South Dakota Trip - Bicycle Sculpture and Rail Trail

The Midwests Largest Bicycle Sculpture is located at the crossroads of highways 89 and US 385 at Pringle in South Dakota, along the route to Mount Rushmore from the south.  Google shows the same sculpture from the sky above and roadside photos taken a few years ago at the junction of Northern and Railway streets, click here. 

The piles of rusty bicycles can be a little intense, unless you are a bicyclist.  The fact someone arranged and welded this pile of rusty art in motion, and placed it in a public place for all to see is quite special.  If nothing else, it took a lot of time, much lifting, saving and rescuing old bicycles and careful assembling to create.  

The single bicycle at the top of the pile is created from parts of bicycles and steel finds. The other bicycles arranged and piled around the tower and the tires welded together create an artistic rendition of bicycles going somewhere, taking you to another place and time, a form of transportation not denied since youth first found it.

This Bicycle Sculpture site is along the George S. Mickelson Bicycle Trail bicycle trail which runs 109 miles throughout the Black Hills region, passing through 4 rock tunnels along the route.  $3 daily or $10 annual trail passes are required and can be found at many of the 14 trailheads along the trail. If found without a pass you will be fined.  The Trailheads include pit toilets, some have shelters and drinking water.  The mountain bike or fat tire gravel surface trail runs from Edgemont, SD to just past Deadwood, SD and is South Dakota's first Rail Trail conversion, finished in 1998.  There is no camping on the trail but lots of accommodations are available in the towns along the trail and there is a trail marked to Custer State Park for camping.  This looks like a nice bicycle tour through the Black Hills area.  For more information or to download a trail guide, click here.  There is a donation box for the Bicycle Sculpture along the bike trail.

South Dakota Trip - A Secret in Rapid City

I had wanted to surprise my wife with something cool while on our South Dakota Trip, and I found it in a city park in Rapid City.  The Berlin Wall.

Yes, that Berlin Wall.  There are 2 sections of the Berlin Wall just across from the Rapid City High School in Memorial Park, plus signs explaining the wall, how it got to be and how it got to un-be.
Also there are 2 tank traps, iron girders welded to be dangerous to tanks.  These wall panels stand 13 1/2 feet tall, are covered with a round cement pipe to prevent hand-holds, have rebar inside every 4 inches, are 6 inches thick, weigh 4 tons each, and self-stand.  They lined the West German side of the 50 meter wide (164 feet) no mans land border where many terrible things happened during my life.
Installed in 1961, these 2 cement wall segments came from the Berlin Wall section between the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.  They were taken down in 1989.  "Mr. Gorbachev, Take down this wall."

The story I read told about businessmen from Rapid City happened to be in Berlin in 1989 and bought the two wall sections and tank traps to bring home to their democratic home, next to Mount Rushmore. Their thought was right with the times, and the over 8 ton pair of walls and traps were shipped to Rapid City.  The Berlin Wall portion of Memorial Park was dedicated in 1996.
The wall sections are surrounded by signs that tell the story.  I show them all here so you can read them.

The Berlin Wall was a strong presence during my life, one that signified the barrier between light and darkness, prisoners and freedom, us and them, democracy and communism.  I remember the story of an 18 year old trying to get out of communist Germany, who was shot while crossing the no mans land on the East German/Communism side of the wall who was left screaming for hours as he died. No one from West Germany dared to help him as they would be killed for trying to.  That painful act really sticks in my memory.
Memorial Park used to be city neighborhood in Rapid City and was created after a huge flood in 1972 where 238 people died.
And yes, my wife was surprised and quite pleased.
To get there, go to Rapid City, South Dakota.  Memorial Park is located on Mount Rushmore Road and is just north of Omaha Street near I-90.

Buffalo Peaks Wilderness

Campsite at the midpoint of Rich Creek and Tumble Loop.

This backpack trip has been on my list for a long, long time.  Buffalo Peaks Wilderness is not your typical Colorado mountain backpack trip.  The area is still high in elevation, but has no high peaks or sheer cliffs to navigate along the trail.  It is mostly an area of meadows and forest, with 2 streams to navigate by, and mostly an easy climbing or descending trail.
The trail is called Rich Creek and Tumble Loop, a 12 mile backpack trip, starting at about 10,000 feet elevation with an elevation gain of 2036 feet.  Listed as easy to moderate, we found the stream crossings to have relatively high, fast water to cross, which added a layer of difficulty.  The rainfall and snow melt this year has been very high.  The trailhead is about 17 miles southwest of Fairplay in South Park and is best followed counter-clockwise.

