Day 6 - September 2, 2011 (Part 1)

Look who joined us at our cabin for breakfast! Yes, that's our chair and fire pit. I was in the shower with shampoo in my eyes when Sid raced in to the bathroom INSISTING I get out of the shower RIGHT NOW!!! In response to my exclamation, "I'm naked and I have soap in my eyes!" Sid said, "Put on a towel and get outside NOW!"

I was certain there was a gas leak or a snake in the cabin, so I grabbed the towel and ran out to the front porch of the cabin. Imagine my surprise to find a herd of buffalo surrounding our cabin and the other cabins nearby...of course, all the other cabin inhabitants were standing silently on their porches (fully-clothed) with CAMERAS!


Sid looks calm, but he wasn't. We were all mesmerized watching the buffalo graze all around us, our truck, our bike, our trailer...you get the picture. There were only the sounds of munching and grunting as the herd grazed and moved slowly around finally settling in for a rest period that lasted several hours.


This cute calf was enthralled with us, staring fixedly at us on the porch...maybe my brightly-colored blue and green beach towel caught his attention...hmmm. Naturally, we looked around for mama buffalo in case she felt we were threatening to her baby. I took about a hundred photos, but I won't post them all...don't worry.


I could practically touch this one! Later, we talked with the staff at the Blue Bell Lodge where we had a late breakfast. The manager told me this had NEVER happened before. The herd always stays south of the lodge and does not pass through the cabin area EVER! She said the entire kitchen staff vacated the restaurant to go outside and look at the herd milling about around the cabins. What fun that we were there for this unlikely event!

I will post Part 2 later. We went to Devil's Tower and I took some really good photos of that spectacular and sacred site. Sid is waiting at the bike for me to get on so we can explore two nearby national parks...more to come...

Day 5 - September 1, 2011

Of course, we visited Crazy Horse Memorial, which I had visited in 1970 with my family. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear officially started Crazy Horse Memorial June 3, 1948. The Memorial's mission is to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. Chief Henry Standing Bear and other Native American elders who invited Korczak to carve Crazy Horse Memorial insisted that the Memorial be located in the Black Hills because they are sacred to the Lakota. They also insisted that the Memorial be named after Crazy Horse because he is a great American Indian hero. He is a hero not only because of his skill in battle, but also because of his character and his loyalty to his people. He is remembered for how he cared for the elderly, the ill, the widowed and the children.

Personally, I believe this memorial began in direct response to the completion of the Mount Rushmore Memorial in 1941. Native American elders were not pleased that the carving at Mount Rushmore depicted only White Men in a land that had sacred significance to Native Americans. When Korczak Ziolkowski returned to the Black Hills after accepting the challenge to carve a memorial "so the White Man would know the Red Man has great heroes also," he discovered local businesses displaying signs that said, "We do not serve Indians." The local hostility toward Native Americans ran very deep.


Education is the key to future success of Native American youth who are faced with surviving and competing in today's society. The Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is committed to taking an active role in their educational endeavors. Korczak quickly saw that the mountain carving could ultimately serve a larger purpose. He envisioned the mountain carving as a symbol that would instill pride in the Native American. But he also saw it as a means to promote reconciliation among the races and, further, as a revenue source that would fund an educational institution for Native Americans. Korczak, an orphan who was largely self-taught, and who funded his own schooling, strongly believed that education was an important key to resolving the dilemma of being a Native American in a white society.


This is close to the way the carving looked in 1970 when we visited. My mother spent some time with Korczak's wife, Ruth, who ran the concessions and watched their 10 children while Korczak worked alone on the mountain. Korczak would not accept government funding because he believed the government would not honor the goals of the memorial. Korczak believed that if the public accepted the goals of Crazy Horse Memorial, they would support it financially. He believed in individual initiative and private enterprise. Korczak wanted to ensure the long-range goals of the Memorial, not just the mountain carving.

