Homeward bound

Saturday (August 24) dawned bright and clear. It was another tee-shirt riding kind of day. There are a lot of those here. Sturgis was the end destination, where we'd stay two nights, Saturday and Sunday.

Birdie and I headed for Forsyth, Montana, which is her last name, spelled correctly. She wanted to get a photo there. The others headed to Devil's Tower, and we hoped to meet them there later in the day. (Didn't happen.)

Forsyth and Forsyth.  It seems to be a nice little town.

Forsyth was a great little town although she couldn't find anything like a souvenir magnet to take to her parents. There is a great museum, though.

Horse and cowboy play.

Seaburg player piano, which seems to be a gem with its stained glass.  A gorgeous piece.

A thresher machine.  Sure wish I could drive it.

A reaper machine that didn't appeal to me quite as much as the thresher.

The museum has different little areas, each with a specialty … kitchens, cowboy stuff with spurs or barbed wire, and an area with big machines … threshers, reapers.

We enjoyed visiting the museum although we didn't have much time to spend. We made good use of what we did have, including visiting with the lady at the museum who was rather amazed Birdie had come to visit her namesake.

There's always something going on for one on a motorcycle.

The backroads sometimes can be treacherous as we came upon a sign warning of construction ahead. In fact, motorcycles should consider an alternate route the sign said. We did slow down for about one heartbeat, and then we rode on … Biddle, Montana. A wide spot in the road, just before the construction.

What's a little gravel between friends?  It was a piece of cake.

Alaskan roads are usually worse than this construction. We just did our usual … rode on.

Somewhere along the way, I saw a dead deer along the road. What was different about this one was that the entire head had been neatly cut off … a wannabe hunter? Disgusting!!!

When we got to Sturgis, we stopped at the host hotel to visit and have dinner. With a little help from Birdie and her tow rope, Jon and Linda used a unique way to get their luggage to the second floor as there was no elevator. They put the rope through the handle and hauled it up and over the bannister on the upstairs hallway. Ya just gotta get creative sometimes.

Sometimes the simple ways are the easy ways.

We were staying in Rapid City at a Super 8. It was one of the more interesting places I've stayed at, with a lime green and turquoise décor, complete with pictures of palms or some such greenery, reminiscent of a beach house. But, it was a bed, a shower and clean and non-smoking.

This photo does not do justice to the lime green and turquoise decor, along with the fern and/or palm artwork.  Even the lamps fit in with the rest of the furnishings.  I actually liked it as it felt like a beach house.

Birdie and I decided to go to Crazy Horse on Sunday (August 25). This was also a special day because it was Dia's birthday, and there would be a surprise party later at their hotel. We hadn't figured out a gift yet, until we went by some signs for a winery … Buck Naked wine. Yep, that would sure do it.

We found the winery, picked up a bottle of Buck Naked, and another of Full Throttle and one of what may have been a Mount Rushmore white. We figured it to be the perfect gift since she could share it and not have to pack it.

Mount Rushmore, from a rushed photo on a rushed ride past the mountain.

The back road behind Mount Rushmore gave us a quick glimpse at the four faces of some of our most spectacular presidents, and then we were past (after stopping in a no-stopping zone to take a quick photo). A parking area for a photo of the profile stopped us for a moment, and then we got on the road and made our way to Crazy Horse.

The profile face is pretty cool.  Hard to believe that they've been in existence for years.

Just enjoying my ride.

Crazy Horse is a stone mountain carving years in the making. While it doesn't progress far over the years, it is coming together. This time the visitor center seemed larger and more professional. There were Native Americans with some of their wares, others working on projects and a dancer who was quite interesting and informative. He was wearing more than 90 pounds of Indian apparel for his dancing, with some of the pieces dating to 1870, and some of the eagle feathers being more than 100 years old.

His name is Jumping Buffalo.  He's a sixth generation related to Sitting Bull and dances for his kids and grandkids so they can learn the old ways.  Surprise??  He has four college degrees with a 4.0 average, he speaks multiple languages (maybe seven or so as he named them off too quickly for me to count) and he's 20-years plus drug and alcohol free.  Jumping Buffalo was very interesting and he could also dance his feathers off.  He joked that with teepees, his ancestors were the originators of the mobile home.

Crazy girls; Crazy Horse.

The entrance to Crazy Horse ... taken from another no parking zone.  Bikers.  What ya gonna do?

