to Rochford. It is the hardest part of the trail because you have to go up hill for something like 12 miles . It will be something to work up to next year :)

 This is picture of the trailhead sign for the 15 miles we biked. We got to see Crazy Horse from the trail, it was pretty neat to get a different view of it. That is the thing about the bike trail, unless you are on it you never get to see the sights we saw. You really miss a lot if you just see the sights from your car. Make me want to stay in shape so I can continue to bike and hike!

 Here is a picture of Paul, Jane and Hannah on Needles Highway. After biking we went back to camp and met up with them again. After a late lunch we took off for Needles Highway and then went on the Wildlife loop in Custer State Park .

 I am very happy to say that we saw tons of buffalo this time!

 We also got to see lots of burros. As you can see this one was very hungry! We brought carrots just to feed them. I know it says you are not suppose to feed the animals but it is okay to feed them carrots :)

 On day three of the trip Rick and I decided that we were going to go for a hike while Paul, Jane and Hannah went to see Mount Rushmore. I had done some research and found that the Harney Peak Trail  was the one we should do. This is a picture of the beginning of the trail. We were going to go up the trail on trail #9 but by mistake we took trail #4 up. This is not surprising since we both tend to get lost. We figured it out after we were about half way up. Anyhow I am glad we did it that way since trail number #4 is a much more scenic trail then number #9 and also we only saw a few people on the trail on the way up. We saw a doe and her two fawns also on the way up. We almost walked right by them.

 This is Rick on the trail and the picture of me is also on the trail, it got lots steeper the closer we got to the top, and a lot more rocky.

 This is a picture along the trail

 Here we are about a half mile from the top. That last half mile was a killer! It was a good thing I used my inhaler when we started, the air was thin!

 Finally we can see the look out station on the top! This was the hardest part of the trail even though it had steps. The steps were not made for short people!

 Once we made it to the summit you could take the steps to the top of the lookout station. I could not do it! They were sooo steep and it was so windy up there. I got about to the window in the picture and had to turn around. Rick is much braver then me and made it to the top.

 This is me at the summit, the wind was blowing like crazy as you can see by my hair.

 This is a picture that Rick took from the top of the lookout tower looking straight down. You get an idea of just how high we were.

 Read the sign in the picture above. You explains just how high we were.-7242 feet!

 This is a picture of the lookout tower from the way down the trail. I was pretty zoomed in when I took the picture but you get an idea just how high and far we hiked. It was a total of 7 miles both ways. It took us 2 hours to hike up 3.5 miles. The total trip took us 4 hours, that was with the time we spent on top. It was so worth it to hike up there!

 This is the campgrounds we stayed at. I was very happy with it. I wanted to stay right in Custer State park but they were all full so I found this place on line. It was a nice place to stay.

 On our last day there we did a little fishing and a little swimming and a little hiking. Hannah was the big fisher person getting three keepers. We hiked round Sylvan Lake. It is only a 2 mile trail and pretty easy. It is a beautiful area.

 Here is a couple pictures of Rick fishing on Sylvan Lake

On Sunday we got all packed up and made our way home. On the way out of town we had to stop at a great Bakery called Baker's Bakery & Cafe. We found it last year when we were out there and had to go back for there great carmel and cinnamon rolls. They are huge and I am sure about 1000 calories!  I figured it was okay with all the hiking and biking we did.

Rick and I both love it in South Dakota and we are already planing our trip back out there next year. There is so much that we have not seen yet. We are ready for a new adventure!

Later Sharon