One more highlight

So back the first of July I got this new fancy phone that I am STILL learning how to use.  One of the nice things about it, is it does take descent photos.  Problem:  How do you get the pics off the phone?  Well, I'm still learning how it works.  A week after I got the phone, Sarah, a friend of ours living in Utah came out to the southern hills with group a gals to do the tourist thing.  I had the opportunity to meet up with them and bike part of the George S. Mickelson Trail.  It's an old rail line (101 miles long) that the state bought and has turned it into a recreational trail open to hiking, biking, snowmobiles, and horses, depending on which leg of the trail you are on.  We did a 25 mile leg, Rochford Trail head to Hill City, and my phone was what I took for a camera....hence my forgetting I had these pictures as until last night, I hadn't figured out how to get them off the phone.  LOL  You can access more info on the trail at

http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/mickelson-trail/ 

Myself, Sarah and 3 of the gals from the group.  This water fall was just after we left the Rochford Trail head and made a good spot for a group photo.

Sarah, stopped for a water break.

An old church building at the Mystic town site (now a ghost town).

Next time, I would like to take the time to explore all the old buildings there.

There are a total of 3 tunnels on the trail.  The park service has shored them up by putting timbers up around the original ones.  It was really nice and cool in those tunnels!

Sarah and I along about mile 20ish.

This old box car at the Redfern area was used as a bunk house back in it's day.

More old buildings at the Redfern area.

OK, I know you are wondering why I put this sign in.  Well, it wasn't really a trail head, but there was a shelter at Redfern with a well to replenish our water.  We needed it after just completing an 8 mile incline!  But most important, it signified the END of the incline and it was all down hill into Hill City!

Bill says he is willing to bike part of the trail with me one of these times he is off.  He is very specific about which parts, the down hill parts, but I would like to do the trail again and would like to do more of the trail so I think we'll just have to make that happen!