Devil's Tower trip - The Needles, Custer State Park, SD

The Needles, Custer State Park - Thursday, July 11

The plan:

Leave Devil's Tower Lodge & drive to Custer State Park.
Do some hiking and/or Mtn biking on the Centennial Trail. Possibly go see the Crazy Horse monument if we didn't get to it earlier in the trip.
Camp at the Legion Lake campground within Custer State Park

What really happened...

Woke up REALLY sore from both sunburn and all the physical abuse we put our bodies through yesterday. Chris, the climbing god, had no sunburn (thanks to the HyVee brand spf-45 sunscreen!) and had minimal aches & pains to report! The rest of us were not so lucky.
Got a bit of a late start leaving the lodge...slept in after having to get up at 3am the previous morning!
Took one last group photo at the cabin before everyone left.
Stopped back at Devil's Tower National Monument, this time as a tourist, just to look around and take more pictures.
Drove through Spearfish Canyon - one of the most breathtaking areas of the Black Hills.
Saw some of the recent wildfire damage near Lead, SD.
Got to Custer State Park in the evening, set up camp (laptop and all), and took a short bike ride to Legion Lake. In bed early, since we're still recovering from the strenuous day yesterday.

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Custer State Park - Friday, July 12

The plan:

Long mtn bike ride on the Centennial Trail
Pack up and start heading back east toward Sioux Falls

What really happened...

Great bike ride on the Centennial trail, but not exactly long. We rode for just over an hour, and the terrain kicked our butts! Very fun, and beautiful scenery. Here's a pic of us & our bikes, just before the ride.
Drove along Needles Highway in Custer State Park...another of the most gorgeous places in the black hills.
Spent a little time at the Crazyhorse monument. One of our favorite spots in the black hills. Check out our pics of the needles and Crazyhorse
Stopped at Acme Bicycles to see Mike one last time before leaving the area. Mike was kind enough to replace the middle chainring on Dean's mtn bike, which was missing a few teeth.


	The Needles, Custer State Park - Thursday, July 11 The plan: Leave Devil's Tower Lodge & drive to Custer State Park. Do some hiking and/or Mtn biking on the Centennial Trail. Possibly go see the Crazy Horse monument if we didn't get to it earlier in the trip. Camp at the Legion Lake campground within Custer State Park What really happened... Woke up REALLY sore from both sunburn and all the physical abuse we put our bodies through yesterday. Chris, the climbing god, had no sunburn (thanks to the HyVee brand spf-45 sunscreen!) and had minimal aches & pains to report! The rest of us were not so lucky. Got a bit of a late start leaving the lodge...slept in after having to get up at 3am the previous morning! Took one last group photo at the cabin before everyone left. Stopped back at Devil's Tower National Monument, this time as a tourist, just to look around and take more pictures. Drove through Spearfish Canyon - one of the most breathtaking areas of the Black Hills. Saw some of the recent wildfire damage near Lead, SD. Got to Custer State Park in the evening, set up camp (laptop and all), and took a short bike ride to Legion Lake. In bed early, since we're still recovering from the strenuous day yesterday. top of page Custer State Park - Friday, July 12 The plan: Long mtn bike ride on the Centennial Trail Pack up and start heading back east toward Sioux Falls What really happened... Great bike ride on the Centennial trail, but not exactly long. We rode for just over an hour, and the terrain kicked our butts! Very fun, and beautiful scenery. Here's a pic of us & our bikes, just before the ride. Drove along Needles Highway in Custer State Park...another of the most gorgeous places in the black hills. Spent a little time at the Crazyhorse monument. One of our favorite spots in the black hills. Check out our pics of the needles and Crazyhorse Stopped at Acme Bicycles to see Mike one last time before leaving the area. Mike was kind enough to replace the middle chainring on Dean's mtn bike, which was missing a few teeth. top of page