With summer nearing and my work patients ending, I bought the new car, and planned the road trip I would take. I had to take the bike, I had only been on it once since the weather warmed up, the ride season being short, leaving my miles for the year at a whimpy 20. So being the risk taker that I am and with my birthday approaching I packed the bike, by bags and a few food items. I had never felt this way before a trip, I would be traveling the three hours North on 71 to Scottsbluff to visit my brother for the night, then packing another three hours north on 71 to South Dakota, my emotional energy was high, the trip would be alone time, except for the visit midway with Frank. I was really looking forward to leaving and spending the time on the open road, it may have been the miles I was missing from my absence on my bike, which I fully intended on making good on during this time away.
Now I know how to eat, I grew up on health food, I garden like my Mother taught me, and I usually don't snack on chips and dip. So packing a cooler with smart items would keep me out of the gas station snack bars and hold me over during meals while on the trip, so I took what I had been eating for the last few months, energy bars made with nuts and dates, and protein waters with no bad sweeteners. Of course fruits and vegetables to tie me down. When it comes to food I absolutely need to eat regularly, and traveling would not be any help, and driving is a great time just to site Dee and snack. This was all a plan that immediately developed with an appropriate action so I ran with it. The hotel was booked for two nights, later I added a third. The night in Scottsbluff was a go with my brother and I would stay again on the way home. I called the South Dakota vacations guide and ordered my magazine of places to visit, which didn't make it to me till after I had already returned from my trip. Not to worry, the visitors center in S Dakota had all the maps and magazines I needed, an a very kind native woman that shared my birthday gave some good advise as to the roads to take, I took all of them, which meant I traveled straight through, and came home the long way, stopping in Hot Springs South Dakota for the bike ride I promised myself and a swim, including sun bathing.
This trip would be going against the Kapha nature that surround me all through the work week. I would not be putting any ones need ahead of my own. I would be alone most of the trip, and I would be spending some serious money, on myself. It would be the first day of summer, my birthday, 53 this year and I would be loyal to having a good time, and really soaking it up. There weren't any 5k's this year, the motion was reached through quite a bit of stair climbing done this year commuting on the new light rail. Long bridges crossing major highways installed for commuters, which also include two stories of staircases.
The bike was packed and so was my swim suit, I would be walking a lot and I felt good, ready to leave it all behind and make out on the open road. In an article I read, a calorie burning comparison chart compares exercises and calories burned in an hour: Running 647 calories, basketball 463 calories, swimming 431 calories, cycling 335 calories circuit training 287calories, golf 289calories. Not mentioned were horse back riding 270 calories, stair climbing 475 calories, hiking 335 calories, packing and unpacking the car 275 calories and my favorite shopping 175 calories. In the first day in Keystone I must have burned 945 calories within three hours. The hike at Mount Rushmoore went all the way around the property, up and down stairs and I even shopped for a half hour. The night presentation of the mountain was beautiful. The lights went up, the movie was shown and a memorial to honor past and present Veterans including singing and a flag folding done by the participating visiting veterans concluded the evening. I wasn't counting calories though, I wasn't counting repetitions, I was counting on having a good vacation.
The Mountain wasn't as patriotic as I felt it to be the first time I visited there with my family several years ago. The trip this time was about the work that went into the carvings, The sculpting at high places, that the men hung from boatswains chairs, and scaffolding. It made me think of the times we spent over the side on the Simon Lake, painting above the water, dangling on the boatswain chairs working in the southern sun. The mountain provided a walking trail around the property, I hiked it with other, we stopped in places along the path to take pictures. This was forest property, the pictures showed the men that hiked daily to work, some with equipment. The grass lands of South Dakota are large and stretching wide and very lonely. There were times that I was alone for several minutes. The new car almost drove itself there, I had my hands on the wheel, but the car was moving along as though on auto pilot.
