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Published: June 25th 2008
June 24, 2008
We rode the motorcycle today to Mount Rushmore and through both the Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park. WOW!!
Oh man, where to start . . .??? Well let's see we saw buffalo, deer (lot's and lot's of them), elk, rabbits, eagles, turkeys, wild burros and, prairie dogs; drove for miles through pristine alpine meadows, 7,000 foot high mountain passes, switchbacks, pigtail roadways that circled back under themselves . . .several times, narrow tunnels carved from soild, sheer rock walls and overlooks that were really hard to walk away from. All I can say is the day was crammed with eye candy.
Mount Rushmore is incredible, awe inspiring. The Presidential Trail circles the mountain face below the President's faces and provides incredible views of the sculpture. Walkers on the .06 mile trail were quiet, even reverential as they gazed up at the sculptures from the shadows below.
The Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway weaves its way through some of the most incredible, mouth watering, jaw dropping scenery and vistas in both the Black Hills National Park and the Custer State Park. Peter Norbeck, the naturalist and environmentalist, said that you should not drive
the scenic byway at more than 20 miles per hour lest you waste the scenery in your haste. I would add that at some places in its course this advice may save you from a nasty drop as well.
The Black Hills must be named for the color of the rocks prevalent here. Although, even the streams appear to be black and the trees are a blue-black that, at a distance, seem to be black. Much of the day we were at elevations where only pine trees are growing and only an occasional hardwood if you drift a bit lower.
We rode the 15-mile long, "Wildlife Loop" through Custer State Park. Think "The Sound of Music", Julie Andrews in the middle of a manicured field of rich green grasses covering gently rolling hills with almost no trees, at 6,000 foot elevation, and; a rich diversity of wildlife in every direction. The Rangers warn everyone and post signs restating the warning: "Buffalo are dangerous, do not approach." Needles Highway was under construction so we bypassed it. Iron Mountain at the end of the day was really the narrowest high mountain road I've ever driven.
Today we spent eleven
hours wandering through the hills and meadows observing the wildlife, scenery and, vistas. Even though it is pollen season here, the air is still clean and sweet.
Tonight we had dinner at the Sommerset Bistro next door to our hotel in Black Hawk and enjoyed a surprisingly good meal.
Tomorrow we plan to leave for Billings, Montana. On the way we will drop down and ride through Spearfish Canyon, before leaving South Dakota. We've met some really nice people along the way who have given us some good ideas for riding, sight-seeing trips in Montana. Tomorrow we will settle in at the Residence Inn in Billings, Mt., get some laundry done and unload the bike. Thursday, Donna and I will go to a ballroom dancing class and rent period costumes for a 1880's Ball Thursday evening in Hardin, Mt. On Friday, we will ride the Long Horn Mountains, go to Sheridan, Wyoming and Red Lodge, Montana.
Donna shot some video of our ride today and I am uploading it for your enjoyment. Enjoy the photos and video.
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Cynthia and Ken
Cynthia Bennett
Rount Mushmore
Thank you for sending the text message. I received it within minutes of it being sent and got a little emotional thinking of you being at that location. Does it feel a little like a foreign country with the different landscape and vistas ? I think the face of the mount was carved to remind all Americans so far away from the east, where our nation's early history occurred, why we are one huge nation.