Dear Porkers,

Please stand by for some great news about RAGBRAI. Today, we have good news on the South Dakota front!

Recently, we opened up a brand new ride, The Black Hills Hundred on South Dakota's gorgeous Mickelson Trail. The response was swift, and within 12 hours, we knew we'd underestimated the enthusiasm for this tour. Apparently there are many more of you adventurous riders who have the Mickelson Trail on your bucket lists, and so here's a second opportunity in 2021 to claim your spot on this limited ride in South Dakota.

We're very pleased to announce the Encore of our newest adventure with all of the usual PBV amenities--plus a few surprises! Won't you join us for...

(Encore in August)

Until 1983, the Burlington Northern operated what was called "the old high line" into the Black Hills. Like many railroads during that period, the Burlington Northern petitioned to abandon the line, opening up the possibility of recreational use along this gorgeous corridor of birch and ponderosa pine forests, wildlife, trestles, and tunnels.

The governor of South Dakota, however, who was quite famous for never changing his mind, opposed this controversial new rail-trail, largely due to the objections of adjacent land owners. The situation seemed hopeless, as a contractor hired by the railroad had already begun to tear down the bridges, and parts of the trail were only "a signature away" from being lost forever.

Click here for the rest of the story in our June invitation....

You can watch the whole video right here:

This intimate micro-ride will be small by design. We're capping The Black Hills Hundred at a hundred riders. (At this writing, we're about 15% full, just from early interest.)

The trail is just over a hundred miles long, but we're adding a little distance on the Whitewood Creek Trail on the north end in Deadwood proper (connecting to the Mickelson). So although we're calling it the Black Hills Hundred, it's really a few more miles, spread over four days.

Make no mistake, there's some challenging climbing involved. But our southbound ride is a downhill-trending cruise. Your first day is short and tough, and then you have two easier days, and finally a 44-mile mostly downhill ride into Edgemont. We welcome E-Bikes and we can charge your batteries at our refreshment stops on the trail and in camp overnight.

This is a well-cared-for limestone chip trail. The surface is pretty smooth. Bring the bike you're most comfortable on, but we recommend something other than a skinny tire.

On your longer days, we'll staff a refreshment stop with water, bananas, other snacks, e-bike charging, and a friendly Attaboy from our crew! On one short day, we will not provide a refreshment stop.

We'll offer our top accommodations, the PHAT Trailers, and our rental tent service. Or you may bring your own tent and pay only the entry fee for the ride. And also, we're providing the phone numbers for each of our hosts below. You can reserve an RV spot in our privately-owned campgrounds--or a cottage on two of the nights--but don't delay reserving these limited opportunities. Keep reading!

You will find our usual friendly crew in lovely privately-owned campgrounds right on the trail, with the shower trailer flowing, the juice thingy juicing, the morning coffee brewing, and some excellent meals included. We want to get this invitation into your hands. but we're still working on food vendors in camp and breakfast options in the mornings. And maybe a surprise or two.

Our overnight stops include:

In our itinerary below, you'll find two carefully planned half-day excursions. After all, when you're traveling all the way to the Black Hills, you don't want to miss out on seeing its wonders! On your short cycling days, we're taking you to see the the Great Faces and Great Places of South Dakota.

In Iowa, August is a hot-weather month. But in Custer, South Dakota, the average high/low in August is 80/52. Bring those pants and a sweatshirt.

We begin in Deadwood on the north end of the Mickelson, breaking the approximately one-hundred mile journey into four days of variable mileage. In part, mileage is determined by the distances between towns, and so we've taken advantage of two short days by tucking two site-seeing excursions into your afternoons. While you're in the Black Hills, you can visit its iconic monuments and travel through its gorgeous landscapes. By bike, by coach, and even by train, you'll discover it all on your Black Hills Hundred adventure!

Shuttle from Edgemont: Park on the south end of the trail in Edgemont and shuttle north to the start in Deadwood on August 15th.

With a coach and bike truck, we'll operate our shuttle midday, getting you to Deadwood by mid-afternoon, where our first campsite will be set up and waiting for you.

We encourage those who use our shuttle to arrive in Edgemont plenty early and visit one of Edgemont's eating establishments for a late breakfast or lunch, before parking your vehicle and catching our shuttle. Edgemont is accustomed to providing long-term parking for tours on the Mickelson, and there's no charge. Let's give their businesses some support!

By all means, if you would like to find your own way to Deadwood, or place a vehicle at both ends, or come up with some other creative travel plan, that's just fine. Our shuttle will operate from Edgemont to Deadwood only on August 15th.

Deadwood Campsite: Given our campground check-in time. we should be ready to welcome riders by about 2:30 p.m. in Deadwood. We will overnight at the Day's of '76 Campground, behind the museum. The Deadwood Trolley, which runs until midnight, picks up every hour, running from our campsite just a mile and a half to the historic downtown ($1 per ride on the trolley). You'll have this afternoon and evening to visit the museums, bars, restaurants, and casinos of Deadwood. We have it on good authority that it would be a huge mistake to miss the unique museum that chronicles the long history of brothels in this wild-west town!

