What is MAG? - Wednesday, June 17, 2002

On a beautiful Wednesday morning, Bob wanted to take his bike 45 minutes away to ride on the George S. Mickelson Trail starting at the Dumont Trailhead, the highest elevation on the Mickelson Trail. I was the designated driver. The scenery that we drove through on the way toward Lead was very pretty with green valleys and pine-tree-covered hills. 

The map showed a couple of different ways to get there. One way was to go north on paved roads through Lead and then head south, also on paved roads. The other way showed a 10-mile gravel shortcut. We opted for the gravel road. 

When we turned onto the road, there was a sign that read "Road Work - MAG." Bob and I wondered what MAG meant. It was a big mystery until we had driven seven of the ten miles. We saw large construction vehicles and a water truck watering down the road. Both of us thought it was nice that they were watering the gravel road to keep the dust down. However, that was not the purpose of the water. 

As we got farther along the road, the gravel turned to a slushy, slurry mixture and driving on (in) it felt like driving in deep, slushy snow. The truck was sliding sideways in places, so I slowed down to about 10 mph. I didn't want to stop because it felt like I could get stuck in it. This must be what MAG is. Did MAG stand for "mud and gravel"? We didn't know. They apparently don't use this method in Texas. It was too late to turn around and go back, so I pressed on.

When we finally reached the paved road, I was very happy. It was another seven miles of pavement to the trailhead. Again, the forested hills and green pastures were calming.

The trailhead had a very large parking area. As soon as we opened our doors to exit the truck, all we saw on the runners was what looked like thick, gooey, tan mud. That's what the MAG was, but we still weren't sure what it was made of. Not only was the MAG on the runners, but it was also up inside the bottom of the doors, covering the undercarriage, and in the wheel wells. It had also turned the bottom third of our truck an orangy tan color. At this point, the stuff was a thick, somewhat liquid mess.

Bob and I explored around the trailhead. There was a bike repair station, an outhouse, and a small building with a historical marker on it.

Bob at the trailhead sign.

The small building by the parking area was
once the section house of the High Line
railroad spur.

To me, the most interesting part of the sign above is about the aspen trees. Did you know that aspens are some of nature's largest and oldest living organisms? They have existed in the Black Hills for possibly 10,000 years and may have been sustenance for mammoths. A single aspen plant can have a root system that supports aspen trees over several acres!

Bob's giddy smile gives you an idea of
how much he enjoys riding his bike!

The parking lot at the trailhead had a
rush of other riders while we were there.

The reason this trailhead is so popular is that the highest point on the entire Mickelson Trail system is located a short distance to the north. That should make the trail to the south downhill from this location, right? Wrong. When Bob was getting ready this morning he thought the 36-mile ride would be a piece of cake even though there were a couple of uphill sections.

Bob was going to ride the trail and we would re-connect for lunch in Hill City, South Dakota. After he rode off, I talked to a couple of the ladies who were getting ready to ride with their husbands. They were local to the area and I told them our truck was so dirty because we drove through a construction area that said MAG. I asked them what that was. They said it was short for magnesium and that we should get it off the truck as soon as possible or we might need someone to clean it who can remove tar. Ugh. That didn't sound very good. 

In the meantime, I went to the Reptile Gardens in Rapid City which was a good 45 minutes to an hour away. Bob had told me to take my time. 

It took me longer than I thought to get to the Reptile Gardens. I wanted to go through Lead on U.S. 85 and take a shortcut through Lead to get to U.S.385 south. Either I missed the sign or there wasn't one to direct me where I wanted to go so I ended up driving all the way up to Deadwood and back south on U.S. 385.  I went way out of the way. Then I got stopped by construction, highway line painters (going 5 mph), and slow-poke drivers.

The entrance to Reptile Gardens.

Once at the Reptile Gardens, I immersed myself in the world of lizards, crocodiles, alligators, water dragons, tortoises, turtles, frogs, snakes, skinks, and chameleons. The place was pretty crowded. Some exhibits were outside, but most were indoors. There were large family groups roaming the corridors. I tried to stay out of the way, but there were too many people and not a lot of social distancing.

The alligator snapping turtle posed for me.

Crocodilians include alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials.

The biggest creature I saw today was a male saltwater crocodile named "Maniac." He weighs over 1,000 lb. and can live to be around 100 years old.

"Maniac" from Australia.

And then there were the snakes. Why did it have to be poisonous snakes?

Siamese Peninsula Pit Viper.

Death Adder.

Jameson's Mamba.

The Common Brown Snake below has the second most deadly snake venom on earth.

Common Brown Snake.

My favorite exhibit was the lizard enclosure. This is where you can go in and spot lizards on the rocks, hiding in the foliage, or lounging in the sun.

Water Dragon.

Bearded dragon (tan) and
Water Dragon (green).

Water Dragon.

Anole.

Whiptail Lizard.

A Swift.

Now for a few weird critters...

Perentie Monitor from Australia.

Perentie Monitor.

Tree Monitor.

Beaded Lizard (venomous).

One of my favorite reptiles is the chameleon.

Chameleon blending into its home.

In addition to reptiles, a few other "guests" live at Reptile Gardens.

Barn Owl.

Prairie dogs.

Prairie dogs.

When I finished at Reptile Gardens, I texted Bob to let him know I was finished and to find out when he would be at Hubcap Diner. He said he was almost there and he would wait for me. I made very good time between Reptile Gardens and Hill City (about 20 minutes). Bob had just arrived at the diner a few minutes before me. 

We had a nice lunch together. He told me even though he thought the ride would be pretty easy today, the gradual uphill "kicked my butt." Even so, he enjoyed the scenery on this portion of the bike trail.

After lunch, we took "Beauty" to a do-it-yourself car wash for overall grooming. We needed to get that MAG off of her. Bob got rid of most of the MAG with the power brush. 

Running board covered in MAG,

Beauty no longer looks silver!

A total mess.

When Beauty had regained much of her luster, we headed back to our campground to rest. Bob took a long nap to refresh himself. 

Even though we went our separate ways today, both of us still had a great time. This evening, we had thunderstorms over the campground, but not much rain. We enjoyed listening to the thunder!

Tomorrow, we will hike the Cathedral Spires trail. Can't wait to see more grandeur in the Black Hills of South Dakota.