July 1, 2025 (Tue.) – SxS adventures

Lynn kicked off the day a bit later than her usual early bird routine—coffee in hand by 9 AM, soaking in the morning sun.

The morning brought not-so-great news: her mammogram results flagged the need for additional imaging. Cue the sighs and a reshuffling of plans, as this means an extended stay around Rapid City/Custer and a fresh appointment to schedule.

It was forecasted to be a hot day (85* is hot for us and tends to keep us in AC at times). However, Lynn has been wanting to rent a SxS for a while and despite the weather being sunny and warm, we decided to rent them at the hottest time of the day (still classic Kirk & Lynn timing).  Although they offer the same Polaris SxS we owned before (sold it before we left CA), we opted for the enclosed Polaris with AC. We chose comfort over open-air sweatiness. LOL. They also provide a tablet with pre-loaded routes (color-coded for ease of trails – similar to ski routes). The sales guy (young 20’s) was going over the rules, showing us how to use the tablet, and providing directions as to how to get to the trails.  We were both nodding our heads in understanding and hit the road! Not one-minute out of the parking lot, we disagreed on the directions on how to get to the trails.  They should train the twenty-somethings that old people have a memory retention of about 60-seconds and provide a paper map with directions! Despite having a tablet AND the GPS in the SxS, we were directionally challenged. 

About 20 minutes of highway driving in the SXS (it’s legal to ride them on the streets in SD), getting lost, winding up at someone’s house, and dead-ends…we finally found some trails! Once in the woods, the towering trees gave us a shady break from the heat, and recent rains made for some splashy fun—though “mudding” is technically not allowed, so we kept it responsible… ish. We made it to the Bear Mountain lookout tower, climbed as high as possible, and soaked in the spectacular views. Wildlife sightings? Just one deer, one bison and a few cows. The ride through the peaceful, crowd-free stretches of the Black Hills was a treat, and those four hours flew by in the blink of an eye. Absolutely worth every twist and turn.

The outing totaled four hours and rang up at $480, plus a $10 gas top-off. Pricey, but honestly, worth every bump, twist and mud puddle through the Black Hills.

Dinner followed at Pounding Fathers, tucked on the top floor of Mt. Rushmore Brewery. With three restaurants in the building, we opted for the one with the full menu—and weren’t disappointed. Muddy clothes and all, the meal hit the spot.

To wrap up the evening, Lynn got festive: patriotic nails and toes ready for the 4th. Red, white, and blue with a side of trail dust—now that’s style!

Weather – High 85*, Low 51*. Winds 9-21 mph.

Traffic – None.

Food – Pounding Fathers Restaurant

Notable – SxS Adventures in Custer.