After Sturgis 2009 Day 5

Our last full day in Rapid City started with a run of 2 miles, then a trip to the laundromat. I figure that going home with clean clothes is a bonus! Andrew slept a little longer while I did two loads, dried and folded.

When I got back to the hotel we got ready to ride Nemo Road on our way to Deadwood. Shortly after leaving the hotel it started to rain. We rode from Rapid City to Deadwood in the rain, none-the-less it was still scenic and there was little traffic. Many call Nemo Road, Nemo Canyon as you get the feeling you are in a Canyon since there are canyon walls on one side or the other throughout the ride. We passed through a little unincorporated town of Nemo that had small one room cabins for rent overlooking canyon walls across the street.

When we got to Deadwood it was evident, Sturgis Bike Week is now just a memory. The town itself was very dead! During Bike Week you can't find a spot to park, today you could park anywhere. After checking out some of the souvenir shops we headed to Mustang Sally's for yet another hotdog, chips and lemonade.

As we left Deadwood we decided that Spearfish Canyon was calling our names and this would be the last time seeing the Canyon this trip. This time through the Canyon we picked up our speed a little and Andrew again handled his bike as though he has been riding for years! A stop was made at the falls for another photo opportunity.

We watched the weather report Friday night and it wasn't promising. The forecast called for rain most of the day Saturday and into Sunday on our way home. Saturday's ride would be from Rapid City to Albert Lea, Minnesota, some 515 miles. We decided to leave Rapid City by 4:00 AM instead of 5:00 as originally planned. Saturday was overcast all day, but no rain! We stopped at J&L Harley-Davidson in Sioux Falls since I had a broken isolator on the passenger backrest. The backrest is held in place by three rubber isolators and I knew I had broken one, possibly two and didn't want to lose the entire backrest unexpectedly. J&L was able to get us in and fix the isolator under warranty! The time it took was two hours because we arrived around 11:30 and at noon the entire serive department goes to lunch for 30 minutes. Once it was fixed we were on our way once again.

Around 4:30 we arrived in Albert Lea. We stopped at Bergdale Harley-Davidson next door from our hotel and Andrew doing his best Zman impersonation purchased his third Harley-Davidson t-shirt on this trip!

Sunday morning we left around 9:00 AM and later arrived back home in Watertown around 3:00. Our entire ride totaled 2404 miles! We had a great time with no real surprises other than how well Andrew handled his Honda Shadow. I have no doubt whenever he decides to move up in engine size, he will be able to ride safely.

After Sturgis 2009 Day 4

Day 4 started with a question, "Andrew how do you feel today?" His answer, "Let's ride the Needles!" Mount Rushmore was on our list of must sees while in Rapid City. It was a short ride on Hwy 16 to 16A through Keystone to what I feel is the most popular man-made spots in the US. Each time I've been at Mount Rushmore I have never seen the sky bluer. On the drive towards the Presidents you started to climb. As you wind your way through many twists and turns the faces of our nation got closer and bigger. Many photos were taken. Some history behind the Presidents is a room, 80' x 100' that is titled, "The Hall of Records". This room is located behind President Lincoln and has never been completed. The use of the room was to house many important documents related to the birth of the US and its' history.

After Mount Rushmore we rode west on Highway 244 to Highway 385 into Hill City and then Prairie Berry Winery just north of Hill City. I purchased one bottle of wine, Brianna. After we left the Winery we continued south on Highway 385 to Highway 87 otherwise called Needles Highway. We stopped at Sylvan Lake for a few photos then continued east on Needles Highway through two tunnels. Upon leaving the Needles we took the Wildlife Loop through Custer State Park. In the three previous years I have NEVER seen one Buffalo in the Park! The Ranger at the gate guaranteed us we would see a few. I've heard this before! Well, we didn't see a few.....we saw many! In fact, we had to come to a complete stop in order to allow them the right-of-way. You never want to tango with a Buffalo, especially on a motorcycle! We also saw some Prairie Dogs, Mules and Pronghorns. Just past the Game Lodge was a small grocery store for the campers of the Park. We stopped and grabbed a hotdog and water. During lunch I asked Andrew how he felt once again and he replied, "Good enough to tackle Iron Mountain Road and the Pigtails (photo)!" Or for you Youtube viewers watch it here.

Iron Mountain Road will test your skills to a whole new level. If you thought the Needles was intense, it was only a warm up as to what the switchbacks would throw at you! Not only were there a few 5 and 10 mph switchbacks, but also three tunnels that framed Mount Rushmore and the two pigtail bridges. Keep in mind that seldom was there a guard rail to be found just in case you went wide to keep you on course! Again, another shout out to John & Randy for giving Andrew the basics and for him having the desire to improve!

After Sturgis 2009 Day 3

Wednesday we decided to take it a little easy and wait until Thursday to do Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road depending upon how Andrew felt. Wednesday was reserved for the Canyons and Devil's Tower.

As we left Rapid City we headed West on I-90 just enough to allow a ride through Boulder Canyon, then onto Ice Box Canyon (we now know why they call it Ice Box.........it was sure cold!) and finally to Spearfish Canyon.
What I have never seen previously on the many trips to South Dakota was Roughlock Falls. The Falls are located between Lead and Spearfish within Spearfish Canyon. The drive from Spearfish Canyon to Roughlock Falls was on gravel and then afterwards about 50-60 miles on gravel as we rode CR-222 to CR-134. You need to be careful on these gravel roads for obvious reasons, the cattle! We had to stop and wait for them to move out of our way. Again, we weren't in any hurry, especially since any one of them could have taken both of us out including the bikes.