En route to Fairplay, we stopped in Bailey to eat breakfast at the Cutthroat Cafe.  The food was really good, the service was great and we both left, full and satisfied.
Arriving at the trailhead, we hoisted our backpacks and crossed the bridge over Rich Creek.  From there, the trail goes right and follows Rich Creek through the forest.  We came to a dual log stream crossing over the creek to the north side, crossed and turned left to continue through the forest.  The campsites here were very nice and we remarked how nice it would be to camp here for multiple days and explore the area.

Blazes and trail

Hill to the north

Just below the crossing on Rich Creek

The first valley clearing

Thataway>

Trail side beaver pond

Aspen Leaf

More trees, more trail

More open trail

Trail continues

Continuing the climb, that's the mountain we are backpacking around

Climbing over a rise, we came out to the meadow, with wide open views of the round-top mountains. Remains of a cabin peeked from the willows on the right.  Birds were everywhere, the sky a dark blue, a light breeze from the west where rain clouds would form and un-form through the day. Stopping for a few minutes we spoke to a couple walking their dogs for the day.  We followed the meadow trail for a few hours, finally turning south where we crossed Rich Creek for the last time today, filtering water in the gold tinted stream.

More meadow, more stream

Turning southwest, note the clouds

Stone pile and wildflowers by the trail

Leaving the meadow, David up ahead

Looking west

Trail side stump in the trees, birds were everywhere

Here we left the meadow, climbing a hill in the forest.  Views of the mountains to our west poked through the trees.  Birds continued to flit about.  As we began climbing down again, the sky started to sprinkle, but not enough to get us wet.  Arriving at our campsite, we setup our tents just as the sky opened up and poured. Tired, I set the alarm and slept solid for about an hour.
Woken by my alarm, I took the stove and food in the rain over to David's tent, where I cooked dinner for the night.  After dinner we listened to coyotes howl, then scream, their voices echoing in the mountains.  It was hauntingly beautiful.
At one point later in the evening we noticed a Collegiate Range mountain peeking through to the southwest, and believe it was Mount Yale or Turner Peak.

Across from our campsite to the south

View from my tent in the morning

"Leave no trace" dry spots where our tents were pitched

David does sunscreen

That's our first view of the Buffalo Peaks to the south

View south into the park

Morning trail side sun

In the morning, when David asked if I was awake, I told him I needed some more sleep and went right out for another 20 minutes. Waking up, I dug out breakfast and took it to David's tent where we sat eating.  The rain had stopped sometime in the morning, but our tents were soaked on the outside. We snapped our tarps with rain flying off in all directions, then hung them in low trees in the sunlight around us.  I dried my tent off with my pac-towel and packed everything up.
Walking east now, we were following Tumble Creek as it flowed downhill through the meadow valley, mostly walking in full sun. 

Aspen just beginning to change color

Colorful stumps near the campsite

The beginning of Tumble Creek Trail

That's South Park in the distance

From shadow to full sun all morning

David filtering his water in Tumble Creek

The forest opens up

After a few miles of bright, sunny weather along the creek in the open valley, we zig-zagged down the lightly forested slope to Tumble Creek where we crossed using the high-low bridge, hands on top, scooting our feet across the bottom logs. We then followed the creek again, gaining altitude above it for some time.  Turning right into the thinning woods, we took a break before continuing downhill. The mountain ahead of us called Jones Hill told me we would be turning east soon.  Here we paused near a trail crossing, then crossed the stream on a wide log, heading east and uphill.  That was the best bridge across a creek all weekend.  There were a couple campsites by the trail.  The valley to our right held multiple lakes and beaver dams, flowing on downhill.  We walked beside the stream and gained elevation.  Here the forest was mostly aspen and was very thin.

Buffalo Peaks Wilderness Area

No Bikes

More trails

The best bridge all weekend

David looking back at the north side of Buffalo Peak

Another beaver lodge

Continuing to climb, we eventually reached the top of the rise with views of South Park to the east, and started down into a thicker forest, turning northeasterly.  A couple passed us near the top wearing day packs.
Working our way downhill through the forest, we eventually heard the sound of flowing water below us.  That was the sound of Rich Creek, where we parked yesterday morning.  Coming out at the bottom of the trail, we crossed Rich Creek on the bridge again and reached the car.  The drive home was pleasant, while somewhat jarring to our calmed outdoor senses.

Up the last mountain for the day

Very thin tree cover with the Buffalo Peaks behind it

Near the top

To get there from Denver, head west on US 285 to Fairplay.  From Fairplay, continue 5 miles south on US 285, turning right onto Park County road 5 (Weston Pass Rd). Drive about 7 miles and turn right at a major intersection onto County road 22 (AKA Forest Rd 425) and continue 2.9 miles to the Rich Creek Trailhead cement pad parking area on the left.

Various flowers and buds along the trail...

More various flowers

These guys were everywhere

Wild rose, I think

Little trees

Pine Nuts

Blue Flower