So now that Jesse and I are working the same hours for the first time in our relationship and those hours are 8-5ish Monday through Friday we are really working for the weekends. The evenings are OK but I get home so late and we are too tired to do much more than eat dinner and read our library books. The weekends allow us time to catch up on our sleep and explore the area.
This weekend we decided to check out the roller girls here in South Dakota. We went to a few bouts that the Carolina Roller Girls had so we figured this should be interesting. It was in downtown rapid on a closed street. I felt bad for the girls when they fell, it must have hurt! This was kind of like an internal scrimmage for the main group known as The Rushmore Rollerz. It was what they called a Royal Rumble: Evil Queens vs. Princesses! It was pretty cool to watch. The girls were very into it and they had a halftime show of a dance group doing Thriller and some other songs. It was fun to watch and again something we just never thought we would see while we were here in South Dakota. After watching the Princesses win we walked around downtown a bit more and finally had some time to do a wine tasting at the Firehouse Wine Cellar. They are part of the Firehouse Brewing and were pretty good. Jesse and I ended up liking the white wines better than the reds. They often have live music and a nice outside seating area so we might have to go back there a few times during the summer.
The next day we went on a Volksmarch! One thing about moving around the USA is that you are always learning something new everywhere you go. This time we learned that there is a group known as the American Volkssport Association and South Dakota has a club here called the Black Hills Volksport Association. They go around the state and into Wyoming for volksmarches which are walks along various paths. Twice a year they take a volksmarch up to the top of Crazy Horse. It was our chance to get up onto the monument while we are here in South Dakota.
The first thing we encountered on this activity was men on horseback dressed like cowboys and they were directing the parking! It was too cool. Jesse was less thrilled since he gets a bit creeped out by horses since they are so big. This was a very organized event, there were check points along the way and you had to check in at the start line before beginning. The other great thing was that it was only $3 and three cans of food per person, totally worth it! We filled out our little form and started our volksmarch. It took us through the grounds around the Crazy Horse monument with little glimpses of it through the trees. The walk brought you around the back side of Crazy Horse; it was an intense walk at some places but the view from the top was worth every sweaty huffing and puffing step. There were four checkpoints along the way manned by local boy scouts, cheerleaders and other volunteers. They had snacks and water that you could buy. Jesse and I have been getting better about bringing snacks on our hikes, like chips and PB&J sandwiches. It was a great walk of about 6 miles round trip. On the way back down we saw a small herd of cows just chilling and grazing. I made Jesse stand near them so I could take his picture. We meandered back to the car and ate our sandwiches and finished our chips. It was a great volksmarch.
In my infinite wisdom I decided I wanted to do a long run after the volksmarch. I have signed up for a marathon in August. It is the Leading Ladies and it is all women and all downhill in Spearfish Canyon. So Jesse and I left Crazy Horse and headed to Hill City where there was a nearby trailhead for the George S. Mickelson Trail. It is a trail that is over 100 miles long and it is a rails-to-trails path that is well marked and a nice crushed gravel surface. We parked and started walking to the trail. I have decided to try a Galloway method to train here in South Dakota. I am struggling big time with the altitude and hills so I figured this is a great way to train and still feel good after my run is over. We did 8 miles and I was hurting at that end of it. I had not had nearly enough water and it was a warm day. Thankfully my hubby is a smart man and he suggested I try the Gu Brew fizzy tablet in some water and holy cow it made me feel a million times better. We treated ourselves to pizza and beer and it was a great end to a wonderful physical day!
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