When we completed Spearfish Canyon I thought about the training Andrew had received again from Riders Edge. He handled the Canyons like he's done it before. We next drove into Spearfish and Black Hills University at Spearfish. This is where I have stayed on two previous trips to the Rally.

From here, we were only a few miles from the South Dakota/Wyoming State Line. Within an hour of Spearfish we found ourselves facing the 1st National Monument, Devils Tower. The legend states bears chased six Indian Maidens onto a small rock. Here the six prayed to the Gods to protect them from the bears. The rock started to grow towards the sky. After awhile the rock had grown so tall that the bears couldn't reach the Maidens. The bears didn't give up as they continued to claw at the sides of the rock. To this day you can still see the claw marks on the sides of Devil's Tower!

Prior to heading back to Rapid City we decided to go to Sturgis Harley-Davidson and then onto Bear Butte which is just a short drive northeast of Sturgis.

After Sturgis 2009 Day 2

Day 2 started out westbound on I-90 towards the Missouri River. As a note to SK, Budweiser has a new plant (distribution center?) east of Chamberlain, SD. At Chamberlain we headed north along the River. This route was approximately 100 mile detour from I-90, but if you find yourself on a motorcycle, then time shouldn't matter. This route is extremely scenic! We continued west into Pierre (Capital of SD) and Petersen's Harley-Davidson. As we left the dealership we were told to head north to the Oahe Dam, the world's 2nd largest plowed earth dam (used to be #1 until China built their's last year). We were forced to dirt roads on Hwy 34 west all the way to Pierre, some 40+ miles. Andrew got a taste of riding on gravel, grated roads, dirt and pee gravel during this jaunt. It really sucked! But an adventure none-the-less.

We talked to two different people today telling us about the hail storm that hit Sturgis Bike Week. One described the hail to be grapefruit sized the other baseball! A third party informed us that some of the bars in Sturgis kicked the customers out so that bikes could be brought in for protection. Gas tanks, speedometers and fenders sustained lots of damages. Good thing we decided to make the trek a week after the rally!

Once back on I-90 we continued to the Badlands. Before entering the Park, we stopped at the Conoco Service Station for some buffalo. We each had a buffalo hotdog for lunch! As always, it was very warm, no it was hot! A shout-out goes to John and Randy once again for wisdom of safe motorcycling taught to Andrew. If one has the will to ride safely and continues to practice by riding their "A" Game, then they should be able to handle whatever comes their way. I was concerned with Andrew's limited riding skills, however as the week went on, my concern was not warranted. His handling of the Badlands and later in Day 4 was much better than I anticipated!

South Dakota would not be complete without a stop in Wall and the famous Wall Drug. Again we found ourselves riding out of the Badlands towards Wall in freshly laid pee gravel! We arrived in Wall on the main drag again on freshly laid pee gravel! They informed us that the Highway Department waited until Sturgis Bike Week was over to start their maintenance work. Thanks guys! The water is always free at Wall Drug, too bad the ice cream isn't!

After Wall Drug we decided it was time to check into the Days Inn in Rapid City for the next four nights. This would be our home base where all our rides from here on out would originate from.

After Sturgis Ride 2009

Finally after months of planning, the day arrived in which Andrew and I would venture to South Dakota on our motorcycles. Monday morning couldn't arrive soon enough! By 4:45 AM we were leaving the driveway in 70 degree weather with humidity to match. The air was thick and the morning still dark. Our first stop was in Mauston at the Kwik Trip off of I-90 for gas (Andrew) and then breakfast at the McDonald's across from the gas station. G-nome got his first photo opp here to a confused employee! The next stop was in Winona where we both needed fuel. Andrew's tank is just a 3.7 including the reserve where mine is the new 6 gallon tank that Harley-Davidson introduced in 2007. The range of the larger tank is great for the Touring Rider. As we left the Kwik Trip in Winona we headed for Winona HD which was about double the size of my garage and they were closed. As we got back on I-90 heading west we passed The Spam Museum in Austin, MN (which we plan to visit on our way home if time permits). Just west of Austin is Albert Lea and home to Bergdale Harley-Davidson. We will be spending next Saturday night next door at Holiday Inn Express.

One last gas stop for the day in my Road Glide was just east of Sioux Falls. Andrew asked for some Bug Slide to clean his Nolan Modular Helmet. As we left the gas station I forgot to secure the right saddlebag and shortly after getting on I-90 Andrew rode up alone side me to point my mistake out. I pulled over immediately and secured the bag. G-none was still resting as were the soft lowers! A few miles later Andrew told me that my HD flat fitted cap blew out though! This forced us to make a stop at J&L Harley-Davidson in Sioux Falls, SD. After purchasing a new cap (same style) and have some gourmet coffee we headed for one last gas stop for Andrew. We later arrived at Days Inn in Mitchell after traveling 574.8 miles and came to rest at 4:39 PM. After the hot tub and waterslide, dinner was served to us by Rudy Tuesday as they advertised "free" delivery!

Tuesday the plan is to hit The Corn Palace, then the ride north and west alone the Missouri River, onto the Badlands and Wall Drug. Photos of our ride will be posted some time next week.