Every Ride Is Different...

 

Even on the same roads.  The weather is different; as is the traffic.  A neighbor here at Hart Ranch commented to me about "how frequently I ride"... she thought I might have a job that I was going to.  Ha - not much chance of that!  ;-)

But, I do ride most days.  And while there are plenty of great roads here in the Black Hills, I do have my favorites.  One road in particular (as you know if you've read any posts this summer) that I enjoy is Iron Mountain Road.  I got out on it once again this morning (and back in time to give Rufus his noon meal - priorities).

It was a cool start to the day and mostly overcast; add in some sky cover from the smoke that has been around for the last 10 days or so (from fires out west).  Joan polished the new face shield (in a light smoke tint) and I wanted to see how it would be.  On that particular helmet, it isn't comfortable to wear sunglasses; it does have a drop-down sun shield, which isn't quite as dark as my normal sunglasses; but close.  With this light tint face shield, it is really nice - I think it will also help keep down the temperature in the helmet.

I have written about all the attributes (and fun) of riding Iron Mountain Road; what really stands out for me, though, is all the different riding features in such a compact length of road: hairpin switchback curves, wide sweeping curves, nicely banked curves, single lane (one way "splits"), heavily wooded, open rolling hills, up and down in elevation, from steep to gradual; beautiful views (including several with Mt Rushmore in the distance), tunnels, and the pigtail bridges (a marvel of engineering, using giant wood supports).

There are also differences in the traffic, and not just the amount of it.  By getting on the road reasonably early in the day, I am able to ride with really light traffic, most of the time.  In July and late August, it is a lot of family tourists.  As it gets closer to the Sturgis Rally, the number of bikes picks up dramatically; during the Rally, it is a constant stream of bikes... but, they keep their speed up.  After Labor Day, it seems to be more retired people, and the average speed of vehicles on the road drops.  Of course, at any time, you are likely to come across people who are terrified of the drive - you can see it on their faces or the fact that they come to a stop when they encounter a vehicle coming the other direction on a curve.  Of course, there should be no need for that because the road is designed for two-way traffic, and large trucks are prohibited.  RVs should be prohibited (depending on size), but the size restrictions through the tunnels (that are all listed with maximum width and height that can squeeze through) eliminates a lot of that.  Occasionally, there are stupid people who don't know the size of their vehicle or just ignore the signs.  And the aforementioned people who come to a stop on the road - not just at curves, but some stop on the road where there is a pretty vista in the distance, or get out of their vehicle at the entrance to a tunnel to get a photo of Mt Rushmore framed in the tunnel... while their car is still on the road.

Photo tip: if you are taking a photo with your phone of Mt Rushmore when it is miles in the distance, it is just going to be a dot in the image.  Go to Mt Rushmore, park your vehicle in the ramp, walk up to the viewing platform, and get a decent photo... if you have to tell someone "that is Mt Rushmore," when you show them the photo on your phone, you have wasted your time (and that of all the traffic you blocked) getting that shot.  OR: use a real camera with a telephoto lens, park your vehicle off the road by the tunnels (they have parking), and get your shot without holding up traffic.  There are shuttle buses that bring tourists on this road, and they stop at these photo ops... there is no need to stand in a line across the road, waiting for the person next to you to get their shot before you take yours.  Your camera/phone does not affect theirs - really, you can both shoot at the same time.  And for you people taking photos with your iPad: stop that!  Just use your phone; because the screen is bigger on your iPad does not mean the image you take will be bigger than if you use your phone.  Really, you are just embarrassing yourself.

Um, I guess I digressed again.  ;-)

Back to the ride: it was good.  I liked it.  I may do it again.  :-)  The colors looked muted with the overcast and smoke in the air; a different look for this video...

And a few stills...