I had to go to the Badlands for work this past week. I've often thought that it'd be cool to bike through the park. I hopefully will sometime, though ideally during a slightly more off season time. I would hate to have a string of RVs riding my butt as I climb the hills through there. It's not an easy climb for them either. And the windy downhills would be interesting for me too.
I used to doubt my ability to go up some of those ascents. Though this time after driving a couple, they don't really seem too much worse than the hills coming out of Chamberlain along the Missouri. It's really tough to guage. There are other shorter hills that kick my tail a bit because they're steeper. I can't tell if these are shorter and steeper or about the same.
At any rate... I continue in my lust for a mountain bike. I think that it would also be a blast to take one of those out there to cruise along the many gravel roads and then to the stretchs of minimum maintainance road when the gravel runs out. It'd be a good time and not even technical trails. Though one of the radio guys said that he's brought world champion unicyclists out to the badlands to do some off road descents.
Though I don't know how often I'd actually get out there to bike. So my justification for mountain bike lust will have to be local in order for it to be practical. There are gravel roads around here that I'd like to more fully explore. Technically I could put knobbier tires on my hybrid... Though we could still do that and my husband could come along too. Depending on finances, I'll troll the season closer sales later this summer and fall.
With or without a bike, I encourage everyone to check out the badlands this summer. It's so green and lush. Well, as green and lush as the badlands have been in over a decade!
I will post pictures later.
