Onward

With riding the Black Hills BackBone in a single ride now firmly pushed into the future, I set out for fresh gravel.  Something new.  Something different.  Something so far off the BackBone route that it has not, and would not, even be considered for that.  Something just to ride and explore, just to ride and explore.

There are many of these rough, gutted crossings on Red Canyon Road (Fall River Co 15), which was mostly dry today.

I knew right where to go.  A large swath of Black Hills removed from the recreational centers of the North and the tourist draws of the Center.   The SouthWestern most corner of the Black Hills, where the iron grip of the dense pine forests that give these hills their name slips and slowly gives way to the rolling, hard scrabble edge of the prairie.  I'm going south of Jewel Cave National Park to the railroad town of Edgemont and back, on whatever roads look interesting.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Starting with the typical Black Hills forest gravel.  It doesn't last long.

OK.  One more forest gravel photo.  Just over this hill, and around that corner . . .

Now, the view starts to open, as the land hardens.

Now we're rolling.

Ridge line that must have been the fire break for a relatively recent forest fire.

 There's great gravel and dirt roads out there, with plenty of primary and secondary roads for a variety of longer rides.  I'll be back for more of those, and to chase down more of the sketch roads and skid trails I merely sampled today.