Rapid City
Well, we had some pretty rough days! The trip to Hardin was a hoot, left @ 0730, it was cool (67 - 95 degrees) with a nice tailwind. Arrived in Hardin and was waiting for the girl @ DQ to unlock the door for lunch. Man, ice cream has never tasted so good!!! Hardin has a great community center with a full sized Olympic pool inside. We camped out behind the High School, the port-a-potties were about 100 yards away. We had a sudden evening thunder storm that helped cool us off. Getting used to sleeping these odd damn hours, usually in bed by 2100 and up by 0500.
The big day was Sheridan to Gillette, 109 miles, 103 degrees, 20 mile per hour headwind's the last 30 miles. The morning started out well, cooler with hardly any wind, first 60 miles fairly flew by. Rode with different groups of people and just really enjoyed myself! @ the 71 mile mark there was major construction, we stopped @ Spotted Horse, Wyo. population 2, the owner/bartender of the saloon and his wife/cook. It had A/C and was dark inside. I had a Polish sausage (a huge, home made one) and a coke and bottle of gatorade. I loved the sausage for the 10 min it took to ate it and it loved me every time I belched for the next 3 hours, as I plowed into the blazing hot and windy finish. We had to wait for an hour for the pilot truck to move us and our bikes thru the construction, 4 miles. Everyone was in camp by 1745, one of the best times ever according to Paula, the ride director, and as we rode into the city park where we camped there was one of those Shaved Ice stand/trailer sitting there. The ALAW bought us shaved ice and it never tasted so cold, wet, and wonderful as that day. I had 3 in about 15 minutes, talk about brain freeze! That night we had a monster thunderstorm, lightening (close too!), thunder, wind, and short intense rain. Everyone was out helping tie down tents, I was lashing down my rain fly and when I went to crawl back inside my tent my Thermarest mattress wasn't there, I took quick walk about and didn't see it, so I went back into my tent to look again but it wasn't there. I then started walking down wind from my tent, amongst the other tents to see if it was stuck against one of them. As I walked towards the busy road, Mark (one of the staff) was holding my mattress. He said he saw it fly by about 10 feet in the air, it lit on the road, one car hit it and it was stuck on the front of the car for about 10 yards and then it flew off and another car ran over it! Sure as shit it has a tiremark right down the middle of it, it still works though. It's one tough muther!!! Maybe they could use this story for advertisement!
Yesterday we left Newcastle, Wyo. and crossed into South Dakota. I rode with the "Big Dogs" (Dave W., Moon, and Justin), we rode to Custer, SD. on route and then split off to ride to Mount Rushmore. Rode by Crazy Horse Monument, stopped @ the gate, they wanted $4 per person to get in, we took pics and then rode on. The roads, all in all, were not too bad, and neither was the traffic. I have been to Rushmore more times than I can count, but this was certainly different, the climbs were not that bad coming around from the backside of the monument, we scooted in thru a locked gate and rode right up to the entrance, locked up our bikes and walked right in. None of the guys had ever seen it before so I got to enjoy their awe of this great place. We walked around the shop, had a cold drink and some ice cream and sat for a while, it was starting to get pretty hot by then. On the road from Rushmore to Keystone Moon and I bombed down, had a Rent-me Motorhome with rookie driver all over the road @ 30-35 mph. We passed him right @ the top and when I hit a 35 mph curve @ 54 mph I got a little spooked and sat up to slow myself down. We stopped for ice water in Keystone and then proceeded up 4 miles of 10% grade to get out of town. The rest of the trip was up and down with 2 other descents above 50 mph. Arrived in Rapid City about 1530, hauled our gear up to our rooms in the dorm, they are AIR CONDITIONED, and then quick shower and to supper in cafeteria. Gee, spaghetti again!
Moon and I rode over to the bike shop, about 1 mile away, and on our way back there was a train across the tracks, so we took an alley way and some side streets and came across one of the local "watering holes", stopped to have a beer, and after being invited to a table full of locals ended up drinking 3 mugs full. By that time the rest of the gang was downtown, so we rode to meet them. It was an interesting night, "Rabid City" (as one of the locals called it) has the distinction of having one of the worst "dive" bars I have ever been in. The "girl", who was more buff than the bouncer, checked all our ID's @ the door, yes, mine too, 1st time I have been carded in about 20 years. Our hair cuts looked conservative compared to the other clientele in the place. Only one other guy in bar older than I was, Rambo, the bouncer. 51 years old, looked much older, 5' 5", 160 lbs, balding, with 3" thick glasses. He was really wasted, drinking 22 oz cans of Colt 45 malt liquor. We only stayed for 1 drink there and then headed back to the dorm, I stopped @ Taco John's and was in bed in dorm by midnight.
