Day 9/10: I left Rapid City South Dakota and headed for Denver. On my way I found (by accident) Mount Rushmore, it was a great 12 mile (at 12 mi/hr) drive in on a small windy road with lots of forest and great sites before rolling up to the memorial. If time had permitted I would have camped here for the night but I wanted to get to Denver.

I encountered more thunderstorms throughout South Dakota after visiting Mount Rushmore and then hit Cheyenne SD before getting into Colorado late and staying with Joe. He and his family were generous enough to let me stay and relax do laundry and have a day off of the bike.

Friday was a great off day. Joe and I went to Buffalo Bill's grave and oversaw the town of Golden, which is where the Coors Light plant is. We did the abbreviated tour and then set off to another pub before heading back to home base for a taco bar. After playing bean bag toss and teaming up our US/Canada team beat a US/Russian team. It was a good night!

Thank you to Joe, Jackie and Zachary (I hope to meet you guys soon) for your hospitality and for allowing me to stay at your home. You always have a spot to

Today: 6.5 hrs 399 mi
Total: 2979mi