August 20, 2013

Randall Creek is a very nice park.  We stopped here on the way home from the last SOD trip although we did not realize that until we got here.  It’s right below the Fort Randall Damn.  Friday we took a short ride around the area going through Pickstown, Lake Andes and Wagoner then back to camp.  When we arrived on Thursday they had just completed oiling the roads.  The smell was dissipating when we returned.  We spent the rest of the day reading and watching weekend campers come in.

Saturday we took a longer ride.  We made a big loop going west, north then east crossing the Missouri River before heading back to the campground.  Riding in the Hills sort of spoiled us.  Even though this part of the country is very beautiful it is not as fun as the Hills and somewhat similar to the rides we take at home.

Sunday we stayed at the campground.  We read, watched the weekend campers leave and got ready for our trip back home.  We got back home Monday at about 3:00 PM.  This was a fun trip and very different for us.  We rode 1350+ miles on the bike and saw some pretty country and learned a little more about our hobby.  The trailer worked well but as with everything there were some tradeoffs.  I was not able to take Darby to a trailhead and spend time hiking.  We had to plan grocery shopping to travel days.  The plus of course was seeing this part of the world on two wheels.

August 16, 2013

Wednesday we went back to Custer SP and this time we took SD 87, the “Needles Highway” to Hill City.  We did get a better view of the buffalo, there was a single bull not too far off the highway in Windcave National Monument.  He was nice enough to pose for a few pictures.  Then just over the next hill was nice group but no place to park so Debbie tried to take a few pictures as we rode by.

The Needles was fun and challenging except when some idiot parked just past the last tunnel and had traffic backed up in both directions.  I had to hold the bike up on a steep hill with sand under my feet while this @$$&!* was off taking a picture.  We rode through a few sprinkles.

At Hill City we stopped at the Harley dealer (really just a t-shirt shop for Black Hills H-D) but we already have enough and stuff was pretty picked over.  Then we walked around town for a while stretching our legs.  About the time we were ready to head back to the campground a thunderstorm came in so we went into the Bumpin Buffalo for an early diner.  We had buffalo burgers and were admiring the beautiful bar, all quarter sawn oak and maple with beveled mirrors.  Then I noticed a picture to the left when I looked closely at it was an ad for Brunswick Blake bars.  We asked the waitress about it and she gave us paper about their history.  They were made from 1880 to 1905 in Dubuque, Iowa.  In the 1891 catalog a 24’ back bar listed for $500, today they bring $50,000.  By the time we finished eating the storm had past so we rode home through Custer (the town) and got ready for a travel day.

Yesterday we moved to Randall Creek RA west of Pickstown SD.  We’ll be here through the weekend and head home Monday.

 

August 13, 2013

On Saturday we decided we needed to stop at the “Buffalo Chip” to see what it’s all about.  It’s the largest venue here.  We were too late.  Most everyone in the free area had either closed up shop or were packing to leave.  We did get to see the Budweiser Clydesdales but that’s about it.  On the way home we stopped at Bear Butte SP, drove through Fruitdale and to Orham Damn.

Sunday we never left the campground, just spent the day reading and getting ready for a travel day.  On Monday we headed toward Custer SP only to find that everything was full so we moved on to Angostura RA near Hot Springs, which was our backup plan.  We stayed here a couple of years ago on the last SOD trip.

Today we took a ride back up to Custer and rode the Wildlife loop.  Kinda disappointing because we saw very few buffalo and they were a long ways away.  Still it was a pretty drive.  We stopped at the Game Lodge for lunch then drove home through Custer (the town not the park) and got caught in a shower for a few miles.  Tomorrow we’ll do about the same thing.  I want a buffalo steak at the Blue Belle Lodge. 

Thursday we’ll head into Nebraska and start towards home.

 

For some have a network connection today so I' going to post about out trip so far.

August 5, 2013

Well it has been a long time since last that I posted anything in my travel blog.  There hasn’t been anything to post.  We have made three trips to Leslie’s this spring and summer but each was a mission.  The first trip we took Mom up for Mother’s Day weekend and demoed their basement in preparation for a complete remodel.

Trip number two was ahead of our SHOWeR trip (Schroeder, Hamilton, O’Brien, Westerfield and Robinson).  This was also a working trip removing the rest of the galvanized plumbing and relocating the laundry equipment in the Schroeder’s basement.  Two day estimate of work and a long three days to complete.

Trip three was the annual July trip to spend time with Hailie and Connor during Rockfest.  This time we spent several days at Bunker Hills so Hailie could finish summer school then moved to Blue Mound SP for the weekend before returning home with the grandkids.  Leslie and Paul came down the next weekend for Leslie’s 20^th class reunion (that made me feel old) and to pick up the kids.

Which bring us to a real trip the annual Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis SD.  We left home Saturday 8/2 and drove as far as Presho SD and stayed at the New Frontier RV Park.  Nothing special but it was close to the interstate and clean.  Then Sunday we moved to Rocky Creek RA east of Belle Fourche SD.  We are about a half hour ride to Sturgis.

