Ellsworth AFB, SD
Buffalo WY
Got
lucky this morning and landed a reservation at the Ellsworth AF base Pine Tree Inn. Wow, is this ever a nice place. They assigned me a suite with a king size bed
in a bedroom separated from the living room…cool digs for an old traveler such
as I. The place is very new and very
well appointed.
On
the trip here, a very uneventful trip, I noticed the effects of the drought on
the Iowa and Nebraska cornfields. Not
much yield there. The weather was
perfect for a long haul…and I covered an easy 560 miles, arriving in Ellsworth
around 6:30pm. During the ride I was
deciding that a 2 day stay in the Black Hills would be nice. However, when I got up this morning I decided
to keep moving forward and hit the road…..inertia must not be given an
opportunity!
So
I checked out and headed for Custer City, the beginning point for the SCMA’s
Iron Mountain ride. Custer is a nice
quaint town, was there last year at the Best Western for 3 nites during the
Rally. After getting a gas receipt and a
sandwich it was off to complete the ride.
Also,
along the way to Custer, I came across a herd of buffalo sunning themselves in
a field along side SD36.
At the first tunnel on the trip I could see Mt. Rushmore through the tunnel and decided to get a photo of me and Sophia. There had been hardly any traffic so I figured I could set the camera on the small tripod and get the magical photo. So I rode Sophia thru the tunnel and on the other side I stopped to turn her around and reposition her on the side of the road but facing the tunnel. With the camera on the tripod at the other end of the tunnel I could get a photo of the two of us with Rushmore in the back. Didn’t quite work out that way.
After
confirming there was no traffic I began the turnaround by pulling forward
across the narrow road and was just backing her up when I hear this horn and
loud roars of mufflers. Holy Crap! There were four bikes right on me! I was so startled that I stopped Sophia in
her tracks, got off balance, and down she went. CRAP!!
Well,
the guys were nice enough to help me get her upright and out of the way so they
could continue on. One of the guys
stayed back and so did his sweetheart who was riding her own bike. They are Tim and Nancy from Iowa and I
thought they really make for a handsome twosome!
I got this photo of them and then Nancy took my photo in front of the
tunnel.
Ahh, I am soooo lucky. At the next 2 tunnels there was NOOOOO way a
photo could be taken given the arrangement and the volume of cars/trucks/bikes.
Last
year I don’t remember seeing Rushmore when I rode thru…guess I was too focused
on the ride. I did come to the 360
helicoil that almost wiped me out last year.
Sure seemed tame this time….oh yeah, I was about 10 mph slower this time
J.
After
the Iron Mtn I got a gas receipt in Keystone for proof of being there and
headed for Deadwood via the 16 and 385.
It was an absolutely delightful ride but I was glad to get to Deadwood
and buy my T-shirt at Harley.
Before
departing this family complimented me on Sophia and asked if they could take a
photo. I got them to all gather
around. They are Karl, Martina, and
Melanie Schleicher from Stuttgart Germany.
It
was just a short way up the road in WY when I stopped for gas and took time to
eat the other half of my subway, drink water, and consult the map to decide on
a course of action for the Chief Joseph and Beartooth Highway. While sitting on a bench on the shady side of
the gas station, two 2-up bikes with trailers pulled in. The two guys were John and Delbert and were
from Indianapolis. The four of them were
on their way to Sheridan for the night and then points north. Hope they had a good ride.
Back
on the road I was hoping to make it to Ranchester since there was no way
Billings was reachable before nightfall.
But dusk closed in on me around Buffalo and I got off the interstate
looking for the Wyo motel whose billboard I saw earlier on the 90. I found it by pure luck! The sun was blazing in my eyes and I pulled
into a very nice looking mom and pop type motel that was about a half mile from
the exit. While registering with the
owners (soon to be) I saw that it was indeed the Wyo!
Dave
and Robyn gave me a very nice room and posed for the photo op before my
departure the next morning. Robyn
retired from the police force and Dave was a sailor stationed in San
Diego. Small world ain’t it?
They
run a very nice motel, keep it very clean, and are very attentive to their
guests. And they offer a very good rate
in comparison to the other motels there.
Tomorrow
is the Chief and the Tooth rides. Hope I
keep Sophia right side up!
C ya mañana,Gonzo
Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
Email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com
Cell: 949-433-0761
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