backstreet's b(l)ack (hills)

Hey y'all. I'm back and I'm bloggin. Earlier this month, I took my first motorcycle road trip to the Black Hills and Wisconsin. Right meow I'm on tour in South Carolina with the National Theatre for Children. Needless to say, I've got tips.

B L A C K      H I L L S

Day One: We arrived, late in the night, cold tired and damp from light rain but dropped our bags and headed straight to Cadillac Jacks for some Black Hills gold (not).

TIP: Don't ride in the dark if you can help it. I knew that bikers have a bad rap for being rough and tough, but I didn't realize I'd already become a mass murderer on my first ride. Cleaning bugs of of your helmet and clothes is *surprise* not fun.

TIP: SPEAKING of clothes, the number three thing you should pack on a bike trip (number one being your helmet and two being closed toe shoes of course) is a rain suit. My aunt generously let me borrow hers and it was a BLESSING during some surprisingly chilly rides.

Bridal Veil Falls

Day Two: We rode Spearfish Canyon and stopped at many of the popular sites including Bridal Veil Falls, Roughlock Falls and the Devils Bathtub. TIP: When you're hiking in the Black Hills, its smart to just always wear a swim suit under your clothes. Devil's Bathtub is a beautiful pool with natural slides that I've been dying to see. But its about an hours hike. We realized about a third of the way there that we didn't have our suits or drinking water, so rather than waste our time seeing something we couldn't experience, we vowed to return *prepared* later that weekend.

Spoiler Alert, we never did.

AFTER our morning ride, we met up with friends at Killians for burgers and beers in Spearfish. *HIGHLY recommend. They're not only great for burgers but also for delicious vegan and indian options as well - who knew?!* Then we hit the road again for Keystone. I was googling fun vacation-y things to do and came across the "Aerial Adventure Park." It looked like something that would interest the boys so I thought, "Hey, that could be fun."

Frankly, I'm more comfortable jumping out of an airplane.

In this "park," you're attached the wires and given free domain to pick your own Ninja Warrior style obstacle courses. AnnaRose and I started with the second hardest course and the boys began with the most difficult... but quickly joined us. If you are ever looking for a physically demanding and mentally paralyzing way to team build, I highly recommend this. At the time - while I was dangling vicariously on a tight-rope between two trees at what felt like a billion miles in the air - it was the biggest regret of my life. I thought, "This is the end. I'm gonna slip, break my neck and paralyze myself." Not only did I finish last in our group.... but I was the last person in the park.

TIP: When they say to kick off to zipline, REALLY kick off. And when you inevitably get stuck on that zipline (Because you foolishly thought "Eh, my body weight will take me over there."), face away from your goal, lay back, and then you can use your arms and core to sloth-drag yourself back across the line. Don't try and reach your stubby little arms above your head because guess what? You can't even reach the rope.

You could say that tip is mostly for me.

But when we finished the courses, I can't tell you HOW PROUD I was of myself! I'm actually psyched to go back. Best $50 you can spend out there.

Day Three: We hiked the mountain (formerly known as Harney Peak) Black Elk. Fun fact, this is the highest peak between the Rocky Mountains and Europe. TIP: Pack a LOT of water. And maybe  some snacks or a picnic to enjoy at the top. Don't pack only a coke and a small gatorade... like some people in our group. (Love you BK. ;)) This was an absolutely gorgeous hike. Getting to the top truly did feel like an accomplishment. I even did it in riding boots. Then Bobby and I jogged down most of the way. I feel like if we had been better hydrated and fed, we may have even wanted reward ourselves with a dip in Sylvan Lake at the bottom. But alas. We headed to Rapid for some refreshing Pho and relaxed with cards and friendship. It was a great ending to a big day. TIP: My brother did this hike at the end of July and said it was FULL of wild raspberries. Something for us to keep in mind when we return next year.

Day Four: Our trip ended with the Badlands Loop (my always favorite to climb down and around) and another chilly ride across the state. Western South Dakota never ceases to amaze me.