South Dakota Ride

August 24, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

We are home after a whirlwind ride through South Dakota. Here's a quick recap - detailed posts are coming as soon...

Day 1 - We rode to Hot Springs, South Dakota checked into our hotel and rode through the city of Custer and on Iron Mountain Road through one lane tunnels and around pigtail turns to see the deadheads, aka Mount Rushmore. Seeing the presidents carved into stone for the first time was memorable - but the best part was getting there and leaving there. The roads through the Black Hills are memory makers all by themselves. Afterwards, we added another deadhead to the group by visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial.

Day 1 is posted including a Mount Rushmore Mini-Movie.

Day 2 - We rode to Rapid City, Sturgis, Spearfish Canyon, Lead (pronounced Leed), and Deadwood. Deadwood Nights (a vintage car show and rally was in full swing). We rode the hills that day with classic cars coming at us around every corner. We rode Boulder Canyon back to Sturgis then Vanocker Canyon to Needles Highway and on to Hill City. The day was perfect and the roads are beyond anything we ever imagined.

The first part of Day 2 is posted including Spearfish Canyon Mini-Movie
Day 2 - continued is posted including Needle Highway Mini-Movie

Day 3 - We rode to Wall and visited the famous Wall Drug Store (great American success story) where we had five cent coffee and donuts. Finally we rode through the Badlands before turning The Ride the long way home across southern South Dakota, north western Nebraska and Wyoming.

Day 3 is posted including Badlands Ride Mini-Movie

We've added South Dakota and Nebraska to the notches on our belt - states on our map. You know me, I took lots of photos and video clips... stay tuned...


Here are some of the places we visited...
Mount Rushmore - South Dakota
Crazy Horse Memorial - South Dakota
Badlands National Park - South Dakota
Spearfish Canyon - South Dakota
Deadwood, South Dakota
Sturgis, South Dakota
Lead, South Dakota

South Dakota Ride Day 3 - The Badlands

August 23, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Sunday Morning - Hot Springs, SD. Well - pooh - It was time to head in the general direction of home. Note to self: Three days is not enough time to explore the Black Hills of South Dakota properly.

Part 1 - The ride into Wall, SD

The first leg of our journey homeward took us north (yes, north) to Rapid City again. Not too far out we rode upon a horrific accident. A mini-van pulling an enclosed trailer had rolled and flipped hard on the roof of the driver's side. We are thinking they fell asleep or ran upon deer or antelope on the highway. The state patrol advised us to ride slowly by on the shoulder. Needless to say, we hope it wasn't as bad as it looked. It was a sobering start to our morning.

Otherwise, the ride in comparison to yesterday's ride along the same route proved a bit more interesting today, but only because ominous clouds were hanging low on the horizon. We had a splattering of rain as we turned east (yes, east) on I-90 heading in the direction of the town of Wall with every intention of riding through the Badlands before turning south and west again for the long haul home to Colorado.

All along I-90 Wall Drug had erected colorful and amusing billboards and signs advertising its wares, free ice water, 5 cent coffee, homemade donuts, free coffee for veterans, free coffee for newlyweds and so on... The terrain was gently rolling hills and grassland. If one travels long enough along this sort of highway the likes of Wall Drug starts sounding like paradise. Of course we planned to stop - hot coffee and donuts sounded like a good idea.

Wall Drug is an American success story. In 1931, Dorothy and Ted Hustead purchased a drug store in Wall, South Dakota and lived in the back of the store. In the first few years, business was not what you would call brisk. In 1936, Dorothy had an idea to advertise free ice water to travelers and then soda and root beer... you get the idea. Wall Drug is now a large tourist attraction spanning almost one whole side of Main Street, with plenty of shopping (it's like a mini mall but much more fun), a restaurant that will seat 530 people, a cafe/coffee shop, a traveler's chapel, a western art collection, souvenir shop, vintage photos lining every spare inch of wall and a huge play area (known as the back yard) with a good many photo props. People still think it's fun to take photos of their children and each other sitting on a giant jackalope or buffalo or in a stage coach. The Husteads passed on in the late 1990's but the business is still run by family.

We wandered through the shops and the back yard, scanned the photograph collection, had a sip of ice water from the well that started it all, and admired the art collection and museum quality carvings and statuary including many old west characters scattered throughout. We had a couple of cups of really good, serve yourself five cent coffee and the homemade cake donuts were fresh and delicious.

