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Published: August 19th 2016
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Ok I know, two posts in one day is unusual but it is pouring here and we are forced to take a day off. Couldn’t have a better day off then Michelle’s birthday and couldn’t have a worse day with this wind and rain. So this is catch-up time for me before I get too far behind in my posts. Ellsworth AFB is a great pivot spot centrally located near the Black Hills, the Badlands and Sturgis. We have taken full advantage of the first two days, one on the bike in warm calm weather and one in the truck in 20+ mph winds with afternoon thunderstorms. Our first stop was someplace that most everyone would say, yeah I would love to see that but it’s so far away, I won’t ever get the chance. That would be Mt. Rushmore. What an amazing thing it is up close, a very humbling experience to know that one man, Gutzon Borglum, could look upon that Black Hills mountainside and have the vision of four US presidents carved into the knobby cracked face. With over 400 workers spanning 14 years Borglum carved a memorial to the history of America leaving a landslide of rock
chips below and the beautifully carved faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln above. What a great experience it was to see and photograph in person. I wish it were closer so more could share in the beauty of this great accomplishment but the remoteness adds to the splendor and it is truly worth the extra effort. Leaving there you are only a few miles from the beginnings of the great mountainside Crazy Horse sculpture. This massive project has been in work for over 50 years and the end is nowhere in sight. Privately funded and worked by numerous volunteers it seems that this may be a project that is just too large to accomplish. I would like to see it again when it is finished but I don’t believe that will be in my lifetime. From there we headed to Deadwood for lunch which meant that we had a long ride on those Black Hills roads that you normally just read about. There were up hills, down hills, 15 mph hairpin turns, and long sweeping mountain curves going through pristine pine forest only slowing for small towns with one house and a drinking establishment, just about everything that someone
on a motorcycle could ask for. After lunch we jumped back on the Motorcycle Highway that connects Deadwood to Sturgis and again more of those wonderful mountain roads that make the Black Hills a mecca for motorcycle riders. Being a week late for the yearly rally meant that Sturgis was in the clean-up/tear-down mode but we still cruised through town so yes, we have been to Sturgis. The Harley shop I really wanted to visit was closer to home so we sped up the highway to Black Hills HD and laid down some cash for trinkets and such. They were bummed about their rally week as attendance was down 40%!t(MISSING)his year from the 75
th anniversary rally last year and they have a LOT of extra stuff, all on sale. We helped them out a little. Completely pooped out that night we fell asleep watching TV, turned in early and the next morning headed out for the Badlands. The colors, landforms and wildlife in the Badlands were unexpected and it looks like a desolate cathedral of the dead who have left behind their spiritual artwork to amaze others that should pass through. Actually created by rushing waters that carved the
deep channels and washed the silt and topsoil into the prairie while leaving exposed the color rings of the spires and buttes that allow the knowledgeable to date the earth’s crust like the rings of a tree date the years of growth. The difference is these rings equal millions of years and tell a story of changing climates that include ice ages, volcanic eruptions, thousands of years of drought and thousands of years of aquatic life. It’s a perfect examinable illustration that the earth’s climate is never static. Truly a natural wonder where you are allowed to hike and look for fossils, but not remove them, it was to me more tangible then the Grand Canyon as it is accessible to all that can walk even a short distance. I wish I had the time to stay and see the Badlands in the early morning sunrise as I am sure the colors and landscape would be even more vivid. Gives me a good reason to return. We stayed as long as we could taking over three hours to do the 23 mile drive and made it back to the RV just as the skies opened up for a predicted afternoon
thunder shower. So today we rest for in the last eight days we have done Yellowstone, Virginia City, Little Bighorn, Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Sturgis, and the Badlands, all while moving twice and getting 850 miles closer to home. Someday we are going to have to do the wash again, but not on Michelle’s Birthday!!!
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Dakota's
Ray, Michelle, I have been to all the places you typed about in this blog. Yes amazing Rushmore scenery, Deadwood "town" and some great riding in/out of Sturgis. Looking at the landscape, I also went to the caverns there. One day I will be back for another look. Happy late birthday to Michelle. Keep living the dream.