Long-term Parking in Deadwood: Our Deadwood campsite is very near free long-term parking. But please remember that we don't have a shuttle returning to Deadwood at the end of the ride. You're welcome to leave a car in Deadwood if it makes sense for your travel plans.

Breakfast: Day 1 is challenging, and breakfast in camp would be handy! We have a lead on a great Deadwood caterer for this morning.

Mileage: 20 miles, much of it on an uphill grade. You're getting the tough section of this tour out of the way on Day 1. Today's destination is the lovely Carsten Cottages, out in the countryside of the Black Hills.

Refreshment Stop: PBV will be at a convenient place along your route with refreshment for our riders.

Campsite: Right on the trail, you will stop for the night at picturesque Carsten Cottages and Campground, overlooking a beautiful valley. The property is home to llamas, alpacas, many kinds of chickens, one emu, three mules named after Kardashians, and a feisty rooster. Our hostess, Joyce Carsten, is a talented caterer, and on her lovely pavillion, she will provide us with lunch, dinner, and tomorrow morning's breakfast. This country campsite is our opportunity to savor the natural beauty of the Black Hills.

the Black Hills Railroad 1880 Train!

Breakfast: Expect a delicious breakfast from Mrs. Carsten before you hit the trail! You'll leave Carsten Cottages with a full stomach and a morning snack in your pocket!

Mileage: 30 miles today, mostly downhill, leaving the afternoon free for your excursion.

Refreshment Stop: At a convenient location.

Hill City Campsite: We're right on the trail, blocks from town. A babbling brook runs through our gorgeous privately-owned campsite today. After your shower, you can walk a few blocks on the Mickelson Trail to the Black Hills Railroad Train Station for your afternoon excursion.

Keystone Excursion on the 1880 TRAIN Included: Your mostly downhill morning bike ride on the Mickelson Trail gives you plenty of time to shower and walk to the train station. Claim your box lunch upon boarding the 2:30 train for a one-hour narrated tour on the history of the pioneers, gold-mining, and the mountains and forests you pass along the way to historic downtown Keystone. Here you'll have a couple hours to wander, shop for souvenirs, taste gourmet chocolate, sit down for a cold one, or participate in some of Keystone's tours and activities. Your return train departs at 6:15, getting you back to Hill City for supper. Today's PBV Map of Hill City will guide you a block from the train station to downtown dinner options.

[Upon arrival in Keystone, you have the option to turn right around, taking the 3:45 return to Hill City. Later on, we'll ask you to choose between the 3:45 and the 6:15 return trips to Hill City. FYI, the history narration will be different on your return trip.]

Note: Healthy options are available for your pre-ordered lunch on the train, and PBV Crew Members will be along to make this excursion go smoothly!

Breakfast: In Hill City, we will have an in-camp breakfast option. We'll be working with a non-profit organization rather famous for its breakfast offerings!

Mileage: 15 miles, starting uphill, then downhill into Custer.

Refreshment Stop: Not today.

Campsite: Nestled between the Mickelson Trail and the French Creek, and a block from the main-drag bars and restaurants, we'll camp on a shady privately-owned campground in Custer.

Rushmore/Crazy Horse/Custer State Park Excursion: Get your shower, grab some lunch, and board our 12:30 coach to see the most important monuments and landmarks of the Black Hills. After a gorgeous drive through Custer State Park, take another scenic route to Mt. Rushmore, where you can spend an hour. Your last stop of the day is the magnificent monument-in-progress, Crazy Horse. Firm schedule to come, but we're thinking a 12:30 departure from camp and a 5:00 arrival back in camp. Note: There are meal options at both Rushmore and Crazy Horse. PBV Crew Members will be along to make this excursion go smoothly!

Spend your evening enjoying Custer restaurants and bars--easy-peasy walking distance to/from camp.

Breakfast: At our Custer campsite, you are within a block of great breakfast stops. But this is your longest day's ride, so we're working on an in-camp breakfast option, too.

Mileage: 44 miles, mostly downhill! Tempting as it may be to keep rolling, we recommend stopping at the bar in Pringle for a bite.

Refreshment Stop: We will be on the trail south of Pringle with refreshment for you!

Showers/Restaurants: On the south end of the tiny Edgemont downtown, our little staging area has everything we need: water for the shower trailer, space to unload baggage, and indoor restrooms on site and across the street. We are in close proximity to long-term parking AND close proximity to three or four bars and restaurants on Edgemont's main drag. Our new friends in this little town couldn't be more welcoming! We hope you'll visit these businesses before you leave town!

Our Showers will be available until mid-afternoon.

