What's Fred Up To Now?: Mickelson Trail Bicycle Ride

I was up at daybreak and headed for the Sugarloaf Trailhead. It was a pretty cool morning. The first mile was a pretty steep uphill then the trail leveled off most of the rest of the way to the Englewood Trailhead. A bridge is being replaced just south of this trailhead but there is a plywood walking bridge to carry the bike across. The trail then again climbed until about 1.5 from the Dumont Trailhead. This is the highest point on the Mickelson Trail at 6,200'. I met the young couple from Cedar Rapids one last time just as I approached the Dumont Trailhead. They had spent the night at a nearby B&B and both said they were ready for the trip to be over with. I pedaled across the highway to the Dumont Trailhead and had some refreshments before heading back north to the van. It was a great morning of riding - spectacular scenery, clear skies, cool temperatures! I was back at the van by around 10:00 am. After changing clothes and loading the bike, I was on the road up to Sturgis then onto I-90 east to Mitchell where I had a motel reservation for the night. Between Deadwood and Sturgis, there were many, many late model Ford Mustangs. I continued to see lots of them while traveling east on I-90 and asked one driver when I stopped for gas what was going on. He said there is a Mustang rally in Sturgis every year the first weekend in September. I'll have to remember that for next year.

A few photos from the day.