National Treasures

I've seen a lot of great things since I last had a chance to blog. When I last wrote I was on my way to Mt. Rushmore. I made it there successfully and it was just as awe inspiring as I had hoped it would be, there just wasn't a whole lot to do there besides look at the monument. After visiting Rushmore, I found a KOA to stay at for the evening. It was crammed with people and RVs and screaming kids. My campsite was across the street from the playground which was kind of terrible. The campsite itself was a whopping two car spaces big with a picnic table. My neighbors were cool though and I had an opportunity to take a hot shower and do my laundry both of which were much needed. On the plus side, the weather was perfect for sleeping and I actually ended up getting a really good night's rest.

Monday morning 7/25, I got the bike packed up and got on the road. The Black Hills of South Dakota are amazing. It was absolutely the best motorcycle riding I've ever had. Lots of elevation changes, sweeping curves, and hairpin turns. I rode the Needles highway, Spearfish Canyon, and even passed through Deadwood, SD. Once out of Spearfish Canyon, I connected with I-90 West in order to get to the Wyoming welcome center. I picked up a state map and campground guide there. After that I proceeded to the Devil's Tower National Monument.

Pictures can't convey what an awesome spectacle the Devil's Tower is. It was just massive. I walked some of the 1.5 mile trail that surrounds the base of the tower and it was quite tranquil. Lot's of pine trees and woodland creatures scurrying about. As I was getting ready to leave, storm clouds were rolling in. Since I was headed in the opposite direction, I didn't think that I needed to rain gear up. 20 minutes later I was pulled over on the side of the road doing just that because it started raining. I really got dumped on when I got to Moorcroft, SD to stop for gas and grocieries, but as quickly as the driving rains came, they stopped. I kept going and rode through Buffalo, SD and by this time the sun was starting to set, the ride was getting cold, and I needed to find a place to stop. The Bighorn National Forest has lots of little off of the road campgrounds to stay at and I found one called Lake Side about 45 minutes outside of Buffalo. The campsites are exactly as the name states and are on the side of a lake. It was a really gorgeous setting. I found the site that I wanted to stay at and went to go pay for it at the camp entrance. As I was pulling out of the site, Pikachu decided to buck me off. I was going downhill, in the sand, and hit a pothole that I didn't see. The next thing I knew, the bike was on the ground and I was thrown from it. I'm glad I had my helmet on, because I bounced my nugget right on the ground. I hopped up and quickly determined that I wasn't injured. My next thought was to get the bike picked up as quickly as possible. I had just filled up my tank and didn't want it spilling all over the ground (or on my gear). That bike is heavy when it's all loaded up and I had trouble getting a foot hold in the sand to be able to leverage the bike back up. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts I finally stood it back up. There was no noticeable damage so I rode it up, paid for my campsite, and got a bundle of firewood so my camp would have some light because the sun had just about set and I still needed to set my stuff up. I had another great night of sleeping weather.

I woke up on Tuesday eager to get to Yellowstone. The road to Yellowstone went through Cody, Wyoming and once on the other side of Cody the wind really picked up and made riding difficult. I had to take a break just to collect my wits and be able to continue. The only things I wanted to do in Yellowstone were see Old Faithful and get a campsite. I was unprepared for how beautiful Yellowstone was and how massive. The park is huge. It was about 60 miles from the entrance where I entered and Old Faithful. At any rate, there were no campsites to be had so I figured I'd just go see Old Faithful erupt and then proceed to Gardiner, MT to get a hotel for the night (54 miles away through the park). By the time I got to the geyser it had just erupted and I needed to wait 90 minutes before I could see it. Old Faithful was cool, but the other big geyser nearby called the Beehive I believe, put on a much more spectacular show. I didn't end up leaving until 8:30 and the sun was setting fast. Before long it was gone and I was faced with the prospect of navigating my way down a mountain in pitch black. It was quite a harrowing journey and I don't think that I went faster than 25MPH getting out of there. If you are doing the math, yes it took me two hours to get to Gardiner and by that time all of Gardiner's hotels were booked and all of the private campgrounds offices were closed. My only prospect for getting a room was to drive north to Livingston, MT which was another 52 miles away at night. There is NOTHING between Gardiner and Livingston either except a bunch of signs warning of "Wildlife Crossing." I was able to get behind a tractor trailer and follow it to Livingston so I didn't feel completely alone. I finally got a room at the Parkway Budget Host hotel.

Over the last couple of days I've really been able to experience the vast array of natural beauty that the United States has to offer. Now that I've been able to see it in person, I have a much better appreciation for it.

I'm now 804 miles away from Seattle and have four days to get there where I'll meet Laela and Miranda. I can't wait!