Yes, even if you have no reason to be out on I-90, it's worth the drive just to experience Wall Drug and the small main street it presides over. The other side of the street is lined with small shops and a cafe or two. An Old West Wax Museum sits on the corner. Just before you head off into the Badlands, there's a Wounded Knee Museum. One could easily spend a whole day on the tiny Main Street of Wall. I was thinking the whole time, Mom would love this place.

Part 2 - Riding the Badlands and homeward bound

Unfortunately, we didn't have a whole day to spend in Wall. After topping off with gas, and putting a call in (finally got a signal!) to the Folks and chatting with Dad for a few minutes, we headed into the Badlands.

The Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway is approximately a 30 mile drive on SD 240 which cuts through the middle of breathtaking formations of Badlands National Park. The byway follows the natural contours of the Badlands escarpment (ridges and cliffs) weaving in and out of the native grasslands. There are plenty of paved pullovers and viewing platforms all along the way. We happened upon a small mountain goat at one such stop and I took a few good stills and some video clips. Friendly tourists from Indiana who had traveled by car all over the northwest offered to take our picture and we returned the favor. The ride through the park was spectacular, although the day had turned hot and windy. I took lots of photos and a few video clips.

It's impossible to describe the rugged rock formations, the myriad colors of the striations, buttes, gorges, and basins - other than to say - we understand why this area is named The Badlands. So I'll let the photos do the talking. A short slide show and a mini movie follow.

Badlands Ride – South Dakota – August 2009

We stopped at the Visitor Center before leaving the park. We cooled off and drank plenty of water while we browsed through the souvenirs and the informational dioramas. As I said, it was hot and windy so we checked the straps holding the jackets on the back of the bike and rode off down Hwy 44, across the White River to Hwy 2 and west across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The roads were long and seemingly never ending. The hot wind howled the whole way. Settlements with little claim to modern civilization dotted the road with nothing but lots of road in between them. Life on a reservation is so very foreign from what we know.

Now, I mentioned the jackets because when we got to a stop in the road known as Sharp's Corner, we decided to check the map. No jackets. I'm guessing we had covered about 50 miles or so. We decided the straps had snapped and the jackets flew off the back. With the wind howling like it was, we did not notice. We knew it was a long-shot and we didn't much want to ride those roads again, but we rode back the way we had come and back again to Sharp's Corner before giving up the search. Ouch! Someone likely came along, saw them lying in the road and adopted a couple of slightly worn leather jackets. Not only is that a costly loss but we had many miles to go and now we would have to ride without jackets. Bummer! We stopped for gas on the reservation - the choice was regular or regular. But we had rocket fuel additive.

There was nothing to be done about it, so we rode on and on and on through the winding roads of southern South Dakota and across northwestern Nebraska, finally (and I have to add gratefully) stopping for fuel and supper at Arby's in Chadron, Nebraska. This area was supposed to be scenic but it was more of the same grasslands with a few more trees and a couple of rock outcroppings. I had put the camera away a good ways back because the sun was obscured by clouds and the lighting was bad for photos. We made the stop in Chadron a quick one as the skies ahead didn't look friendly and with clouds on the western horizon, there would be no twilight. It would be dark soon.

This time of day in this area is notorious for thunderstorms of a particularly wild n woolly nature. We pulled on our hoodies. So far, it was warm enough and for a short time, dry enough. Most of the road home out of Nebraska, into Wyoming was windy and rainy. We stopped alongside the road not too many miles out of Chadron and pulled on the rain gear. We rode in rain most of the rest of the way in. Along a mile-long stretch of I-25 in Wyoming, we encountered a slushy sleet and it turned cold. The rain gear worn over hoodies and chaps, kept us warm and dry so it wasn't as bad as it sounds. We made several stops along the way at rest areas and for coffee at a convenience store in Wheatland and again at the Flying J Truck stop in Cheyenne. By the time we reached Cheyenne we were ready to ride the 40 miles left in our journey home and get there.

We arrived home about 1:30 am, slightly damp and weary from the 672 mile ride home, at least half of that in foul weather but exhilarated by the whirlwind trip to South Dakota and back. Says Mr Tim, my numbers man - 1388 miles in three days. Will we do it again? I'm thinking you can bet on it.

Stay tuned - the next few posts will have the movies.

