Distance today = 52.02 km; Total distance = 6613.12 km; Location = Pringle – 43 36.487′ N, 103 35.353′ W; Start time = 0843, Finish time = 1648

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181075189

Running on a 33C day may sound bad enough, but when you’re out in the direct sun, with heat radiating off the dark road surface, the effective temperature is over 40C. Add to that a dry wind and a lot of uphill, and it made for a difficult day.

However, the bonus was that I ran into the Black Hills of Dakota. I can see why they are so renowned.

Earlier in the day I passed through Hot Springs. I found this place quite charming, with its consistency of architectural style, based on the local red sandstone – quite different to other famous sandstone cities, such as Salamanca, which are mostly constructed from a golden sandstone.

As I ascended into the Black Hills, the girls, who had gone ahead, came back to tell me there was a herd of bison right by the roadside. Signs abounded, telling tourists that these animals were dangerous. And that was if you were in a car. I was a little concerned at first, but when I passed them, they were quite sedate and not interested in me at all. As a precaution, the girls were there in the car, should I have needed to be shielded behind it in case of an attack from a charging bull.

The tracker is showing me in the town of Custer (named after George of the Last Stand fame), although my official run position is about 20 km south in the village of Pringle. Tomorrow I run past both the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore. Tune in at the same time tomorrow to hear more about those.

Distance today = 53.46 km; Total distance = 6666.58 km; Location = Mount Rushmore – 43 53.011′ N, 103 26.847′ W; Start time = 0809, Finish time = 1659

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181390603

Today was about 20C cooler than yesterday, and that suited me just fine.

After running the 20 km from Pringle to Custer, I headed off to the Crazy Horse Memorial. It’s the biggest mountain carving in the world, and has been under construction since 1948. There still appears to be plenty to do, so it may not be complete until the second half of this century. All the same, it’s very impressive already.

One of the great joys of today was running on the Mickelson Trail, a converted rail line. I have run and cycled many “rail trails”, including the Otago Central in NZ and several in the French countryside. I reckon this one, however, is the pick. It was so picturesque – and quiet. I only saw two cyclists during my 30 km or so that I was on the trail. The babbling brooks and mountain streams were especially beautiful.

I did strike a bit of rain while I was on the trail – just the third time I’ve experienced rain since the beginning of the year. Still, I can’t complain, particularly as it only persisted for about half an hour.

Once off the trail, I headed toward Mount Rushmore on the US 244. This was equally as breathtaking, and with little traffic, it was a real joy to run. Anyone visiting Mount Rushmore must drive this road – fantastic forests and mountain scenes.

I finished at Mount Rushmore, but didn’t get much of a chance to look at it. I’ll report on that particular monument tomorrow, as I start from there in the morning. My official position is about a mile back up the mountain from where the Tracker is showing me.

PS We had a great time last night at The Naked Winery in Custer, where we met some really nice people – check out the photos in the Home section.

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).