Day 5: A Day of Rest

Rapid City, SD: 1 state, 170 miles, 7 hours on the road, 0 in my saddle.

Today was a day of rest and seeing the local sights. I parked my bike and road two-up with Curtis today. I feel a bit guilty about not riding my bike (Laura rode hers) but it was nice to spend a day with Curtis and relax for a bit. I now feel rested and ready for a couple of long days ahead.

After a quick wash of the bikes we hit the road for the day’s excursions. Our first stop was Mt Rushmore. What a sight! It really is amazing to see the detail in the monument. After some wandering around there for a bit and meeting other Harley family members, some from New York and some from Alaska, Paul took us on a really awesome ride through the Pigtail bridges, the backside of Custer, a short stop at Crazy Horse and then to Deadwood. Paul knows all the cool places to see and ride.

While in Deadwood we visited Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane’s graves. It’s mostly touristy but interesting. People still go to their graves and leave offerings. We saw coins, bullets, empty booze bottles, and a stick with a message written on it to Bill. The town itself reminds me a lot of Virginia City. I think Curtis was a bit disappointed and was expecting to see more of a “Deadwood” the HBO series look. Darn Hollywood!!

Tomorrow’s a long day of riding, about 500 miles. Most of it is freeway and probably a lot of corn fields. I predict a gazillion dead grass hoppers on my bike before the end of the day. And those big ones can hurt at 75 mph!

Next stop Spencer, IA.