Wall Drug - Wall, SD
Badlands National Park - South Dakota

South Dakota Ride Day 2 (continued) - Needles Hwy

August 22, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Part 3 - Deadwood and Lead and back to Sturgis

Coming out of Spearfish Canyon we took the road (I think it was still 14A) heading into Lead (pronounced Leed) and Deadwood. This also was a fun ride, not only because of the wonderful scenery off the road but because of the classic cars we met coming around every curve. We slowed down sometimes so some of them would go around us. Add a few dozen motorcycles to the mix and well - it was downright entertaining. This was a perplexing circumstance, I had a difficult time deciding what the subject of the photo should be... haha! Decisions. Decisisons. Everyone should have that problem I guess.

We rode through the busy town of Lead then to Deadwood and back to Lead via a loop and back through Deadwood again. Both Lead and Deadwood are located in a scenic, hilly area with streets that wind around steep hills. It would be worth a trip back just to view the architecture in both towns. Lead is home to a couple of historic gold mines, the Broken Boot and the Home Stake. Both offer tours. We didn't get a very good glimpse of Deadwood's downtown - too busy. Today, both towns were packed with people. We happened to arrive during an event called Kool Deadwood Nights, a huge vintage car show and rally. Both towns had car shows going. At least, that explained all the cars touring the hills. About this time, we were looking for a place to eat and were sorry we didn't stop at the places we saw along the road before entering the towns. We rode through to the end of Deadwood where we found a traffic jam and good many more people on their way to the casinos. We decided to ride on through and take our chances in Sturgis.

Slideshow of Lead and Deadwood

Back to Sturgis via Boulder Canyon
We rode beautiful Boulder Canyon back into Sturgis, where we stopped at the Dairy Queen for burgers and ice cream. Worst DQ burger we've ever had. Yikth! Now, one reason we weren't getting off and strolling the towns is my left foot was giving me grief. All of a sudden, a knot (call it a bone spur or bunion or hell it may be a carbunkle) popped up on the side of my foot and was becoming quite painful. I had Tim cut a slit in the webbing hoping that would help relieve the pressure and not completely destroy the boot. It did help - for a little while. Afterwards, we rode back to downtown Sturgis where we shopped at Hot Leathers and a few of the t-shirt stands. On the sidewalks of Sturgis, is a brick walkway. You can purchase bricks and have them personalized with a memorial or other sentiment. Very kool.

Part 4 - Vanocker Canyon out of Sturgis to Hill City

We rode scenic Vanocker Canyon out of Sturgis heading south toward one of the other must-do items on our list. We wanted to ride Needles Highway which allegedly features tunnels, one lane bridges, hairpin curves and slender granite pinnacles stabbing the sky. Oh boy!

A few miles out of Sturgis, I had Tim pull over again because my darn foot was killing me. This time I said cut a big hole in the leather of my boot. That's right, this gimpy-footed biker chic said cut a hole in my $150 H-D boots and let's ride. He cut an X in the section of the boot that was the problem, I tried it on, said that should do and we rode on. Well, it did the trick. It looks like hell, but it's better than the alternative.

Before riding the Needles Highway we passed through the cozy town of Hill City, where we stopped for gas and a cool drink (tea). Getting there was a ride down yet another road we will never forget.

Part 5 - Needles Highway There's a reason the Black Hills are widely known as a biker mecca. I know I have mentioned what we call oh-my-god roads here in Colorado... Well, South Dakota has more than a few oh-my-god roads. It's a consensus, the Needles highway was our favorite ride this weekend with Iron Mountain Road running a hard second. Actually, it is hard to tell which one is which - who cares - just ride them. If we had more time, we would have ridden them again. The slide show follows but most of the good stuff (tunnels and so forth) is in the movie I will make of the video clips so consider it a teaser...

Needles Highway Ride – Black Hills - South Dakota – August 2009

Part 6 - The ride back to Hot Springs took us through the edge of Custer State Park. This is an easy ride through rolling green hills and grasslands where the deer and the antelope play and the buffalo roam. We saw several deer, pronghorn antelope, a few buffalo, cottontail rabbits and several wild turkey.

The sun was low in the sky when we finally arrived back at our lodging. We freshened up and walked next door to The Branding Iron Restaurant where Tim enjoyed a steak and I had shrimp, both decent dinners.

