Day 43: July 14th, Devil’s Tower, Deer Strike in Bighorn Mountains

Well, the weather finally caught up to us.  We had to don our rain gear for warmth and to be dry.  Passing by Sturgis we exited and went into the H-D Store for some photo’s in front of the store as well as on the main street where all the bikes park on Rally Week.  Then it was on to Devil’s Tower where we took some photos and got on our way to visit Ucross.

Where is and why Ucross you ask??  Well, my favorite mystery writer, Craig Johnson, supposedly resides in Ucross, WY, population 25.  He is the author of the Walt Longmire Mystery Series and on all the back flaps of his book jackets Ucross, population 25 is always mentioned.  So I had to find it and visit it.  Not sure if “Craig” (pen name?) lives there or not but the place is real!  It is located at the intersections of US16 and 14, about 30 miles southeast of Sheridan and 15 miles northeast of Buffalo.

Day 42: July 13th, Wildlife Loop, Another Herd of Bison

This morning I got the GoPro working and anchored on my helmet.  With that accomplished we decided to try it out on the ride through the Wild Life Loop of Custer State Park.  So we headed to Custer City and then headed south to get on the Loop.  No sooner were we on the road then we came upon a pasture area that was full of Bison….and they were all over the road.  This time I am the one who got surrounded by them.  There was a grand daddy in this herd also, and the beast came right up beside me.  I swear he was giving me the evil eye and considering hooking me!  This guy was a monstrous beast!  I was so happy to be out our there….and disappointed later when I found out I had the GoPro off and not on…NO VIDEO of the BEAST!  Damn!

Later I experienced another hair raising event.  In a climbing curving section of the road a young driver in a Toyota came around the turn half in my side of the lane.  I pushed the handle bar down to the right and back to the left abruptly swerving and missing his fender by inches.  Waaayyyyy too close for me!  Thankfully the rest of the ride was uneventful.

We then did the Iron Mtn road again so we could video it.  If I ever figure out how to post video’s I will get that inserted into this post.

 



After riding Iron Mtn for the 3^rd time we then headed up to Deadwood but only to pass through it on our way to ride Spearfish Canyon.  This is my first time on this road and Wow! The road is a great ride with views of the unique canyons and river running along side the curving canyon road.  This road is a must ride if you’re ever in the Black Hills.

We ended up at an Italian restaurant just outside of the town of Spearfish and had a pricey but excellent meal.  Then the long ride in the dark back to Rapid City.

Today we completed all the objectives of our trip to South Dakota.  Tomorrow we head into WY.

C ya’ll mañana,
Gonzo
Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
Email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com
Cell: 949-433-0761

Day 41: July 12th, Crazy Horse, Deadwood and Full Throttle

Another perfect day for riding….man, I can’t believe how lucky we are in regards to weather and avoiding the rain and hail that is happening in Sturgis!

First thing we did was head to the Iron Mtn road to ride that again and get photo’s of Buzz at the tunnel with Rushmore at the other end of the tunnel.  We caught the light just right for some great photos!

Day 40: July 11th, Surrounded by a Herd of Bison

Another perfect day to ride in South Dakota!  After a delicious breakfast at the Hotel we headed to Mount Rushmore enjoying the sights along the way.  As we were walking into the shop area of the Park we came upon HOG members from Belgium.  Naturally we had to take a zillion pics of the group of us.

 

Day 39: July 10th, Riding the Badlands

After an excellent breakfast (omelet and pancakes) we headed east out of town to the Badlands.  This was a very fun ride.  We stopped along the road, there was very little traffic, shut the bikes down, removed the helmets, and just listened to the wind rustling the leaves and the hay.  Pretty cool.

At a bridge we took some photos of the area and also of the park sign.  Then we were at a gift shop at the east end of the Badlands and from there we rode to I-90 returning to Rapid City and HGI for dinner.  I rode from the gift shop to Wall where we picked up I-90 sans helmet.  Pretty cool.  I did this once before with Buzz when we rode the Keys and he stashed the helmet in the trunk of his Ultra Classic.  It is just a great feeling having the wind running all around your head!

Day 38: July 9th, Famous Wall Drug!

We had a nice breakfast at the motel then loaded up and hit the road taking 29 north to I-90 at Sioux Falls west to Rapid City.  As we passed through Sioux City I got momentarily confused as I was expecting I-90 to show up but it didn’t.  Then, remembering to use the Garmin, I got reoriented to the correct locations.

Before I forget, while we were loading and getting ready to ride to Rapid City a truck driver came up to us to chat.  I asked where was he from and he said BC, Canada.  He needed to exchange $35 Canadian for American so I traded him for it.  I figure I’ll use the coins when I’m in Winnipeg Manitoba for the Three Flags Classic

The ride on 29 and 90 was a repeat of last year’s ride when I headed to Rapid City from Nashville.  Only last year I stayed in quarters on Ellsworth Air Force Base that is located nearby.  But the ride is still the same….it is long.  Some folks think it is boring, but I find the endless rolling hills and visibility for miles very fascinating.

The thrill of the day came, however, when we finally reached Wall Drug.  Neither Buzz nor I had never been there.  There were many visitors but we easily found a parking slot and went into the Drug Store. 

Wall Drug is HUGE!  It is about the size of 5 normal stores back home!  Everything that could be sold is on the shelves here.  There is even a restaurant and ice cream bar in the store.  Buzz and I had a cone of favorite flavor and enjoyed eating it as we checked out all the merchandise.

Then it was time for the photo shoot and to head to Rapid City a little farther on.