Man, Motorcycle, Mountains Day 2

Man, Motorcycle, Mountains

Day 2 -- The Badlands

It was clear and 61 degrees when I got headed west this morning at 630, the leather jacket felt good and I kept it on until about 1100.  I left the crop land behind, and the landscape changed to hay fields and cattle.  The towns were spaced further apart and contained nothing fancy, just gas stations, farm supply stores, and implement companies.

I decided it wise to keep my tank topped-off as I never knew how far before I'd find more gas.

Instead of GPS, I opted for the more reliable PPNS (paper and pen navigation system)  Simply write down your route in big print and place in magnetic holder on your gas tank.  Foolproof!  Was fun to watch the GPS constantly be outdone by the PPNS.  The most useful thing the GPS does is give you a rough estimate of how far to where you are going to end up.

This is what the landscape looked like about mid day.  I began battling crosswinds, which must be enevitable if you travel west.  Makes for white knuckles and more calories burned, leaning your bike into the wind and driving down the road leaned to one side.  Its still fun.

The best I could do for lunch was a bratwurst at a convenience store/casino, even had to stand up to eat.  Sure would have been nicer to eat a dog at the Kum and Go on Gateway Drive!

This is the only picture taken of me today, a stranger took pity on me in the badlands and offered.

This is a view of Big Foot Pass in the Badlands.  I really doubt that squatches would live in an area without trees and fresh water.  Just sayin.

Stopped in the town of Wall, SD to see the world famous Wall Drugs.  Worth stopping for, but really just another tourist trap.  I enjoyed getting a break from the heat and seeing old pharmacy, where the pharmacist actually filled a real prescription while I was there.

80 miles later I arrived at the motorcyle unofficial pilgrimage site of Sturgis.  Got me a T-shirt at the Sturgis Harley Davidson Dealership, had a nice dinner, then returned to the campground where I will be camping tonight.  I'll let you know tomorrow if I liked camping or not.

This is my tent, a one-man variety, and a mummy bag.  Should be cozy! I'm setting up by the camp office using WIFI to write the blog, it is 96 degrees at 630 pm.  When it cools off some, I'm going to take a shower if I have enough quarters for the coin opperated shower.  There is a McDonalds a block away that I plan to have breakfast at before I head out to explore the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.