Needless to say, we were sorry to see the day end... we had so much fun, it's hard to describe it all. 282 miles of beautiful road, 4 canyons, 4 great towns, a whole day of riding the Black Hills of South Dakota - does it get any better than this?

Well, I don't know... Badlands here we come... grin.

Deadwood, South Dakota
Lead, South Dakota

South Dakota Ride Day 2 - Spearfish Canyon

August 22, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Part 1 - The ride for coffee in Sturgis
We chose to ride out this morning north toward Rapid City, mainly because Hwy 79 looked to be the quickest route to the northern Black Hills area and Sturgis. It was. Sure, I shot some photos (yawn!). Don't laugh - while the wide-open, stretched out road was great to ride, the roadscape was anything but stimulating. Let's see, we had cows, a windmill, horses on a hill and haystacks, a few barns and a great expanse of clear blue sky. The clearest sign of two-legged life we saw was oncoming traffic and that was minimal. In Rapid City, we rode the trucker by-pass to I-90 and turned west toward Sturgis without stopping.

Riding the 20 or so miles into Sturgis was quick. Spread out all along I-90 are large campgrounds and a saloon or roadhouse or two or three and billboards advertising every aspect of the rally for which Sturgis is known. We stopped at the Sturgis coffee company for a stretch and coffee. Now, you have to know Tim's hair will fall out or something if he believes he is drinking anything other than real coffee (preferably Maxwell House). Starbucks are Not US - Ha! But he good-naturedly agreed to try the standard house brew. Yeah, he grudgingly admitted - it was good coffee. Yes, it was. While we were roaming around outside and lounging on the wood benches that lined the exterior walls of the building, we watched lots of motorcycles ride by and noted the abnormal amount of classic cars out and about as well.

After coffee, we rode into the downtown area of Sturgis. It was about what we expected to see in the off-season (non-rally days). Lots of large western style bars and roadhouses, trading posts and tourist traps selling Rally shirts - cheap - line the streets. Many of the businesses appeared closed for the season. We found the Harley-Davidson dealership (Junction Ave) and browsed for a few minutes. Neither one of us are great shoppers. Besides, we thought we might return later in the day so we didn't tarry. We rode the colorful Main drag before leaving.

The Sturgis inquiry comes up often, maybe because we live within 350 miles of the rally or simply because we ride a motorcycle. I am sure most bikers hear - Did you ride to Sturgis this year? About rally-time last year, Tim was getting his motorcycle license. Rally time this year, Tim was recovering from knee surgery. So, who knows - maybe next year we will conquer our aversion to loud, rowdy crowds and traffic jams and ride through.

FYI: In 1936 J. Clarence "Pappy" Hoel bought part of Indian Motorcycles. Pappy is now considered the founder and father of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I believe a bronze statue of Pappy's likeness is in the works and scheduled to be unveiled for the 70th annual rally in 2010. The same year, 1936, a local motorcycle club called the Jackpine Gypsies was formed. The club produced the first event which included (and, as far as I know - still does) motor-cross and hill climb events. The first rally, known as the Black Hills Motor Classic, took place in 1938 with only nine racers and a small group of spectators from biker clubs in Mitchell, Sioux Falls, Minnesota, and Colorado. This first year most visitors camped in Pappy's backyard and at Sturgis City Park. Today, the week long rally draws over 600,000 bikers and biker enthusiasts and encompasses the entire city and surrounding area.

We did indeed return later in the day so this slide show contains all Sturgis photos.

Part 2 - The ride through Spearfish Canyon

Heading west out of Sturgis on I-90 took us to one of few must-do items on our list for this trip. Usually, we just wing it. We love riding canyons. After having ridden Spearfish Canyon, we have just one thing to say -- stunning! The road is beautiful, lined with wildflowers with the rushing Spearfish Creek running alongside. This ride along Hwy 14A is about 20 miles long. We were flanked by towering limestone cliffs all along the way. We stopped a few miles in to get a better look at Bridal Veil Falls. There's another falls (Roughlock Falls) further up the canyon, but I understand it requires about a mile hike. Because the forest is diverse (not just pine trees) it is said the fall foliage is spectacular. I'd like to put my personal stamp of approval on that.

Here's a slide show and the mini-movie - enjoy.

