Custer bound ... look out, Lenny and Missy

On Friday, July 31, I was up about 6:30 to visit with Jan before she got off to work, and to drink coffee in the hopes of waking up.  Then it was time … getting ready, loaded up and on the road, heading to Custer, South Dakota, to Missy and Lenny’s place where I’d light for another few days while I experienced the wonders of the 75^th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

I was riding the I-90 line with no time for dilly-dallying, no time or place for photos … to Billings, Montana,  Sheridan, Wyoming, Gillette, Wyoming, Moorcroft, Wyoming.  I was communicating with the Hoka Hey Cowboy, Mac.  He was planning to meet me in Moorcroft and escort me to Custer.  I’m still trying to figure it out as to whether people want to make sure I get where I’m going, or they want to be sure they’re getting rid of me.  Maybe I’ll find out someday.

About 50 miles east of Billings I started seeing the trailers, lots of them, more than I’ve seen in my previous Sturgis visits.  Many of them were easily identifiable by the Harley stickers on them.  I figured they were all headed to the trailer rally in Sturgis.  It’s the 75^th anniversary, but I don’t quite believe that what’s happening now is how it all started 75 years ago. 

In Sheridan, about 200 miles from Sturgis, I saw a bunch of fancy bikes all gassing up.  I did not see any bugs on those bikes or luggage (although they could have had a chase vehicle).  I noticed the plates, and they were not from anywhere around here.  Going down the road I also noticed the plates on the vehicles and trailers.  They were the same as those on the bikes.  They must have unloaded the bikes to gas them up so they could unload them closer and ride into Sturgis.

I’m thinking I have a niche market.  I can get tons of bugs off my bike, package them up and sell them to those who didn’t ride, they can plaster them onto their bikes and it will make it look like they rode. 

I just kept riding my ride.  On occasion some bikes would pass, and I’d tag along with them for a bit.  Usually I’d do that with the guys who were running the speed limit of 80 mph.  Just to show them I could.  Then I’d back off, and continue as before, running mostly a bit less than speed.  If I rode 70 or less my gas mileage would be 50 mpg or so.  If I ran 80, it dropped to under 40.  I preferred better gas mileage.

Contact with Cowboy was going on.  The plan was to meet him in Moorcroft about 4 p.m.  I rolled in right on time and headed to the gas station I saw up ahead.  As I was about a block away, I heard my name, “Patti.”  I turned and there he was, standing in the shade of a building … in a gravel parking area, of course.

I turned around and came back.  Big hugs were in order.  He asked if I’d eaten because in one of my texts I said I hoped food in Moorcroft was in my future.  I’d only had a little oatmeal and a granola bar.  Cowboy had saved me half of a sandwich.  I do believe as I sat on a concrete block in that parking lot that that sandwich was one of the best I’d ever eaten.  And then we were off.


Cowboy and me.  It was good to see him.

Riding with Cowboy is great.  We’ve not ridden together a lot, but he’s steady and easy to follow on the Black Ghost.  We arrived in Custer and pulled into a gas station.  I called Lenny, and down he came on his Roadglide for the handoff.  Cowboy wanted to get back to the Chip in Sturgis, where he’s staying.  All I can say is it was great having an escort.  And it was good to be home for a few days.  And guess what. 

The deer are so gentle-looking.  I wonder if this little spike would be at all aggressive.  I don't need to know.

There was a welcoming committee in the front yard … about nine deer, including one four-point buck.  Does it get any better?  Yep, cuz Sam, the yellow lab also gave me some sweet doggie kisses.

How cool is this?  Lenny even put a toothbrush there for me in my bathroom.