Day Thirty-Nine: Racing to Rapid City

I slept relatively sound in the tent, cushioned by my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. Luckily there was no rain and the temperature cooled during the night. We awoke to the sunrise, since not much can be done before sunrise while camping.

The sunrise over the badlands was incredible--a wonderful way to wake up.

It was not long before we realized that we would essentially have to climb out of the Badlands in order to continue our journey. The climb was steep, but the 30 mph headwinds were torture!

The climbing begins as the sun rises higher; we're greeted by strong headwinds.

I soon discovered that the trip out of the Badlands (about 22 miles worth) was just as senic as the route into the Badlands. It was worth it to stop for one last picture:

A last look at the Badlands before departing for Rapid City.

We trudged forward through the coursing headwinds, stopping at the famous Wall Drug in Wall, SD. The establishment was touristy, but offered 5 cent coffee, which we each had 5 cups of. It was a nice unofficial break to give our legs a rest and our system a jolt of caffeinated energy. It came in handy.

Luckily, the winds eventually died down as we moved closer to Rapid City, which rests at the foot of the Black Hills.

Approaching Rapid City, with the Black Hills lurking in the distance.

After concuring one last (and long) climb, we reached our host--Calvary Lutheran Church. The place is enormous and perfect for our two-day stay.

Being that tomorrow is a rest day, we headed downtown to check out the scene. We stumbled upon a reggae band at the Firehouse Brewing Company:

We all began to fall asleep after dancing to a local reggae band's performance at the Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City, SD.

We were exhausted from the day's challenging headwinds, and soon found ourselves falling asleep at the table! With that it was time to go back to the host and off to bed. This was the first Fourth of July in a while that I didn't see fireworks (the typical firework shows for the Rapid City area were canceled due to forest fires). It was a good day nonetheless.

Happy Fourth of July!

James

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Today was dedicated to my grandfather, Donald Schwabacher, on his birthday. He proved to be a strong rock for my grandmother during her lifetime, and has proven to be an even stronger man after her passing. Today was for him and his silent strength.