Spearfish Canyon Ride – South Dakota – August 2009

Oh yeah - we are having a blast, riding the Black Hills. What's not to like? The weather is sunny and warm, the roads are darn near perfect and the roadscape is nothing short of spectacular. Day 2 will continue in the next post... we filled this day with ride after spectacular ride - stay tuned...

Spearfish Canyon - South Dakota
Sturgis, South Dakota

South Dakota Ride - Day 1 - Mount Rushmore

August 21, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Part 1 - The Road to Hot Springs, SD

It was a bit frosty this morning as we rolled the ride out to begin our whirlwind South Dakota ride. The temperature at 5:30 am was in the low 40s. When we cleared the city limits on I-25 north to Cheyenne, WY we changed that to - damn - it's freekin' cold. Brrr... In fact, I could swear there was a light frost on the grasslands north of Cheyenne. Our first stop was the rest area at Chugwater for a cup of thermos coffee, a brownie snack and an opportunity to thaw out. You know, I say to Tim, those hand dryers with warm air will limber up stiff, cold fingers fairly well. Shortly after, he agreed. Ha!

Chugwater is a tiny community of about 250 people with a convenience store/Sinclair gas station, small hotel and a restaurant we've never visited. It is surrounded by steep sandstone and claystone cliffs. The Indians (I forget the tribe) who populated this area would round up the buffalo and run them off the cliffs to slaughter them. The sound a buffalo makes when it hits the ground coming off the cliffs is "chug", thus, the name Chugwater. I don't have a clue what body of water might be nearby. This useless bit of information is compliments of a longer than normal stay at a rest stop with limited reading material. You're welcome.

The sun was finally up in the sky and the day was warming. As we rode past the area commonly known for vicious winds whipping around the cliffs, we were thankful for the rare sight of the wind sock hanging limp. Stopping briefly in Wheatland, WY for gas, we were soon on the road again. At the Orin Junction rest stop, our road (Hwy 18/20) turned east. This began the part of the journey on roads we have never traveled before. We passed through small communities (oh, let's call them ghost towns) like Lost Springs (population 1, likely the owner of the bar that sits off the road a bit) and Manville (home to Three Sisters Truck Stop - looked more like an old road house - and very little else) and a couple of other nondescript places. Lusk, WY serves as civilization along this route. It is a small town whose claim to fame is being the gateway to the Black Hills of South Dakota and the home of a western pageant called The Legend of Rawhide.

We rode the length of main street (Hwy 85) in search of gas and breakfast. We found the latter at The Outpost Cafe on the south end of town. Some friendly Minnesota bikers, just heading out greeted us with - Cold - isn't it? If you are in search of a good, cheap breakfast - this is the place. Actually, I think it was purt near the only place... but, as they said - the breakfast was good, reasonably priced and our bustling waitress kept our cups brimming with strong coffee. Not only was the place booming with locals, but bikers and drivers of classic cars from Kansas were filtering in and out the whole time we were there. Later we assumed the classic car people were on the way to Deadwood Nights, a rather large vintage auto show and rally.

We calculated our mileage and decided we could fill up later. The road from Lusk, WY into South Dakota was more of the same wide open road with you-can-see-forever vistas. Crossing the state line, we rode through the Buffalo Gap grasslands and picked up a few hills and trees and rock outcroppings as we approached Hot Springs which is where we had booked a couple of nights in a moderately-priced hotel, just to have a place to hang our leathers. Ha! We didn't plan to be in the room long. I usually call the folks and let them know how our trip is going. We discovered our cell phones had no service in this location, so I made use of the free computer near the lobby and emailed our status. We freshened up, got our bearings and were back on the Harley in about half an hour riding out in search of new roads and the dead heads.

Part 2 - The ride to Mount Rushmore

Celebrating the luck of blue skies and sunshine, we rode out in our hoodies, eager to experience the roads of the Black Hills and see a few tourist sights along the way. We back-tracked a few miles to Hwy 89, heading north toward Custer. We thought to take in the Crazy Horse Memorial just north of Custer before Mount Rushmore. Actually, we turned prematurely and discovered the most amazing route.