Do nothing, do something, a day at the stables, as planned. The weather was fair, and I had my riding boots on. I was signed in quickly and my horse Indy was a gelding dark brown with black main and tail, what I know as a bay. He was a joy to ride, did what was expected of him and didn't try to rub me up against the trees. The trail was a 3 out of 4, the horses new it well, but traveled to close together and Indy had a problem with the horse behind us, turning every now and then to give him the eye, as to say "when we get back to the stables I'm going to eat all your hay". The ride was two hours, it took us around the black hills near Mount Rushmoore, Hamy peak elevation 7244ft. The guide a gymnast like myself, a redneck and underestimated, found the pleasure you find in being away from the world, the energy you have when you reenter it-that is true balance, moved to South Dakota 12 years ago to works as a trail guide. She knew the area it's history and most the wild life in the area, very informative and just fun to ride with. The property had a store and restaurant and I got some lunch after the ride and went down to the horses afterward to say bye.
Before the summer had ended, I had ridden twice, Jack and I traveled to Mount Princeton the following week and we stopped in at a stables there. There I was introduced to Maddy a brown mare, she was good at crossing the creeks, which we didn't do in the South Dakota ride, and the horses were allowed to trot, which I always enjoy. The trail was a 3 out of 4 and the horses were a little rough. Jack got rubbed up against a tree and walked away with a scraped knee. In all 810 calories burned riding horses this summer. I've lightened up this summer when it comes to exercise, I did something I enjoyed by getting out on the trails, enjoying the mountains in a casual fashion, I changed my hat and enjoyed something new and different for a while. A sense of accomplishment.
After 18 years of riding bicycles all summer, my new regimen proved successful with a total of 20 pounds weight loss and 16* correction in my spine, I'm missing the rides, the horses gave me back a sense of being in the out doors, and driving gave me the gift of going the distance. I will be riding, not as hard in the years ahead, but I know it is necessary to keep my heart healthy, Ive been reminded of this by coaches and bike club members. That is the reason I started and became as serious as I did when Madison was young. Life takes its toll on the body, and biking just puts the life back into you. A person looking to lose weight might work out very differently than the person looking primarily to optimize his or her athletic performance.
The way we are facing has a lot to do with our destination. Next stop would be Rapid City, just a half hour away from Keystone, it would be the place to spend my birthday. Sitting on the turf, watching kids playing in the fountains, it was a joy, more sun than I had gotten in the last month. I would listen to live music, grab a bite to eat and get an hour massage in. Coming back a quick stop at the Home of Red Ass Rhubarb wine, intriguing concept, the Prairie berry Winery, chosen by my daughter. Had a great Vegan dinner and a couple glasses of wine. What a great way to spend a birthday.
I have all sorts of different reasons for working out, the stop at the Reptile Gardens was an hour of walking that cleared my head for the drive back, done for the night. Great day, great birthday.
Ending the day with a walk on the board walk, quick not long. The shops were closing soon and the sun was going down. I got my last pictures in for the day and stopped in at the Saloon for live music and a drink. Needing my sleep, I headed back to the room for some much needed Zs.
Like work, a vacation can take it out of you. Once you understand the dynamics of stress, in fact, you can actually retrain and re-tune your body and mind to handle stress differently. Whatever the source, stress can drain your body's resources. It significantly weakens the immune system and makes the body more susceptible to disease, as well as physical problems.
I was having more fun, getting enough sleep, exercising, relaxing, changing my attitude and eating right, for the most part. I still had food that I had brought with me in the fridge in the room. I needed to start planning my trip back, the last day would be visiting the Crazy Horse monument. The drive was longer, making a short detour through Custard Park, which after the books and reading of what he actually did in his life in this part of the country wouldn't have been much of a miss. The monument was almost completely out of cell phone range, the phone call went through when I transferred some money to make some last minute purchases. They have made progress on the monument in the last fifteen years, considering the size of the project that they have taken on. I took the tour through the museum and watched a movie. Went shopping, spoke to some of the Lakota Indians while there. Stopped for a dinner in the restaurant there and made my way outside for a dance demonstration where I volunteered with several people to learn the hoop spiritual dance. Good times.
It was told to me by my father that our ancestors are part Cheyenne Indian, which were allies to the Lakota Indians during the 1800's.
