Tuesday, 8/9
First I need to apologize for missing the “deadline” for posting my blog entry for Tuesday. To be honest, after we got back I lost all the adrenaline I had been running on and crashed. In the bed, not on the motorcycle thank goodness! I was really wiped out after the day. I will do my best not to let it happen again.
We started the day early with a trip back to Rapid City Harley Davidson. We knew we needed to get there early since the day before when Rhonda and I visited alone it was so crowded we could hardly park in the sam zipcode as the dealership. Rich’s bike was running a little strange and the oil pressure was a little low. So we needed to get the Harley guys to check it out. So we dropped the bike at service and looked around some. I was fine because I found an espresso cart making the best coffee I have had since leaving Sweden and since my machine burned up. But after downing 2 quint espresso’s I was ready to ride.
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| Rhonda and Chris at Pactola Lake |
We met up with the others just south of Rapid City and headed out into the Black Hills toward Mt. Rushmore. Of course there were several stops along the way. As we topped the mountain it was like we had entered a new world. The road got a little more twisty and the views were awesome. I have ridden in the mountains of North Carolina, but these were different. not really better or worse, but different. Riding the Parkway offers occasional expansive views, but here there seemed to always be an amazing view of something. We would around and found ourself in the sleepy (well not today) town of Hill City, about 4800 ft up in the Black Hills.
We spent quite a bit of time walking though the town and visiting the Harley Dealer here. One of the most interesting things about Sturgis is the amount of things going on outside of the actual town of Sturgis. Almost like a “mini-Sturgis” is going on in every town. And Hill City was no different. The streets were lined with bikes on both sides and in the middle. And the sidewalks and shops were parked with bikers, and the occasional tourist asking themselves why they didn’t plan their vacation a little better.
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| Hill City |
As we left Hill City headed to Mt. Rushmore the weather was perfect. But that was all about to change. Drops the size of golf balls started pelting us as we dropped off the mountain toward Keystone. And then it was pouring. The ride to Rushmore was slow going, but by the time we made it the rain had subsided and the sun was out.
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| Mt. Rushmore |
Seeing Mt. Rushmore in person was awesome. Just the thought of that being done blew my mind. The size and the detail were amazing. And the area in front of the monument is piled with the rock that came off the side of the mountain. Rhonda and I both stood there in awe and had to pinch ourselves just to believe we were actually there. And that we had ridden a motorcycle to view it! On our way out, we decided to check out the gift shop where we met and talked with Dick, one of the original drillers/carvers for Rushmore. He explained to us how it was done and I realized only then that it was actually carved by hand with air tools. It was really a great experience.
We left Rushmore and headed toward Deadwood. An ominous sounding name for a town. Little did we know that the ride to Deadwood would be much more ominous than the town itself. The skies opened up after about 10 miles. Not a little rain, but a biblical type of rain. One that would have shaken a local trying to drive the roads. We fought the rain and the roads for a good 2 hours before we finally left the Black Hills to sunny skies just outside of Spearfish. It was a tough ending to an otherwise wonderful day.
We were all just happy to be back and after a quick trip to WalMart for supplies, we were ready to hit the bed. Not so many riding miles today. Probably just under 200. But it was some of the toughest we have done on the trip. And I will be happy not to have to ride the Black Hills in rain like that again this trip or any other in the future.
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