Doing wash this AM while blogging, it is supposed to be 110 degrees today, I may just stay here and order a pizza for chow so I can skip the heat.
The big day was Sheridan to Gillette, 109 miles, 103 degrees, 20 mile per hour headwind's the last 30 miles. The morning started out well, cooler with hardly any wind, first 60 miles fairly flew by. Rode with different groups of people and just really enjoyed myself! @ the 71 mile mark there was major construction, we stopped @ Spotted Horse, Wyo. population 2, the owner/bartender of the saloon and his wife/cook. It had A/C and was dark inside. I had a Polish sausage (a huge, home made one) and a coke and bottle of gatorade. I loved the sausage for the 10 min it took to ate it and it loved me every time I belched for the next 3 hours, as I plowed into the blazing hot and windy finish. We had to wait for an hour for the pilot truck to move us and our bikes thru the construction, 4 miles. Everyone was in camp by 1745, one of the best times ever according to Paula, the ride director, and as we rode into the city park where we camped there was one of those Shaved Ice stand/trailer sitting there. The ALAW bought us shaved ice and it never tasted so cold, wet, and wonderful as that day. I had 3 in about 15 minutes, talk about brain freeze! That night we had a monster thunderstorm, lightening (close too!), thunder, wind, and short intense rain. Everyone was out helping tie down tents, I was lashing down my rain fly and when I went to crawl back inside my tent my Thermarest mattress wasn't there, I took quick walk about and didn't see it, so I went back into my tent to look again but it wasn't there. I then started walking down wind from my tent, amongst the other tents to see if it was stuck against one of them. As I walked towards the busy road, Mark (one of the staff) was holding my mattress. He said he saw it fly by about 10 feet in the air, it lit on the road, one car hit it and it was stuck on the front of the car for about 10 yards and then it flew off and another car ran over it! Sure as shit it has a tiremark right down the middle of it, it still works though. It's one tough muther!!! Maybe they could use this story for advertisement!
Yesterday we left Newcastle, Wyo. and crossed into South Dakota. I rode with the "Big Dogs" (Dave W., Moon, and Justin), we rode to Custer, SD. on route and then split off to ride to Mount Rushmore. Rode by Crazy Horse Monument, stopped @ the gate, they wanted $4 per person to get in, we took pics and then rode on. The roads, all in all, were not too bad, and neither was the traffic. I have been to Rushmore more times than I can count, but this was certainly different, the climbs were not that bad coming around from the backside of the monument, we scooted in thru a locked gate and rode right up to the entrance, locked up our bikes and walked right in. None of the guys had ever seen it before so I got to enjoy their awe of this great place. We walked around the shop, had a cold drink and some ice cream and sat for a while, it was starting to get pretty hot by then. On the road from Rushmore to Keystone Moon and I bombed down, had a Rent-me Motorhome with rookie driver all over the road @ 30-35 mph. We passed him right @ the top and when I hit a 35 mph curve @ 54 mph I got a little spooked and sat up to slow myself down. We stopped for ice water in Keystone and then proceeded up 4 miles of 10% grade to get out of town. The rest of the trip was up and down with 2 other descents above 50 mph. Arrived in Rapid City about 1530, hauled our gear up to our rooms in the dorm, they are AIR CONDITIONED, and then quick shower and to supper in cafeteria. Gee, spaghetti again!
Moon and I rode over to the bike shop, about 1 mile away, and on our way back there was a train across the tracks, so we took an alley way and some side streets and came across one of the local "watering holes", stopped to have a beer, and after being invited to a table full of locals ended up drinking 3 mugs full. By that time the rest of the gang was downtown, so we rode to meet them. It was an interesting night, "Rabid City" (as one of the locals called it) has the distinction of having one of the worst "dive" bars I have ever been in. The "girl", who was more buff than the bouncer, checked all our ID's @ the door, yes, mine too, 1st time I have been carded in about 20 years. Our hair cuts looked conservative compared to the other clientele in the place. Only one other guy in bar older than I was, Rambo, the bouncer. 51 years old, looked much older, 5' 5", 160 lbs, balding, with 3" thick glasses. He was really wasted, drinking 22 oz cans of Colt 45 malt liquor. We only stayed for 1 drink there and then headed back to the dorm, I stopped @ Taco John's and was in bed in dorm by midnight.
Doing wash this AM while blogging, it is supposed to be 110 degrees today, I may just stay here and order a pizza for chow so I can skip the heat.
posted by ltsullivan3 at 9:18 AM
1 Comments:
Fly, Speeding Mohawk! Fly!
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