Day Four

Billings, Montana

Some of you have asked about my hotel in Rapid City. I know it looks like I stayed in an old barn or warehouse, but the satellite image must have been taken some time ago. Since then, the barn was replaced by a Residence Inn. So no, I was not roughing it in Rapid City!

With my decision to spend Saturday night in Billings MT with family, I decided to ride a few of my favorite routes around Mt. Rushmore and also take one last ride down a now very crowded Sturgis Main Street before heading west.

Riding West into Montana one can see why it’s called “big sky” country. 

While relaxing at Rebecca’s Nephew’s home in Billings, I was greeted by a fawn and his mama in the backyard.

Tomorrow I will take off to celebrate my Sister-in-law's birthday and see my Mother-in-law.
My route will resume Monday with a ride over Bear Tooth Highway and mountains in western Wyoming.

Day Three

Day three came early with a departure before 5:00 AM to get a picture of the moon at the eye of the needle on the Needles Highway before it sat this morning.  One benefit is I had the road to myself (along with a few deer-but they knew my reputation and stayed clear of my way).

I was rewarded with a stunning sunrise over the peaks.  

The moon was obscured at times and out of position to capture a photo of it through the eye of the needle rock formation but I did capture it between the fingers of the rock spires.

Next up was the Badlands National Park. On the way, I stopped to capture a beautiful symphony of sunflowers.

Departing the Badlands National Park, I stopped by the Worlds Largest Tourist Trap, Wall Drug.

I went on to Sturgis for the opening ceremony to see a skydiver who was supposed to jump off a plane with a flag. The stormy weather interfered and grounded the plane. 

I did enjoy seeing all the custom bikes.  Quite the longhorn on this motorcycle.

  

The beauty of vacation is one can change plans.  I was originally going to do a day trip to Billings MT to visit family but now I am going to leave Sturgis tomorrow and spend the night there Saturday.

I will re-route from Billings to my next stop on the Denver area Monday night. As an added bonus, I may be able to ride Bear Tooth pass again.  Guess you will just have to check the GPS tracker to see which direction I go!

Weather is cooperating, as I’ve been able to avoid the random rain showers. Total miles through three days: 1372. 

Day Two

Rapid City, South Dakota

After a much needed night of sleep, I spent today riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Because of the light traffic before the official kickoff of the Sturgis Rally on Friday, I decided to forego Badlands National Park today.

The wildlife loop through Custer state park did not disappoint. I saw several deer and antelope in the many meadows and got an opportunity to catch a buffalo lounging along the roadway in the shade of the large pines. 

The eye of the needle at the summit of Needles Highway is always a must stop for every rider. 

I stopped by Black Hills Harley Davidson to check out custom vendors and grab a late lunch.  

After a stop in Sturgis to grab a tee-shirt (got a perfect one for Micah Woodbridge) I finished off the day riding through Spearfish Canyon.

I made it back to my hotel and washed off the days collection of bugs and got settled before evening thunderstorms roll in. Mileage through today is 1,044.

Day one in the books

Like preparing for most vacations, I stayed up waaay too late Monday and Tuesday night getting work projects completed. The end result, I was a little later leaving than originally planned this morning. 

However, I think it was Divine intervention as I was able to completely avoid a couple of thunderstorms in northwestern Nebraska and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Had I left earlier, I would have definitely got wet.  

The day was absolutely perfect for riding as temperatures stayed in the 70s until well into the afternoon. After a couple of hours of temperatures in the 80s, the previously mentioned thunderstorms cooled things off, paving my way into Rapid City.  

In all, I covered 752 miles today. And after very little sleep the last two nights, I am definitely ready to turn in. Tomorrow is scheduled to include Custer State Park and possibly Badlands National Park. 

The route

 

I finalized my route over the weekend. This image flags my planned stops along the route. I will again be riding through several National Parks and lots of mountain routes. In all I will pass through 11 states during the challenge ride.  

The adventure beginnings tomorrow morning August 5. My live tracker will show current position and instructions show how to review my route history as well.  From Topeka I will head directly to Rapid City, SD to spend a few days visiting friends camped near Mt. Rushmore and enjoy riding scenic roads around the area before resuming the route on Monday morning August 10.  During the weekend I will collect a some memorabilia at the 80th Sturgis motorcycle rally and also take a slight detour of 320 miles (one way) to visit my 100 year old Mother-in-Law in Billings, MT, given my route this year does not include venturing farther into the Northwest. 

On Monday, August 10 I will leave South Dakota and head through Wyoming into Colorado to overnight in the Denver area. Tuesday, 8/11 will be a full day of riding in the Colorado mountain to Montrose, CO.  Wednesday the route is through Utah, and Arizona via Four Corners, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon.  After an overnight stay in Flagstaff I will ride through Sedona, AZ to Phoenix for lunch with some Christian Motorcycle Association friends before making my way to Albuquerque Thursday night 8/13.  I will have a final day of mountain riding in New Mexico before dropping south through Texas and Oklahoma for my final night on the road in Liberal, KS . I will definitely make time to stop my final day for a wonderful lunch and homemade pie at the Carriage Crossing in Yoder, KS before making my way back home.  Thanks to all who have pledged in support of the Starfish fund!