The work is solely supported by private gifts, admission and concessions. Because of several factors, such as the uncertainty of the weather, the availability of financing and the challenges of the mountain engineering, there is no way to predict a completion date for the mountain carving. When Korczak died on October 20, 1982, his parting words to his wife were, "You must work on the mountain -- but go slowly so you do it right." Crazy Horse Memorial is a project that will never end, even after the mountain carving is complete. The Ziolkowski family and the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation are dedicated to making careful and steady progress on all of the Memorial's humanitarian goals as well as on the mountain carving. Seven of Korczak's children have dedicated their life work to the Memorial.


After leaving Crazy Horse Memorial, we headed to Sturgis, SD, home of the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which just ended on August 14th. On the scenic drive to Sturgis, we passed the stunning Pactola Dam and Reservoir, an important water control source for a large region and a gorgeous place to spend the day. What a delightful surprise!

We visited a few shops and drove through the historic town where the vendors were busily getting ready for the Labor Day weekend Mustang Rally. Everywhere we looked were shiny Mustangs (cars, not horses) and their proud owners. It looks like it will be a great rally and the weather is just perfect for it! Tomorrow, we head to Devil's Tower.

Day 4 - August 31, 2011 (Part 2)

I have so much to share about this memorial, but no time to share it now. Sid is waiting for me to go to Devil's Tower. I will post my photos for now... Oh! There are buffalo in the cabin yard!!!





A parting shot as we left the memorial -- Washington peeking out at us as we drove by!

Day 4 - August 31, 2011 (Part 1)

After a delicious meal of buffalo ribeye in the lodge for our first evening at Custer State Park (Day 3), Sid built a fire in the cabin's fire pit and we began making plans for Day 4: breakfast in the cabin, scenic drive on Iron Mountain Road to Mount Rushmore just in time for lunch followed by sight seeing at the monument. It's a plan!

Day 4 was glorious, warm, sunny with blue skies -- a perfect day for a motorcycle ride in the Black Hills of South Dakota! We jumped on the bike and made our way around the park to the Wildlife Loop, a scenic road that is sure to give you a view of some of the animals who call Custer State Park home. Upon entering the loop, we paid attention to the sign that warned, "Buffalo are dangerous. Do not approach." Enough said for us -- no plans for approaching buffalo today, Less than 10 minutes later, we were stopped on the road greeted by the following sight:



Yes, we were surrounded by buffalo, hundreds of them! I had watched several videos on YouTube showing buffalo attacking motorcycles at the State Park, in particular, mama buffalo would challenge motorcycles that presented a threat to their calves. I had told Sid about the videos. In response, Sid turned off the motorcycle engine to reduce the appearance of a threat for the buffalo. We sat in silence, offering up fervent prayers and hoping we wouldn't wet our pants! Folks, these photos do not really show you how huge these animals are, especially in relationship to the size of a motorcycle. I was shaking so much that I'm surprised I managed to get a few clear photos of the herd. It was an unforgettable experience!

Imagine our horror when a precious little calf stood stock still in front of the bike...


...then Mama showed up to protect her young from us!



Needless to say we were relieved when we made it safely through the herd and were on our way about 45 minutes later. In fact, we were hardly fazed by the small herd (about 35 head) of wild burros we met just around the bend.

Day 3 - August 30, 2011

Even though we had more than 360 miles to travel before reaching Custer State Park, I was anxious to stop in Mitchell, SD, to see the Corn Palace, a folk-art wonder of the South Dakota prairie. My family had visited there in 1970...or 1971, and I wanted to see if it was similar to what I remembered.

The original Corn Palace, called "The Corn Belt Exposition" was established in 1892. Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the building exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil. The Palace is redecorated each year with naturally colored corn and other grains and native grasses to make it “the agricultural showplace of the world.” Local artists use 13 different colors or shades of corn to decorate the Corn Palace: red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, calico, yellow and green. All shades of corn are grown in fields around Mitchell!

A different theme is chosen each year by the Corn Festival Committee, and murals are designed to reflect that theme. Ear by ear the corn is nailed to the Corn Palace to create a scene. More than a half million tourists visit the Corn Palace each year. Inside the building is a multi-purpose facility that is used for the annual Corn Festival, sporting events, concerts and private use. In addition, historical photos of each Corn Palace theme are displayed. I took a photo of the 1970 palace photo, and it looks much like I remembered it from that long-ago trip of my youth.


