The End is in Sight

---

Here I am in Butte, Montana, sharing a room with Dave.
Along with String and Bugsy, they have completed the TAT and the ride from Charleston, North Carolina on the East coast across America to Port Orford on the West Coast at Oregon.
String and Bugsy have packed up their bikes and headed off back home.
Dave headed back West to meet up with me at my secret hideaway in Deadwood, and we are now making our way back West and down to San Francisco to catch up with Pete and Suzette.
I haven't heard from Tony for a while, I will send him an e-mail and find out where he is....

Here is an update from Keith.....
We are on an Indian reservation, with 3 casinos (all absolute dumps) and 3 motels which I am sure were built as props for horror movies! $40 per night, and it is very cold. (Feeling sorry for me yet!).
The Oregan border, our finishing state, is 1/2 mile up the road, so we are getting excited about completing the TAT after almost 5,000 miles on the trail!
The riding has been markedly more difficult since Moab Utah, with some steep rocky sections and lots of sand tracks, some with deep sand, especially in Nevada. Oh how I love riding in sand (NOT!).
I had a good "get off" in Utah, and gave my ribs a good tweek (at least) so I did not ride the trail today, in anticipation for a HUGE day tomorrow which should see us in LakeView Oregan.
Cheers
Keith.

From Rosco.....
My two days in Moab were what I came here for, to ride down into the canyon below Dead Horse Point.
Bones and I were here in 1996 on my Harley Dresser and I wanted to go down there then- Stupid really on a Harley.
But now I was here on a bike that would take me there, my trusty BMW 1200GS. I unhooked my pannier boxes and left them in the hotel room, taking just a day bag with water, a bit of food and my tyre repair stuff and headed off for a most wonderful days riding. I will let the photos tell the story.

From Moab, I headed North/East up towards Denver to meet up with Bill, my wilderness photographer friend.
As I got closer my progress was hampered by wild fires around the city of Boulder.
I had to change plans and head directly to Loveland, where Bill was able to drive North and rendezvous with me at my hotel. We had a great meal and talked into the night about how our lives have changed since our first meeting at our place in NZ 5 years ago.

The next day I headed North into Wyoming, following the Cheyenne to Deadwood Stage Coach Route.
At Fort Laramie, I cam across a great little camping sight beside the Platte River.

Arriving at Trapper and Hobby's place in Deadwood on MY BIKE was a real Buzz, just like arriving home!!
I spent 6 days here for a bit of R&R. I was supposed to leave on Tuesday, but got a phone call from Dave to say he was on his way to check out Mt Rushmore, Oh, Bugger, I will have to stay another day!!

The next day I took Dave up Terry Peak, then down to Crazy Horse, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, The Needles Highway and the Pig Tails on Iron Mountain, all in all a bloody good days riding.

We bid our farewells to Trapper and Hobby and headed West via a quick visit to deserted Sturgis streets and out to Belle Forche and up to Custer's Last Stand Battlefield,

Tomorrow we will start heading South towards San Francisco, via the roads least traveled.
Cheers
Rosco

---

Photos

Big Spider
Spider visits Rosco's Camp

Trapper and Hobby
Just Relaxin

Bugsy
Taking a break

That Rocky up Hill
Dave to the rescue

String
Where is my bike?

Dave
Taking Strings Bike for a ride

Re Group
Dave, String and Bugsy

Bugsy
Just Restin

In the mud
Daves Bike in the mud