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Published: July 16th 2008
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Day 7
Mt Rushmore Today I went to Mt Rushmore in the morning, which was a very cool experience. I have never been there, so I figure I need to go at some point in my life. I walked around there for a little while, and decided to start getting on the road. Mt Rushmore was cool, but I think what happened next just tops off the whole experience. I was just going to leave, when I saw a sign for Custer State Park. I thought what the heck, since I had some extra time before I had to be in Dalton this evening. Right after I turn on the road, I see a sign that says sharp curves for the next 10 miles. I let out a loud shout in my mind ‘wahooooooooooo!!!!!!’. For those of you who know me and my riding preferences, I LOVE curvy roads (AKA twisties). And these twisties were some of the best I have ever experienced. I seriously mean this. I found myself going faster than the law stated (35mph) because it is very hard for me to control myself with such sweet roads. I was feeling a little bummed out up to this point when it came
Day 7 (1)
Rushmore again to quality of roads, because I haven’t been on any twisties since the trip started. Ok I take that back there was a sweet stretch up near Glacier, but only a few for about 10 miles. When we went to Hells Canyon earlier this year those were sweet roads, but this was even better. Bald Peak outside of Newberg, Oregon is pretty hard to beat too, but this one still barely beats it. One other road that competes with this is in Tennessee, which I will definitely be riding when I pass through there. And despite being loaded down with saddlebags and my tank and tail bag, I still managed to get the last bit of my chicken strips off my rear tire.
For those wondering what chicken strips are, they are the unused portion of motorcycle tires. If you look at the tire curvature, there is tread showing all the way out to a certain point on the tire. If you are a good rider you can use all the tread. If you aren’t completely confident you never ride on the outside of the tire, and thus there is still a shiny compound on the tire from the
factory. These are called ‘chicken strips’ among riders. But when you ride on the tire, the compound gets scratched off my the road surface. Chick strips on front tires are pretty hard to get rid of, but it is not uncommon for good riders to have no chicken strips.
I was a little disappointed that I had to leave this place, since there were plenty of curvy roads in that area to keep me busy for a few days. I had already made arrangements to stay in eastern South Dakota, so I left Keystone around noon. On the way over I stopped at Badlands National Park. I was thinking it wouldn’t be super cool, but those expectations got blown away too. I don’t know a ton about the history of the park, but it is a really neat place. I think the pictures might speak for themselves. I tried a new photographing technique today too. I learned it from a guy I met at Glacier and rode with his group on the way down the mountain. He would ride without gloves on, and would be taking pictures with one hand while he was riding. It really isn’t as difficult
as you initially think, I found that out today. I can still work the clutch with my left hand if needed, and take pictures with my left hand while driving and controlling the throttle with my right hand. I have the lanyard wrapped around my wrist too just in case I drop the camera. But unlike the guy at Glacier, I address safety first and wear my helmet while I ride, regardless of what the law requires. A lady at Dairy Queen tonight complimented me for wearing my gear, regardless of the 100+ degree weather today. She said she is a nurse, and sees plenty of patients that create ‘road hamburger’ as I call it when they slide across the pavement while not wearing safety gear.
I am pretty excited for tomorrow, since I get to see my brother Randy in Minneapolis. I haven’t seen him for a while, and I kinda miss living with him like we did for a few years in Corvallis while going to school. I guess things change, and you just have to accept it. I kinda wish he was closer to home sometimes, but that’s just life. I plan on being there for
about a week, so I should have time to catch up on sleep, do laundry, catch up on blogs, and plan some more of my trip. And I should be with a regular internet connection there, so that will be nice too. It is amazing how hard life can be sometimes without internet!
And the pictures from Glacier should be up now, please check them out if you like.
Nappy time, peace out.
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shawn
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www.blackhillstravelblog.com
The Black Hills are infamous for their great biking roads. No wonder 500,000 bikers show up in August every year. Great blog but better photos!