56 FALL 2021 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 03 SNOWGOER . COM 57

Hills and allows a panoramic view in all directions . We ’ d been there on previous visits but not this one – we were quickly running out of daylight , so we hightailed it back toward Deadwood , enjoying every minute of our time and arriving back in the historic down an hour after sunset .

We were tired , but re-energized ourselves with caffeine so we could go explore downtown Deadwood . The blizzard-like conditions that had socked in the area for two days – plus the fact that it was a Monday night – made Deadwood less festive than we ’ d experienced on previous visits , but it was still fun popping in and out of casinos and bars , seeing some live entertainment and catching a great meal . Most entertaining on this night was the live music , successful gambling and a drunken , ornery local girl at the No . 10 Saloon who was looking to pick a fight with anybody and everybody !

The two-day winter storm that made our in-coming drive sketchy and also shut down local schools broke overnight , and we were greeted to picture-perfect conditions when we pulled back the shades to start our second day of riding . The snow glistened under some of the deepest blue skies imaginable . The disappearing cloud blanket let in some of the season ’ s coldest air , however – the snow squeaked underfoot when we walked through the parking lot to go get breakfast at the onsite Creekside Restaurant and nostrils felt like they wanted to freeze shut upon the day ’ s first deep inhale .

The northern half of the Black Hills trail network has the most dependable snow so we ’ d explored all of it on previous visits . This fresh snow , however , meant the groomers were able to work the system all the way to its southern tip , so we had new exploring to enjoy .

The morning involved riding the mishmash of wonderful trails out of Deadwood and Lead again – taking new side trails and spurs to mix things up – and then continuing south past the Dumont and Black Fox lots on trails 2k and 2 . We found more towering granite walls and a more open feel to the trails as we worked our way south , passing creeks and meadows and weaving past areas that served as campgrounds in the summer .

Eventually we made it to a spur trail , with signage that promised that Flag Mountain Lookout would be found at the top . That short trail itself was spectacular – lined with pine trees with boughs laden with the two previous-days ’ snow intermixed with huge , exposed boulders as we gained altitude .