The Long Way Home

Work is stealing my summer.  Shifting shifts and over-the-top overtime soak up sunlight and drain energy.  Enough.  I'm taking the long way home today, even though it's 90+ degrees and I'm back at work at 3:00 am again tomorrow.

At the top of Tower Road, a paved climb the reaches Skyline Drive at it's southern edge.

Time for a mixed terrain ride, on concrete, asphalt, chip seal, gravel, dirt, trail and just plain bushwhack.  Whatever route and surface strikes my fancy.  Here's a photo essay of my 25 mile round about ride home from work today.

Little climb from the back side of the School of Mines "New Gym,"
at least that's what we called it when it opened in 1977.  I did not clean that today.

Rode a lap of the Robbinsdale CycloCross Race Course, my favorite cross venue in Rapid City.

Found this little gem cutting through some neighborhoods.

Another short cut led to a messy crossing of this drainage.

In-town gravel, much better than fighting afternoon traffic on the paved roads.

Skyline Drive, riding north shortly after the Tower Road climb.  Fast and twisty.

Detour to Skyline Wilderness Park on the Amphitheater Trail, basically a skinny dirt road.

Had to include a climb up M-Hill, here on Cowboy Hill Road, with a stop at the "M" and a cruise down Far West.

A little adventure just riding home from work.  All in town.  All on my Black Mountain gravel bike.  All better for another 12 hour shift tomorrow.