Surf'in' Black Hills, USA: Mt Rushmore to Deadwood, SD
Mt Rushmore to Needles State Park to Sturgis to Deadwood. Riding around the Black Hills on what feels like a cold and rainy Fall day in New England. I have finally been able to break out my long sleeve shirt and zip up my protective jacket. I am staying at the mountainesque Whitetail Creek Resort, just outside of Deadwood, with my motorcycle parked no more than 4 feet from my cabin door. The word "resort" needs to be defined for me.
This was a heavy discussion day - my mouth is tired. At Mt. Rushmore I happened to meet a mother and her two kids that are from Boca Raton, FL. Renee (mom), Dalton (son), and Savannah (daughter) were incredibly bright. We talked about philosophy, theology, and Boca for 2 hours. They are driving around the country in their SUV. I was at Mt. Rushmore a lot longer than anticipated.
I then proceeded to drive the Needles Highway - a $10 admission charge to ride through this section of the Black Hills in order to see needle type rock formations. Not sure was worth it since there are so many amazing views without having to pay the $10. Well, I can now say that "I did it".
Proceeded on Playhouse Road back to Keystone where I had a burger and fries. I did not get what I ordered,but ate it anyway. A majority of servers are from Asia and they do not speak English. Order fish, you get a burger. They forget the salad. The bartender does not know how to make a martini (last night's indulgence) although the bar is fully stocked. If you are looking for somewhat reasonable service forget it. The primary diet in the Black Hills is burgers and fries. Period.
Rode from Sturgis to Deadwood in heavy fog - but the mountain curves were really fun. I was following about 20 Harleys going to Sturgis to see The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Deadwood is really a fun town - much bigger than I expected. It was packed with people for the various events in town. Tons of motorcycles throughout the Black Hills - from all over the country. I met a biker, Scott, who traveled from Wisconsin. A couple bikers who stayed at the Whitetail are from Maine; driving to Washington State and back.
Unpacked my bike at the "resort" then drove in the fog to Lewie's Saloon for a beer and, what else, a burger. Sat next to Randy and Jamie from northern Wyoming. Randy is a coal miner and claimed that Wyoming coal is the best in the world; he ships his coal to Japan. I asked whether coal can burn "clean". He said, "absolutely". He was hesitant to tell me his line of work - thinking that I was some liberal coal hater. I just told him that I want to know the facts - and did not want to get political. Wise move, since he disclosed so much about his business, his kids, and his travels.
A topic of discussion on a few occasions was what happens at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Randy, and a person named Brandon (who works at a Sturgis motorcycle dealership) informed me that, at the Glencoe Campground, nothing but a huge party where all the women walk around topless. As Randy said, you will see at least 300 pair; "I have seen a lot of sh_t going on while at Glencoe. He has attended every rally since 1982.
The mountains have a certain feel I find very attractive. Saloons/Restaurants like Lewie's draws a dedicated local crowd. It has that "have fun" and enjoy the moment atmosphere. A place where it is easy to make friends.
The next two days is going to be a grind to get to Whitefish, Montana. I have to drive the longest distance of the entire State from bottom east, to top west: about 15 hours of driving off the Interstate. Rain is forecast.
This was a heavy discussion day - my mouth is tired. At Mt. Rushmore I happened to meet a mother and her two kids that are from Boca Raton, FL. Renee (mom), Dalton (son), and Savannah (daughter) were incredibly bright. We talked about philosophy, theology, and Boca for 2 hours. They are driving around the country in their SUV. I was at Mt. Rushmore a lot longer than anticipated.
I then proceeded to drive the Needles Highway - a $10 admission charge to ride through this section of the Black Hills in order to see needle type rock formations. Not sure was worth it since there are so many amazing views without having to pay the $10. Well, I can now say that "I did it".
Proceeded on Playhouse Road back to Keystone where I had a burger and fries. I did not get what I ordered,but ate it anyway. A majority of servers are from Asia and they do not speak English. Order fish, you get a burger. They forget the salad. The bartender does not know how to make a martini (last night's indulgence) although the bar is fully stocked. If you are looking for somewhat reasonable service forget it. The primary diet in the Black Hills is burgers and fries. Period.
Rode from Sturgis to Deadwood in heavy fog - but the mountain curves were really fun. I was following about 20 Harleys going to Sturgis to see The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Deadwood is really a fun town - much bigger than I expected. It was packed with people for the various events in town. Tons of motorcycles throughout the Black Hills - from all over the country. I met a biker, Scott, who traveled from Wisconsin. A couple bikers who stayed at the Whitetail are from Maine; driving to Washington State and back.
Unpacked my bike at the "resort" then drove in the fog to Lewie's Saloon for a beer and, what else, a burger. Sat next to Randy and Jamie from northern Wyoming. Randy is a coal miner and claimed that Wyoming coal is the best in the world; he ships his coal to Japan. I asked whether coal can burn "clean". He said, "absolutely". He was hesitant to tell me his line of work - thinking that I was some liberal coal hater. I just told him that I want to know the facts - and did not want to get political. Wise move, since he disclosed so much about his business, his kids, and his travels.
A topic of discussion on a few occasions was what happens at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Randy, and a person named Brandon (who works at a Sturgis motorcycle dealership) informed me that, at the Glencoe Campground, nothing but a huge party where all the women walk around topless. As Randy said, you will see at least 300 pair; "I have seen a lot of sh_t going on while at Glencoe. He has attended every rally since 1982.
The mountains have a certain feel I find very attractive. Saloons/Restaurants like Lewie's draws a dedicated local crowd. It has that "have fun" and enjoy the moment atmosphere. A place where it is easy to make friends.
The next two days is going to be a grind to get to Whitefish, Montana. I have to drive the longest distance of the entire State from bottom east, to top west: about 15 hours of driving off the Interstate. Rain is forecast.
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