Iron Mountain Road, as we later discovered is known for its zigzagging switchbacks breathtaking scenery, a series of pigtail bridges which bear a corkscrew shape, and its three single-lane granite tunnels that perfectly frame the faces of Mount Rushmore in the distance. I managed to catch the faces in one of my shots as we rode through the tunnels. Along the way, we saw many buffalo lounging and grazing the open range, some right next to the road and further on people petting burros. I remember a friend telling me a few years back the burros slimed the windows of her car when she stopped for them. We stopped for an ice cream break at a campground store. The road is about as fun as it gets, twisting tightly up the mountain with steep 10 - 15 mph curves, running through one lane tunnels and over pig-tail bridges. According to what I've read, the pigtail bridges enabled road engineers to reduce elevation without needing to build a switchback. And here we thought they built them for the pure enjoyment of bikers. The road comes off the bridge, makes a circular turn, and continues below the bridge. The Iron Mountain Road was completed in the 1930s and stretches 17 miles long. Of course, we stopped at one of the observation areas for pictures. A friendly tourist offered to take our picture at one of them. We (I), in turn, took a picture for another young couple.

The Presidents appeared ever closer as we rounded the curves of the mountain. It wasn't long before we rode up on the Mount Rushmore Visitor Center. There's no entrance fee but there is a parking fee. We parked The Ride in the parking garage and proceeded up the steps to the memorial. I stopped to take it all in. We learned about this monument in school. We read about it in countless brochures and novels. We have seen it on postcards, in magazines, on television travel and history channels and in movies. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer scope of it.

We have another photo of us in the same shot as we met some bikers traveling from Florida across the country to the west coast. One offered to take a picture of us. I offered to take a picture of him, his brother and a friend. We chatted with them for a while as we strolled through to the viewing platform. They were fun. The Presidents overlook a grand plaza and avenue of flags. There is a restaurant, snack vendors, gift and book store, information center and much more. We took a while to look and take pictures, read plaques and so on. I called the folks from the viewing platform (no signal at my hotel but I get one way out here). The folks were not home, so I left a message.

Here is a slide show and following that is a mini-movie.

Mount Rushmore Ride – South Dakota – August 2009

Part 3 - The Ride to Crazy Horse Memorial and back to Hot Springs

A short and beautiful ride through the Black Hills brought us to the Crazy Horse Memorial. What a lovely site! meaning, location.

Crazy Horse is one of my favorite historical figures. I first read about him in a biography I picked up in a gift shop at the Grand Canyon when I was just a girl on vacation with the folks. That was a summer of beaded headbands and moccasins for me.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is the world's largest mountain carving. It was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziółkowski, who had worked on Mount Rushmore under Gutzon Borglum in 1924. In 1939, Ziolkowski had received a letter from Chief Henry Standing Bear, which stated in part "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too." Korczak's story is very interesting. He and his family lived on the grounds. Part of the cabin where they lived is incorporated into the Visitor Center. His wife and sons are still instrumentally involved with the project.

In the planned sculpture, Korczak depicts Crazy Horse with his left hand pointing in answer to the derisive question asked by a white man, "Where are your lands now?" Crazy Horse replied, "My lands are where my dead lie buried."

It is interesting to note, this is not a government funded enterprise, nor is it situated on government land. Korczak believed that if the public accepted the goals of Crazy Horse Memorial, they would support it financially. He believed in individual initiative and private enterprise. Korczak wanted to ensure the ambitious long-range goals of the Memorial which include a college and medical center among other projects. He did not trust the government to oversee his vision. Smart man. The Visitor/Cultural Center is an impressive facility - one could spend a whole day studying art and photographs and artifacts. It houses a restaurant, theater, gift shop and more. Three themed motorcycles were up for grabs, including one built by Eric Gorges of Voodoo Choppers, MI. Chances were $20 each.

This project was begun before I was born and will not likely see completion in my lifetime. Amazing!

Leaving Crazy Horse behind, we turned the road toward Hot Springs. We rode through the town of Custer again as the shadows grew long. With the waning of the day, the air grew cool. We found ourselves headed south via a different route. One which wound through gently rolling hills and grasslands where the buffalo roamed... ha!

What an exhilarating day! 433 miles of really great roads says my numbers guy. We talked about everything we experienced today over pasta and bread sticks at the Pizza Hut. We belatedly discovered, while Hot Springs is quite charming, it is decidedly lacking in dining establishments.

After a quick stop at the Shell station for gas and beer, we were ready to call it a night. Tomorrow's ride takes us north to Sturgis and Deadwood and surrounding territory.

Mount Rushmore - South Dakota
Crazy Horse Memorial - South Dakota
Hot Springs, South Dakota