Yay!  Welcome back!  Looks like a bright, sunny day.  How many miles was this bike trip??

Welcome back! Neat shot of Mt. Rushmore! Cool!

Thanks everyone!

Did I train enough?  I don't think you can ever train enough!  I did have some trouble with the climbs.  I suffered with the altitude quite a bit.  I live at about 500 feet above sea level.  In the Black Hills, I was as high as 7800 feet and down to 4000 feet.  During the climbs I had trouble breathing.  I discovered that there is a huge difference between just doing normal activities at that altitude and being involved in heavy physical activity.  I probably needed about 5 days to aclimate to the altitude but only had 2. 

Mount Rushmore is something every American should visit at least once.  You have no idea the scope of the size until you have seen it in person.  And after you have seen Mount Rushmore, you should then go over to the Crazy Horse Memorial.  It is a carving in the round and is MUCH bigger than Mount Rushmore.  It will be many, many more years before it is finished, but it is quite the sight to see, even now.

Funny you mention my braid.  While we were "posing" for the picture, a Japanese tour group came by and about a dozen of them started taking pictures of us!  After a few minutes (and much Japanese being spoken), their tour guide came over to me and asked me if my braid was my own hair.  They had never seen a Caucasian women with a braid as long as mine before.     Of course, they were also facinated with our bikes!