day 28: BADLANDS 👟 6.03.19 / June 3, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

-MEBadlands2*.JPG — BADLANDS National Park

June 3, 2019: CASTLE TRAIL | Badlands, SD 🚲
Twas a quiet morning as I was absolutely speechless. This place is exactly what I wanted it to be.
28 days on the road had come to an end. I was utterly and completely exhausted.. running on pure adrenaline, sun kissed, limbs all scratched up with bruises and sore muscles for days. I could not wait to hibernate but couldn’t stop thinking about all we had packed into those 28 days.
The original plan was to recap each day as we went, editing footage and keeping a journal.. but by day 3 I realized there was absolutely no way to keep up. So, I promised myself that within a year, I would gather my thoughts, the footage, the Strava routes, the notes and somehow document it all. Nothing like waiting ‘til the last minute.
climb: 301 ft | distance: 4.26 mi

day 27: SOUTH DAKOTA 🚲 6.02.19 / June 2, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

1.Sturgis1.JPG — STURGIS, SD 🚲

June 2, 2019: Deadman Trail System | STURGIS, SD 🚲
This was a trail our new friend Perry was designing / cleaning up / laying out. I was hurting quite a bit so the initial climb at the start wasn’t the most fun.. however we soon hit what was left of snow, mud and eventually some thunderstorms. This was so cool to see the process of caring for the trails.. moving branches.. carefully making pathways, little yard work and ‘scaping the way. After the ride we grabbed a couple pints at a brewery in Sturgis.. so interesting to finally see where my family friends had come for years on Harleys. Can’t wait to come back and see the new trails in action!
climb: 2547ft | distance: 18.1 mi

CATHEDRAL SPIRES

June 2, 2019: CATHEDRAL SPIRES | Sylvan Lake, SD 👟
This was tight. Didn’t plan either stop to Sylvan Lake or Cathedral Spires but a few great gems that made driving through to see Mount Rushmore (cool, but could see it just as good from the car) even more worth it!
climb: 515 ft | distance: 1.93 mi

TOTAL climb: 2547 + 515 = 3062 ft | distance: 18.1+ 1.93 = 20 mi

day 26: Dakota Five-0 🚲 6.01.19 / June 1, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

June 1, 2019: DAKOTA FIVE-O

June 1, 2019: DAKOTA FIVE-O | Spearfish, SD
The Dakota 50 turns 25 years old in 2020. It is a 50 mile mountain bike ride through The Black Hills starting in Spearfish, SD. 2019 was a heavy snow year in this area so the higher in elevation we went.. the more soft and muddy the terrain. About 2/3 through the ride we made a left turn on the trail to the lodge where we could get a bite. Amazing to believe we actually found it; burgers were so damn good they couldn’t have tasted better (yeah I know I say that a lot)!!! A couple of tough climbs and a killer downhill full of rollers finished off the day. If I ever have the opportunity to sign up for this race (sells out within the hour on April 1), I certainly will!! Challenging, tons of climbing, technical segments, but oh so worth it.

total climb: 5925 ft | distance: 44.28 mi

day 25: BEAR MOUNTAIN | Sundance, WY 🚲👟5.31.19 / May 31, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

BEAR MOUNTAIN
🚲

day 25: BEAR MOUNTAIN | Sundance, WY 🚲 5.31.19
The night before I think I had the best meal / giant cheeseburger of the whole trip.. followed by a bit too much of complementary whiskey from the staff knowing our agenda of the following day.
After waking up in Sundance, WY, we found a diner with my favorite hearty morning meal.. spicy sausage breakfast burritos. After a few too many dirty chais, we were on our way to the Bear Lodge Mountains, part of The Black Hills!
climb: 3568 ft | distance: 21.66 mi

horse shit + rain:

May 31, 2019: BEAR MOUNTAIN | Sundance, WY 👟
Ended up spending a little too much time looking at the route (similar to Sedona) and dodging huge pools of water.. but the trails were off and on gravel, red dirt that absorbed enough moisture, some segments we probably should have strayed away from and certainly got some solid climbing in. After this tuneup, I was ready to see what the 5-0 was all about! Went for a quick shakeout just in time for a rain shower.
Shortly after arriving in Spearfish, we got my bike cleaned up at a local shop called Rushmore Bikes.. scooped some extra goo packs... asked about the route and where the hidden rest stop was. Went down the street and had a few pints while editing photos then I just had to see the new Aladdin. I passed out so hard.. until the wildlife outside the van went berserk.
climb: 313 ft | distance: 2.09 mi

