Colorado to Michigan

---

Day 139……18/08/2012

We left the small town of Lusk in Wyoming and rode out north across the wide open plains, don’t you just love the way that sounds, especially if you’re a Western fan like me. It definitely beats “we’re riding our bikes up to Watford”.

After about an hour we passed into South Dakota, (State number 29). We rode through a small town which seemed to have more than its fair share of dust in the air, we discovered that a Rodeo was taking place, this was a stroke of luck as we had missed all the other ones that had been advertised along our route, being either over or for the following week. We parked up in the show ground and walked to the stands. It was immediately obvious that there were only children competing, and we were told that the adults were not today, oh well it was still very impressive watching this poor goat get pounced on time and time again by the young riders doing a quick dismount and then roping the tied helpless animal’s legs together, and others racing around some barrels in double quick time.

We rode to the Custer State Park where we visited the Wind Caves National Monument, good but not as impressive as the Carlsbad or Luray caverns. Custer State park was very pretty and we saw Antelope, Buffalo and some Prairie Dogs which are a little like chubby Merekats. The town of Custer was our final stop for the evening, and a walk out to the wooden traditionally built Main Street.

Day 140……19/08/2012

It was Lynne’s day off from riding today, as we will ride the famous Black Hills on Christine. The 150 mile loop which twists turns rises and falls like a demented snake would I fear take its toll on Lynne’s arms if she had chosen to ride the little beast. The morning was just glorious, with not a cloud in the deepest blue sky you have ever seen. We set off for the thing that Lynne had spoken of as one of the things on her list to see the Crazy Horse monument. Commissioned 64 years ago by the elders of the Lakota Indians to honour one of their most famous Chiefs, Crazy Horse. The mountain carving is the biggest of its kind in the world, and is completely privately funded, and undertaken now by the dead sculptor’s very capable family. The finished works has no real end date, but believe me the work as of today simply takes your breath away, such is the commitment to portray the feeling that this man and these mountains share. The carving will be over 600 feet long and 560 feet high and eventually portray Crazy Horse on his horse, arm outstretched and pointing. The mission statement behind the works is “My land is where my people are buried”.

Onward through some of the most beautiful countryside to an original 50s roadside diner, and then onto another very famous place, the town of Deadwood, a town right up there with the other towns of the 1800s, Tombstone, Dodge, and Virginia City. Lots of history and a good atmosphere, and we saw the chair where Wild Bill Hickok allegedly copped it while playing cards. From there we rode the short distance to Sturgis, unfortunately it was all over, and we had to make do with a drink in an almost empty “Knuckle Saloon”. We finished the loop at Mount Rushmore, which is certainly not as impressive as Crazy Horse, and nowhere near as big, but worth a visit. We had dinner in the lively town of Keystone, not sure if it has anything to do with cops or not, but a colourful town nonetheless.

Day 141……20/08/2012

The skies were a little cloudier this morning, but we were thankful that we had had such fantastic weather yesterday, and besides it did not look anything like rain and would be perfect riding conditions being a little cooler.

We rode the forty or so miles out of the Black Hills towards Rapid City, leaving the beautiful mountains behind us to the West, as we carried down onto the vast plains that would be South Dakota for many miles to come. As we rode East towards the next highlight on the trip for me, and thankfully due to the cooler temperatures would suit Lynne a lot better, I reflected on just how beautiful South Dakota really is, even the barren farmland that we were riding through now was really quite stunning. We arrived at around noon at the place that I had been wanting to see again, but dreading the fact because I nearly got cooked to death riding through it in 2006, but as I said it was cooler by at least 20 degrees this time. The place was South Dakota infamous National Park, The Badlands. As you entered the Park gates you could be forgiven in thinking that you had arrived on Mars such are the dramatic rock formations and pale lifeless expanses that greet you. Nonetheless it is stunning and I would love to have more time to explore the trails and maybe even camp. Even though there is hardly anything that grows here, and the only signs of life are rattlers, we loved it. We trundled on East and made our stop at the small town of Murdo just off the I 90, at a little motel called the Sioux Inn, which had a fine cowboy type restaurant opposite, in which we had fine cowboy meals, in fact my steak was so rare it still had a heartbeat.