I really enjoyed the visit to Crazy Horse this time, as the progress continues, and it becomes more and more a place for tourists to visit. I remember in the distant past when there just wasn't too much there, so this was a treat.

There was a lot of bike washing going on.

Birdie and I hurried back to Sturgis to wash the bikes and head over to the hotel for the surprise party. Was it? Yes!!! Dia thought her dad and Paul were taking her to dinner in Deadwood, and was wondering why no one else had really said anything to her. SURPRISE!!!

There was even birthday cake.

Corky and Dia share a birthday.  The Rogue Rider group sang happy birthday and I think it may  have made Corky's day.

I saw Corky and her family going out of the restaurant and couldn't resist the opportunity for this photo.  What a lovely lady.

A lady came into our party room and asked if we'd come sing happy birthday to her mother, 92-year-old Corky who had worked a pancake breakfast for years and years and years during Sturgis week. Of course. It was fun, and is what makes these trips so awesome … adding to the ride, the adventure and the uniqueness of each of them.

It was a fun evening, surprising Dia.  You don't often get something past her.

It was fun to be a part of a special birthday party (Dia's and Corky's, too), on a road trip to Milwaukee for the 110^th. What a place to party … and it's not over yet. (And I was told the wine wasn't being shared; it would be shipped home since it was unique and would add to a certain wine collection.)

Great party.  Thank you for having a birthday, Dia.

The sun was setting as Birdie and I made our way back to Rapid City and our hotel.

Monday, August 26, and the road led us to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. But before we got on the road, Birdie and I headed to the Rapid City Harley shop. I finally needed to retire my old T-bag, vintage 1990s, due to the zipper finally giving out, and holes that were threatening to get larger, perhaps leaving my dirty laundry along the road. I decided to get one of the fancy ones, with the roller wheels that some of my friends have.

The removal of my things from the old bag proved to be a bit of a tug of war since I didn't want to do a whole repacking job. Mission accomplished, but not without some help. Thank you, Birdie.

It took both of us to get the old bag to give up its load.

We met Jim, Robin, Sherie and Jim at the shop and headed to the Badlands, wanting to take a little time to explore this road before heading down the interstate to Sioux Falls. It was a beautiful ride and not nearly as hot as what I remember it being when I did it in 1994. In fact, it was almost pleasant.

The group in the Badlands.

Birdie riding the Badlands.

Jim, Sherie, Jim and Robin.

Yep, just enjoying the ride.

Interstate 90 … an interstate, two lanes either direction, straight. And not much to see. You find yourself waiting for a curve, even a gentle one. You beg for something to break the monotony. Fine. Play games with mileage, read road signs. Wall Drug, free ice water. Wall Drug, ice cream. Wall Drug, 5 cent coffee. How do they keep their signs looking so fresh? They must repaint them yearly. Wow. I am impressed.



Been there almost forever.


 

I ran over a dead skunk and hoped the smell wouldn't permeate my tires and stay with me for miles and miles. It didn't. Thank you.

The Sioux Falls shop had steak sandwiches, fresh corn on the cob, potato salad and cole slaw. Nice.

There was a lady there named Joan who is on a 3-year motorcycle ride to promote Buy American and the Bill of Rights. She will ride with us into Milwaukee. She plans to come to Alaska and so we may be able to organize a run to meet her.
We'll see.

Joan, another interesting and incredible woman.

That's what is so great about motorcycle trips. You never know who you will meet. You ride with or without others, you meet up with some who you will ride with and become friends with, and then as quickly they may pass from your life leaving you with an impression, a thought, a vision, and hopefully a better person as well.

La Crosse, Wisconsin (Tuesday, August 27), loomed ahead. A shorter ride, but still on I-90. Still straight, still waiting for a curve, even looking for strange names like Guckeen, Minnesota. When a curve did come you slowed down, thinking you'd forgotten how to handle one. Some of the pavement had been laid in slabs. Bump, bump, bump. It's hard to maintain your coolness when all you can think about is how far it is to the next restroom.

At dinner I was sitting with a couple, Jennifer and Kenny. I'd spoken to Kenny along the way, but tonight I met Jennifer. She'd flown in and arranged to get to the Harley shop, walked up behind her husband and tapped him on the shoulder. What a wonderful surprise. He had no idea. What a very special couple they are, married about 18 years, and still tossing a surprise or two out there. It was fun chatting and learning this about them.

Jennifer and Kenny.