Mel & Trinity

After a fantastic few days in Michigan, I caught a ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee on Tuesday, 24 June headed for the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. While waiting for the ferry I met Doug, a superintendent for the Rapid City school district. Doug was on a Harley and was also headed to the Badlands so we decided to ride together.

Doug was keen to get to Sioux Falls that night – a 530 mile ride from Milwaukee. I had never ridden that far in one day and definitely not after a few pints the night before, so I was not expecting to join Doug the whole way.

Between a nice pace, stops every 1.5-2 hours and a lot of Neil Diamond running through my head, I made it all the way with Doug. I was so chuffed!

Meet Doug.

Once we were out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the ride was beautiful. The farms in Minnesota were particularly gorgeous, primarily because the fields were a deep green after all of the rain. The eastern side of South Dakota was flatter and less interesting but all I can remember was seeing billboards for Wall Drug (there are 313 of them in total – I Googled it, I didn’t count them).

The sun was setting as we drove into Sioux Falls and it was absolutely stunning! The sky was a gorgeous pink and there was not a cloud in the sky. It could not have been a more perfect setting to finish the day.

We found a hotel near a bar and popped over for a beer and a bite to eat before heading off to sleep. Doug was meeting students that were at a Science camp in Custer State Park and he needed to be there by 2pm. This meant an early start.

We got to Wall Drug at about 12pm. Doug popped into Wall Drug and then Harley Davidson with me and then we said our goodbyes. It was such a pleasure to have spent 36 hours with Doug. He had such a laidback nature and warm smile. I will not forget either.

After lunch in Wall Drug I rode to the Badlands National Park and entered via the Pinnacles Entrance. The park is set around one long east-west running road. I first rode west which soon became a dirt road and stopped at Robert Prairie Dog Town where there was a large herd of Bison.

After 10 minutes of watching the Bison, I turned around and rode east through the park, stopping a number of times to look around and take photos. The Badlands National Park is stunning! Due to the rain, the grass was high and flowers were blooming. One of the locals said this was one of the best years to visit the park. I’m glad I timed it so well!

Below are photos of the Badlands.

I booked into the Days Inn, which was reasonably priced. Doing my washing there that night would cost me dearly, as I discovered later that week, but more about that in the next post.

The morning of the 27th June I went to see the Story of Wounded Knee Museum before leaving Wall. How depressing! I didn’t know the history but basically 400 Lakota Indians, mostly women and children, were slaughtered at Wounded Knee. The attack was unprovoked and the tribe was unarmed. It was shocking and incredibly sad.

I left Wall headed for Mt Rushmore. It was a scenic ride and I loved Mt Rushmore. I have always wanted to see it in person.

Growing increasingly conscience that something was not quite right with me, I ate Bison Stew, thinking this would be as close to organic meat as I was going to get in a restaurant. It was good!

Below are photos of Mt Rushmore.

From Mt Rushmore I rode south on Highway 16A towards Custer State Park. The ride was incredible with its twists, turns and tunnels. At one point you could see Mt Rushmore framed by one of the tunnels. It was stunning and the image is engraved in my mind.

I loved Custer State Park eventhough I only saw two buck. There were a number of signs saying, ‘Bison are dangerous, don’t approach them’ but I didn’t see any. That was slightly disappointing but I did manage to do a good stretch of off-road riding, which was great. I definitely need to get more used to riding off-road.

Below are a few photos of Custer State Park.

That night I stayed in Custer and had my first Hog shank, which was absolutely delicious and probably one of my favourite meals on this trip. The town itself was  really cute and quaint. The Painted Bison statues in the main street were delightful and clearly compensation for the lack of Bison the Custer State Park (at least that day).

The 28th June was dedicated to two sights – the Wind Caves National Park and Crazy Horse Monument.

I enjoyed Wind Caves but mostly for the fantastic tour guide, Anthony from Puerto Rico, who’s storytelling brought the place to life. Because the Wind Caves are ‘dry caves’ there are no stalagmites or stalactites, which is what I really love, so I didn’t find them as exciting as other caves that I have been to. The ‘boxes’ in the caves, which looked like massive spiderwebs, where however very unique and beautiful.

Meet Anthony – the lovely Ranger at Wind Caves.

I arrived at Crazy Horse Memorial at about 4pm. Construction of the mountain carving started in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski, who was commissioned by Chief Henry Standing Bear, to carve a 172m monument of Crazy Horse into the Black Hills. The monument, once completed, will represent Crazy Horse riding a horse and pointing out to the fields. It is intended to capture the spirit of the Indian people.

The memorial is funded by admissions and donations and is therefore slow in the making. It will take a few more decades to complete but once complete will stand taller than the Washington Monument.

As I turned off to visit the memorial there were two Harley riders in front of me. I stopped to take a photo of the sign outside, which says ‘Never Forget your Dreams’. I heard the rider at the back saying, ‘It’s $7 to get in if that’s what you’re looking for’. ‘Thanks’, I said. ‘I was just taking a photos of the sign’, I explained.

When I arrived up at the parking area I saw the two riders and the same guy called me over to park with them. The parking lot was full so that was very sweet. As I approached he said, ‘Oh, you’re a girl. I just noticed it from your legs’. I giggled and said, ‘Yeah, I am a skinny ass’.

This is how I met Steve and Marvin, two retired truck drivers from Oregon.

I ended up spending the next 2.5 hours with Steve and Marvin. We first took the guided bus tour to see the monument and then attended an exhibition by a couple from the Lakota tribe who performed traditional singing and dancing. They also spoke about the history of their people. It was incredibly interesting and beautiful.

Steve and Marvin were absolute sweethearts. It was so nice to have spent the afternoon with them. Meet my Oregon grandpa’s.

I arrived at Deadwood around 9pm that night. The nearest restaurant was a 15 minute walk away so it was nice to stretch my legs before having a relatively early night.

In the morning I went to see Deadwood’s Historical District. It was what I expect Blackpool in the UK to look like but it was fun. My favourite thing, by far, was however the distillery. It sold all sorts of things made from Moonshine, which reminded me of my time with Amanda and Dustin in Knoxville. It brought back so many fantastic memories!

After about two hours of walking around I left for Sturgis. I was warned that there isn’t much there unless the motorcycle rally is on but I wanted to see it. As it turned out there was a Camaro Rally on so there were Camaro’s on display everywhere. My dad would have loved it!

I spent about an hour walking around looking at the cars and shops before visiting the motorcycle museum. The museum was great, although not as spectacular as The Ride Through Time in Maggie Valley. That remains my all time favourite.

Like Michigan, South Dakota was a fabulous surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety that the State has to offer.

I had planned to go to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota but the mountains were calling me and I had to go.