Here is the Corn Palace in 2011:


I took this close-up of the 2011 biker mural on the southeast corner of the building. Hopefully, you can see some of the detail showing the individual corn cobs. What an interesting place.


After a quick visit to the remarkable retail showroom, Cabela's, the World's Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, we were back on I-90 making our way west across the prairie. They say you can see for 9.6 miles from I-90 to the horizon, and we believe it. In addition to corn fields, we passed thousands of acres of sunflowers. I can't imagine how gorgeous it must be when the flowers are in full bloom! Since we were speeding by at 75 mph, I couldn't get a good photo of the flowers, but not because I didn't try. I just reviewed about a dozen blurry images not worthy of posting -- especially since it takes 12 minutes to upload one photo on this slow internet connection.

We were so pleased to see a change in the scenery as we approached Badlands National Park. A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often difficult to navigate by foot. Badlands often have a spectacular color display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays of red and yellow. There are a number of well-known badlands in North and South America. I did my best to capture the beauty of this park, but my photos just don't do it justice. I understand the park is simply spectacular just after a rainstorm. The colors must be amazing.




Finally, after 1320 miles, we reached our destination Custer State Park, specifically the Blue Bell Lodge cabin we had reserved for seven days. We were greeted at our cabin by a rather calm wild rabbit who munched on clover while we unpacked and settled in to our new digs. Our spacious cabin has a large living space along with a kitchenette and large bathroom. A big porch and fire pit complete the scene. It has been a quiet, relaxing retreat just filled with wildlife including bighorn sheep, mule deer, white tailed deer, and bison (aka North American Buffalo)...more about that in the Day 4 post!


Our little cabin in South Dakota!<
br /> Our rig at Custer State Park.

Day 2 - August 29, 2011

Another day of chewing up the miles. Our plan is to travel west on I-70 across Missouri to Kansas City, then turn north following I-29 along the Missouri River past Omaha (Nebraska), Sioux City (Iowa), finally reaching southeast South Dakota at Sioux Falls, and ending at Mitchell, SD -- about 600 miles. That is hard driving for us, but we had high hopes! Well, we were surprised to find that I-29 was closed at Rock Port, MO, due to the flooding of the Missouri River, nearly 60 miles south of Omaha. We were so stunned by the flooded farm houses and barns that I didn't even take any photos! We followed the detour signs through tiny Rock Port, stopping for gasoline and news. I spoke to the two women working at the convenience store about the flood and the impact on their community. The said the flooding took place in June and that I-29 wouldn't be re-opened until "next year sometime." The flood had "ruined our crops, closed our towns, devastated our levees, and ruined businesses." Then, they proceeded to show me a map and discuss our travel plans. They directed us north on two-lane Highway 59 to Interstate 80 in Iowa, saying that we should be able to re-connect with I-29 north of there and continue to South Dakota. Here's a story about the impact of the flood. I read many such stories after googling 'I-29 closing' on the internet. Sid and I were surprised that we weren't aware of the long-term devastation caused by the flooding of the Missouri River.

Although we knew we wouldn't reach our destination of Mitchell, SD, because of the detour, we were back on the two-lane highways that we prefer. Traveling through the small towns of America, seeing the mailboxes and homes of residents, is our kind of trip! We were delighted by the number of windfarms found in the middle of acres and acres of corn fields on this unexpected route. After 576 miles, we settled in for the night in Sioux Falls, SD, with some frozen concoction and protein bars for dinner!

Day 1 - August 28, 2011

Our first day on the road was uneventful. We knew we would spend our first two days getting mileage behind us as we made our way to the western side of South Dakota. Unlike our typical bike trips, we spent the entire day on Interstates -- from Tennessee to St. Louis, Missouri. It's a great way to chew up the miles, a miserable way to see America and meet interesting people -- our ultimate objective. We spent the night at Foristell, Missouri, just 30 miles west of St. Louis, nearly 400 miles from our haven in Fayette County, Tennessee. It seems like we will never get to the Black Hills.