Just a reminder that we rarely take so much of our equipment so far from home, mainly because of trucking expense. We learned during our scouting trip that unlike other rides, we won't be camping in city parks. Rather, we have selected privately-owned campgrounds right on the Mickelson Trail. We think, and hope you agree, that despite these additional expenses, the tour is reasonably priced.

Inclusions: Trail user fees; reserved campsites right on the trail in lovely privately-owned campgrounds; daily baggage transport from campsite to campsite; refreshment stops on the trail on the two longer cycling days; daily hot, private shower and towel; phone-charging and morning coffee in camp; catered lunch and dinner on August 16; catered breakfast on August 17; round-trip train fare and site-seeing tour with box lunch on August 18; half-day site-seeing with coach transport to Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, and Crazy Horse, with return coach transport to our Custer campsite (monument and park admissions included) on August 18; daily route/town maps; and the assistance of the able and cheerful Pork Belly Crew throughout the Black Hills Hundred. We will also include your souvenir Black Hills Hundred t-shirt, which will feature the ride logo, above. When you sign up, be sure to record your shirt size!

We expect to have a bike mechanic along on this ride, and perhaps even a massage therapist.

We're still working on some details, like food vendors in camp and arranged optional breakfasts in our campsites in those places where we think you'll want it.

Fees & Options: You may bring your own tent. But if you want that extra level of comfort from the PBV Crew, see our accommodations right here!

Entry Fee for Rider: $495.00

Entry Fee for Non-Rider: $475.00

8/15 Shuttle, Edgemont to Deadwood: $79.00

Rental Tent Service with Air-Mattress, including the tent with ground cloth and rain fly, one twin air mattress, all labor of set-up, take-down, and moving of baggage to and from the tent each day. Tents are roomy for one person, cozy for two. (A second air mattress is a separate option.) $245.00.

PHAT Rooms, our top accommodations, including your 80-square-foot air-conditioned guest room on board a semi-trailer with hotel-style amenities: three twin-sized bunk beds, a sofa, and an optional twin-trundle on the floor; mattresses, sheets, pillows, and blankets; air-conditioning and fans to circulate cool air; knotty pine interiors; laminate flooring; sound-muffling insulation between rooms; electrical outlets; switched lights at the ceiling and the head of each bed; shelving and wall hooks for convenient duffel and clothing storage; an outdoor deck with chairs; and locking storm doors and windows. Rooms can accommodate one to five sleepers in their own beds. (The photo above shows only the lower berth on the right side of the room.)

Here's a video tour of our PHAT Rooms: https://pkbelly.com/content/phat_trailers)

PHAT Room occupants are the only riders on the Black Hills Hundred who unpack once. Trucking from Iowa is the main factor that affects the price of our PHAT Rooms on the Black Hills Hundred. $1750.00

For those who wish to bring an RV, we do have a non-rider entry fee for your RV driver and limited opportunities in Deadwood, Carsten Cottages, Hill City, Custer. and in Edgemont for you to reserve your own RV spot, usually with hook-ups. (You may call the phone numbers below.)

For those who may wish for a night in a cabin right in camp, you could get one at Carsten Cottages on the 16th, and in Hill City on the 17th. Act fast!

Here is your contact information for each campground, and don't wait. Despite the winter weather, business is heating up for summer at these lovely campgrounds!

In Deadwood, 8/15: Call Shanna at Days of '76 Campground for an RV spot: 605-578-2872.

At Carsten Cottages, 8/16: Call Joyce Carsten at 605-584-3321 for an RV spot or a cottage. (Carsten is in the process of remodeling their cottages.)

In Hill City, 8/17: Call right away and leave a message for Jan at Black Hills Trailside Park Resort (on the trail), at 605-574-9079. She's holding a couple RV sites, and she'll take messages in the order received. She's in the office on Fridays and will get back to you about a reservation then. Jan cannot hold cottages, but at present, they're all available. For RV spots and for cottages, mention Pork Belly Ventures for a 10% discount!

In Custer, 8/18: Call Diane, French Creek RV Park and Campground at 605-673-3727 for an RV spot. This is a small park right on the trail.

In Edgemont, 8/14 and/or 8/19: Call Deanne at 605-891-9728 for an RV spot. She's a busy person, and you may need to leave a message.

Here is our cancellation policy: "Before one month prior to the start of the cycling event, you can still cancel part or all of your PBV entry fee and/or services and receive a 90% refund on the amount of services reserved (10% is non-refundable). For cancellations on or after one month prior to the cycling event, Pork Belly Ventures will not make refunds."

The 2021 theme for PBV is Try New Things! We're branching out this year, and we hope you'll branch out with us. Please ask questions if you have them. Or by all means, the website is ready for you. Sign up for this limited tour! We don't know how long this one will last.

Rest assured that we will bring the same level of care, the same attention to detail, and our usual love of a good laugh with us to South Dakota. We hope you'll come along!