After a late lunch we unloaded the bike and headed to Sturgis.  It took us over a half hour to drive thru town on US 34.  The population is 5900+.  Coming back into town from the south we spent 45 minutes stuck in traffic before we could find a place to turn off and park.  My thighs and junk were toasted.  We walked around for a while and just looked around.  I saw Rick and Corey Harrison from the Pawn Stars strolling the streets but they were past me before I could get a picture or say hello.

Monday we rode to Black Hills Harley Davidson in Rapid City.  We made the mistake of going thru Sturgis so I cooked myself again.  As you’d expect Black Hills Harley Davidson is huge and there were many vendors selling tons of motorcycle related products and accessories.   We looked at a number of things that I’d seen adds for.   Some of it was really cool and others well not so hot.  In any case we learned a lot and saw a bunch of cool stuff.  On the way back to the campground we got caught in a shower on I-90 so we had to slow down for a few miles.  About the time we could pull off the highway we were out of the rain.  We bypassed Sturgis on the way home and are currently nursing TB (tired butts).  Debbie is using a nap and ice packs with a margarita.  I’m working on a Bud.  So far I think it’s working.

It sure is nice to have someplace different to ride.  The trailer worked great so far.  It’s different than pulling the Jeep but so far so good.

August 7, 2013

Yesterday we spent the day in Sturgis.  We started the day at Sturgis Brown High School.  The school serves breakfast daily as a fundraiser.  I asked the little girl cleaning tables about how well they do and Monday they did over $10K breakfast business.  After breakfast we searched for a place to park then visited several vendors looking for a new seat and other goodies.  About 1:00 we made our way to the History Channel area to meet Rick and Corey Harrison of the Pawn Stars program.  We got a quick picture and a hello before we were moved away.  The next stop was to get some patches sewn on my vest.  After I decided what I wanted we went to the Knuckle to sit down and cool off.  We enjoyed a beer and listened to ”The 2^nd Amendment” perform, they were very good.  We visited with a lady from Indianapolis and a lady from Spearfish.

After picking up my vest it was back to the History Channel area to Meet Kevin and Danny from Counting Cars.  These guys were as pleasant and fun as they appear on TV.  Danny greets everyone with a handshake and a hug and asks your name.  Then they actually visit with everyone for a couple of minutes.  They asked about where we were from and how far of a ride it was.  We told them we were sissies and came in the RV, they flew in.  He also noticed my Air Force patch and recognized my service which is always nice.

We also saw Frank Fritz of American Pickers wandering in the crowd and the guy from American Guns who signed my hat.

Today we got lost on the way to Deadwood which is fun when you are not in the Winnebago.  We saw some pretty country.  Sturgis is not in the Black Hills so this was the first ride to that area.  Deadwood was no real big deal other than all of the bikes.  We got a couple more tee shirts and ate a late lunch at one of the casino buffets.  We took the scenic way home down the twisty roads.  Great fun on a Harley!

Right now we’re watching a thunderstorm move through in the camper.  It’s cloudy overhead but we can see sunshine to the west, maybe we’ll get a rainbow.  I’m back, it was a double rainbow to the south and a single to the east.

August 10, 2013

Thursday was a ho hum day as far as things new and exciting.  As with any similar event this place is packed with vendors.  We looked at several seats and decided on the one we liked best and also a center stand that makes it easier and safer for Debbie to get on the bike.  We decided to go ahead with those upgrades to save shipping costs so we went back to Rapid City and had them installed.  I’ll not go into details on the stand but the new seat is 18” wide for the driver and 15” for the passenger.  When we were discussing the need for the new seat I measured the stock seat.  It is 15” for driver and 11” for the passenger.  We discussed measuring our a$$es but decided we were better off remaining ignorant on that point.  J!

After leaving Rapid City we returned to the campground.  We caught up on some cleaning and did a dump and fill of our holding tanks.  See I told you it was not an exciting day.

Friday we got kind of a late start.  Just couldn’t quite get going.  We just made it to Sturgis Brown HS for breakfast.  The traffic into town after breakfast looked a little nuts so we took the cutoff to the Ft Mead Cemetery.  It was a very windy dirt road which took us to an old cemetery on top of a hill.  Then we went on to the Black Hills National Cemetery which lies on the southern most part of Ft Mead.  If you’ve never visited a national cemetery you should put it on your to do list.

When we left the cemetery we took I 90 to SD 34 then west into Wyoming.  At Hulet we turned south to Devils Tower.  (I purchased my Golden Eagle Passport) We went to the visitors center and walked around looking at the tower.  We did not take any of the trails because riding cloths are not the ideal hiking attire and time was limited.

After leaving the tower we took WY 112 north from Hulet to Alvda MT which is nothing more than the intersection of MT112 and US 212 which took us back to our campground.  That was about a 240 mile ride, a record for us.

We’ll leave here on Monday and are thinking of going to Custer SP for a few days.