Thanks. I started out with a Cannon point and shoot. Just before turning in after the first day of riding I knocked over a topless water bottle and it doused my camera. The next morning I went to Spearsifh K-Mart to buy a new one. All they had in stock were Kodak cameras. I bought a cheap one. Problem was, the battery was not charged. It was already behind schedule for the day so I took off through Spearfish Canyon and up to Roughlock Falls, one of the most scenic parts of the trip. In Savoy, at the top of the canyon road, there is a restaurant. I had lunch and was able to charge the battery for an hour. That's why I only have shots from the top of the canyon and not the ride up. All this put me even farther behind schedule. I didn't get to Hill City until around 8:10 p.m., just as it was getting fully dark. Around 10:15 p.m. the massive hail storm rolled through.

Bring plenty of extra snacks. On the way to Hill City I came across a group of teens being led by an adult. They had come from Deadwood and were totally spent and and were walking slowly up the climb from Mystic. I was really dragging. They gave me some granola bars and a few other snacks. I never saw them again. They had motel reservations in Hill City. As noted above, I reached Hill City just before full darkness. At the rate they were walking and the distance they had to go when I left them they must have ridden down the hill in darkness. I hope no one wiped out.