TOTAL climb: 3568 + 313 = 3881 ft | distance: 3.13 + 2.09 = 5.22 mi

day 24: OUTLAWS GREATEST HITS | Cody, WY 🚲👟 5.30.19 / May 30, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

OUTLAWS GREATEST HITS pt I

May 30, 2019: Outlaws Greatest Hits | Cody, WY 🚲
exactly 1 year ago today..
As we pulled up to the trail, cowboys were unloading their horses to round up some cattle, lassos and all. This was a quick ride, a bit rough terrain as it was more of an equestrian path. Felt like we were on the set of an old western.. ones I used to watch w/ my dad or grandpa Marvin as they fell fast asleep.
climb: 1160 ft | distance: 8.63 mi

OUTLAWS GREATEST HITS
pt II

May 30, 2019: Outlaws Greatest Hits | Cody, WY 👟
Was a solid brick workout, however, I won’t be disappointed if I don’t make my way back to this route again 🙃😊
climb: 197 ft | distance: 3.13 mi

total climb: 197 + 1160 = 1357 ft | distance: 8.63 + 3.13 = 11.76 mi

day 23: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 👟5.29.19 / May 29, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

pt. 1

1.Artist PaintPot2.JPG — 1. ARTIST PAINT POT

May 29, 2019: ARTIST PAINT POT | Yellowstone NP 👟
climb: 122 ft | distance: 1.45 mi

pt. 2

2.SheepeatersCliff1.jpg — 2. SHEEPEATER CLIFF

May 29, 2019: SHEEPEATER CLIFF | Yellowstone NP 👟
climb: 106 ft | distance: 1 mi

pt. 3

5.BunsenPeak3.JPG — 3. BUNSEN PEAK

May 29, 2019: BUNSEN PEAK 🚲 👟 + OSPREY FALLS | Yellowstone National Park
Not a lot of places to ride in Yellowstone but we did find one trail where bikes were allowed so we went for it. The trail skirts Bunsen Peak and midway through there is a hiking route down toward Osprey Falls. We hid our bikes off the trail in the woods and hiked the trail to the falls passing groups of schools. That was a bit of a challenge. The waterfall looked amazing and felt great on that hot day. On the ride back to the trailhead, I rounded up some bison like a pro,.. yeehaw!.. until they decided to chase me right back and I nearly laughed so hard I was crying as the humor took over as fear! Perfect weather (unlike the next couple days) for hiking and riding!
climb: 2962 ft | distance: 15 mi (12 mi MTB + 3 mi hike)

Pt. 4

6.MammothHS2.JPG — 4. MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS

May 29, 2019: MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS | Yellowstone National Park 👟
All this stuff just bubbling out of the earth creating beautiful deposits. Mother Nature is so fascinating.
climb: 348 ft | distance: 2.09 mi

TOTAL climb: 122 + 106 + 2962 + 348 = 3538 ft

TOTAL distance: 1.45 + 1 + 15 + 2.09 = 19.54 mi

day 22: Jackson Hole NP > > Yellowstone NP 🚲 5.28.19 / May 28, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

May 28, 2019: GRAND TETONS | Jackson Hole, WY
We fit in a short but great MTB ride starting at Hagan Trail that ended fairly quickly. Made it through some gorgeous paths full of pine and aspen trees with views for miles! We had all types of weather.. gravel full of rock, a couple inches of snow, gusts of wind, sprinkles of rain.. and of course sunshine near the end. The snow was melting and the terrain was soggy so we didn’t want to tear up the trails too much.. although we weren’t the only riders/runners on the route! This was a perfect little tuneup before heading to Yellowstone.
climb: 1089 ft | distance: 8.89 mi 🚲

*day22_yellow2.JPG — YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

May 28, 2019: YELLOWSTONE | MT, WY, ID
Today was just a sneak peek at the oldest National Park in America. 96% lies within Wyoming, the other 3% in Montana and 1% Idaho. Gardiner, Silver Gate, West Yellowstone, and Livingston, MT as well as Cody and Jackson Hole, WY are the closest nearby cities or entrances to the park. FAR more coverage and trails tomorrow! Stay tuned.

day 21: JACKSON HOLE, WY • swim / off 🐠 5.27.19 / May 27, 2020 by Tara Scieszinski

1.Tetons_1.jpg — GRAND TETON NP

May 27, 2019: Jackson Hole, WY • 🐠
After waking up parked in a motel lot, we headed to peek at Jennie Lake for the short window of sunlight. Minutes after hopping out of the van to get some photos, it started to downpour. This was a perfect day to catch up on laundry, swimming, pizza and sleep.
time: 49:44 | distance: 3308 yds