Distance today = 31.91 km; Total distance = 6698.49 km; Location = Rapid City – 44 02.731′ N, 103 14.732′ W; Start time = 0932, Finish time = 1415

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181650269

The Black Hills are everything I’d expected – stunning scenery, with serene forests intersected by clear mountain streams. Pity the weather precluded a perfect experience. It rained most of the today, and the temperatures were in single Celsius digits.

The planned short day into Rapid City, therefore, was beautifully timed, as I was only on the road for a little over four hours. Beats a full day in the rain and cold.

At the start of the day I met with a local television journalist, Derek, at Mount Rushmore. He did an interview with myself and Libby, and then some filming along the road as I descended the mountain. We’ll post a link as soon as that comes through. Mount Rushmore was impressive, and we observed an additional effect caused by the weather – the rain made it look like George Washington was crying (see the photos).

The Garmin data, despite showing the correct distance, only has partial graphs today. This happened once before, and I have now worked out that I need to delete some old data on the watch to make way for the new.