Day 142……21/08/2012

Well the weather forecast last night gave rising temperatures for today, so that has prompted an early start this morning, well not before I had to jump start Christine because some idiot had left the ignition on all night and the battery had gone flat, oops. Ohh and the shame of it, getting a jolt from a Harley, no all joking aside this has not been the first time that the Harley has come to the rescue, I just hope that none of the Weasels are reading this or I will never hear the last of it.

We stopped at the Museum for the Plains Lakota Sioux, which was fantastic, the things that you learn along the way really make some days really rewarding.

I really wish there was more to say about today, aside from the glorious weather that never really got to any real debilitating highs, thus allowing us to make some good mileage, that’s about it, we saw around 260 dead straight miles, with views that resembled a light brown carpet undulating over the whole landscape for as far as the eye could see because the corn has been harvested, and that is pretty much South Dakota to the East of the Black Hills. We made our evening stop in Worthington just into Minnesota, (State number 30) the scenery did change a little as we left South Dakota which gave us something different to look at, the Minnesotans had not harvested their corn yet.

Day 143……22/08/2012

The forecast for today was for developing clouds later in the region we would be travelling too, and a 20%!c(MISSING)hance of rain and maybe even some isolated thunder, but this was all later in the day and miles away. So you can imagine our surprise at being woken at 0630 by a huge clap of thunder, and to open the curtains to see the blackest sky to the West that I have ever seen moving swiftly towards us, to the East the direction we needed to go was bright and clear. There was only one thing for it, “PANIC” we were up washed, packed and loaded in double quick time, but alas the effort was all in vain as we still got wet, but at least we did manage ride into the dry and to stay ahead of what looked in our mirrors to be a huge grey beast that chased us for most of the day. The days ride took us out of the plains area of the US, and into the typically Eastern farmland, which we both thought looked very much like home. We crossed the mighty Mississippi for the last time on our travels, and made for our stop for the night in the small town of Tomah Wisconsin, (State number 31).

Day 144……23/08/2012

The day started well the weather was bright and it looked as if we may be spared the predicted high temperatures forecast for today. Like I said it started well, we were making for Lake Michigan’s West shores when we hit a road closure and a detour, while the distance did not increase by much, the route suggested between the road planners, and the sat nav must have taken us passed every farm in Wisconsin, all very pretty if not a little repetitive. We finally got to the small town of Marinette on Lake Michigan, oh and we must have gone through another time zone yesterday or the day before because it seems we have been an hour out for a while, where does the time go to.

Day 145……24/08/2012

Still very lucky with the weather, although a little overcast this morning but still great for riding. We had breakfast in Escanaba, which is in Michigan (State number 32). The lakeside road on this section of the Michigan upper peninsula, was at times a little desolate with just the odd waterfront property to look at, heaven knows who would live there, and what they would do all day, except of course to lookout over the beautiful lake, which at this point was probably around 70 miles across, and over 300 by boat to Chicago in the South.

Sault Ste Marie was our evening’s destination, a city right on the Canadian border, which we will cross tomorrow, but for tonight we will sample the delights of this important shipping town. Sault Ste Marie is famous for its lock system that links the great lakes, it is the busiest canal in terms of tonnage in the world, not that you would know, as our motel was right next to the locks and we did not hear a thing. We must have been tired and coupled with the fact that somehow we had misplaced another hour somewhere, don’t ask we could not work it out and we are here.

---

Photos

Wyoming
Just beautiful

Prairie Dog,
Prairie Dogs, Merekats with access to McDonalds

Crazy Horse monument
This will be the outcome

Comments

[Deanna Pickens]

I sure do enjoy your travel blog. And funny you should mention Escanaba and how desolate it is in Michigan\'s U P. Actually some people really do live there :) ........would you believe Dave's sister and her family live there and in Gladstone just up the road. I wish I had known you were traveling in the area as his sister Kim would have cooked you a super meal. Complete with homemake rolls and probably some dumplings and other good eats. Great cook and very hospitable. Well anyway, I'm glad you and Lynne are enjoying yourselves. And congratulations on your engagement. I look forward to your blogs. Ride safe. Deanna

[Steve and Lynne]

Thanks Deanna, sorry to all the folks in the U.P.