Cyclemasters (left to right): Curt Kooiker, Max Knauss, Barry Sheppard, Bertie Litchfield, Pam Corrigan, Dave Corrigan, Gail Thom, Jim Thom, Susan Hollis, Randy Park
Randy Park
Ten members of SaddleBrooke Cyclemasters traveled to the Black Hills of South Dakota to ride the 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail.
The Mickelson Trail is a rails-to-trails Hall of Fame bike trail and is considered one of the most scenic trails in the country. The path was originally built by the Burlington Route Railroad in the late 19th century to connect the gold and silver mines in the Black Hills towns of Lead and Deadwood with their main line across Nebraska. The Burlington Northern Railroad ceased using the section between Deadwood and Edgemont in the early 1980s, and South Dakota Governor George Mickelson championed the idea of converting it into a bicycle trail.
Using the Town of Custer as a base, the group took three days to ride the 109 miles. With the aid of a shuttle service, they only had to ride one direction. With numerous bridges and four tunnels, the crushed gravel trail was much firmer and in better condition than expected. July 10 they rode 44.5 miles from Custer to Edgemont, July 11 was 30.2 miles from Mystic to Custer, and July 12 was 34 miles from Deadwood to Mystic. Most agreed that this was one of the best cycling experiences ever.
After the ride, many of the group stayed around the Black Hills for several days and visited the Mount Rushmore light show, Crazy Horse Monument, Wind Cave National Park, and Custer State Park.