Road to Sturgis: Day Four

This was our leisurely day on the road to Sturgis. Our check in time in Spearfish is not until Tuesday. We took our time packing and leaving Sioux Falls, which suited me just fine. The South Dakota landscape is not as I remembered from our drive though here in the ‘90’s. It’s a lot greener it seems to me, and there is standing water in places one wouldn’t expect. More flooding? May be as we find ourselves crossing the Missouri once again. The weather is beautiful! We decide to stop in Mitchell to visit the Corn Palace. Now we know we should do this with Lee and Deb on the way back, and we don’t mind a second visit at all, but not being able to predict home bound weather or any other incident, like exploding bikes, we decide to take advantage of the moment.






Had lunch here. Andy checks out the "lady" upstairs.


I enjoy a chat with a local.

As we travel there are several things that are top most in our minds. One is that we both have memories of passing this way with the kids. We had stopped at many of these sites when they were young. The second is that we have not seen the number of bikers one would expect. Sure there a “pods” of two or three, but most of the motorcycles are heading east. This has us scratching our heads in bewilderment. Then we pay closer attention and see that many of the bikes heading west are in trailers and truck beds. Still not enough to account for what we have read about the numbers that converge each year in Sturgis.

Earlier in the day we put our finger on the map at a spot that seemed reasonable distance to Sturgis. Something that puts us in easy riding distance yet allows us to enjoy a bit of the area before our check in time at BHSU. That spot is Kadoka. We didn’t know much about Kadoka before we stopped here. The town has 736 residents according to the signs. After we check in we decide to follow more signs to the “business district.” A nice ride through town we thought. Around the block we went and were done with the evening ride in five minutes. So much for that idea. We put on our suits and took a dip in the pool instead. We had it all to ourselves too. The town is so small that Pat, yes that would be me, did not wear her riding jacket, helmet or gloves. What for? There are no cars, pedestrians or even animals to obstruct our way. Take a look at the photo of me with the buffalo if you need photographic proof.





Still not very hungry after our lunch in Mitchell, we once again opt for beer and appetizer. Beer is another item Pat does not typically indulge in more than a few times a year. Can’t say why it’s so appealing, but it hits the spot each evening. Oh, and yes, another first. Pat did not walk to her beer, but rode there and back; helmetless, jacketless and gloveless. Andy is beginning to wonder if Pat will be shopping for pasties when we hit Sturgis. Time will tell.

Road to Sturgis Day Three

We left Ottawa IL at 8:05 and set out sites West. With advice from a fellow New England Rider we have diverted to 80 from route 90 to avoid the Chicago area, which tends to be very congested. The roadside continues to grace us with farmland, although the corn sometimes changes to another crop, which I am not familiar with. The vegetation is low and a very deep green. As the miles slip beneath us, another “crop” pops into view; miles and miles of wind turbines. While people are divided on both sides of the wind power issue, I do not find the turbines a blight to the landscape at all. In fact, to me they are like a well choreographed dance, each turning in smooth rotation, synchronized in a delicate tribute while offering up to the energy hungry people of the US a food they consume like candy; electrical power.

Andy needs fuel so we pull off the highway and make a three mile trip into the nearest town, Anita. Well, here is my sister again, yesterday with the old Buick and today, her name plastered all over town, with banners waiving from power polls, and one big welcome sign saying “Anita, A Whale of a Town.” Well, it was a little whale; the main street was empty except for a few cars, and the place is very quite. On the way back to the highway, the slower pace along country road lets me watch the wind turbines in their graceful dance and feel awed by their majesty so up close and personal.




So far we have only met a few motorcyclist, which I find odd. At a rest stop we discover the possible reason why. We are along 680 heading toward 29 North to route 90. A few folks at the rest area tell us of all the flooding. Flooding? Then I remember all the news stories of the rapid snow melt to the north that has flooded great sections of the states south. We are fortunate as 29 North is open, but for those heading south it is still closed for many miles. We see the great destruction along this route with giant swaths carved right through the corn fields. The Missouri has spread wide beyond her banks, and local roads are still under water. Our route is often squeezed down to 2 lanes, one north bound and one southbound. Many of the bridges are newly reconstructed. We watch miles and miles of water covered landscape slip by us. It won’t be until October, from what we are made to understand, that this water will recede.

We pull off for the night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the Red Roof Inn. The rates are great, the room comfortable, and the place is biker friendly. I forgot to reset the trip meter on the GPS, but you can subtract yesterday’s and see that we rode 555 miles. We enjoy beer and nachos for dinner. Not exactly what you would think would hit the spot, but yesterday we ate a regular sit down and it seemed too much. Also, I think the salty chips may be something our bodies need as despite drinking lots of water, we still tend to feel parched.


(Can't figure out how to rotate this?)




Monday we will leave later, ride leisurely and pull off within striking distance of Sturgis. Our reservations are not until Tuesday at the Black Hills State University. We hope to arrive and spend some of the day in Sturgis on Tuesday before heading to Spearfish and checking in for 3:00 pm and meeting up with Lee and Deb.

Road to SturgisDay One and Day Two

Day 1
Platea; our stop for today in our journey to Sturgis, is a quaint town near Great Lake Erie in Pennsylvania. It was an uneventful day, which is really what you want when traveling 523 miles on a first leg. Our room here at the Green Roof Inn is quite the surprise with a hot tub in the room, which Andy is enjoying at the moment. Our light meal at the local pub rounded out the day and I will test that tub out for myself in a moment to get a kink or two out of my shoulders.

The traffic today was fairly pleasant. Although it does seem that our country is in dire need of milk and cookies, judging by the trucks on the road. Enjoy the few photos below, of our mileage for the day, our lodging, bonus hot tub and the restful view out the pub window.











Day2
Today, we get off the road in Ottowa Illinois, at a time we think is early enough for me to do a decent blog post. The surprise is on us, when we discover we’ve traveled through a time change, and while it’s still a decent hour here, my brain knows how long I’ve been riding. Today’s miles are 492.7, some of it is detours. Route 80 which we were advised to take to Des Moines, is actually under construction. The exit we needed to take was actually closed. The signs pointed us a few more exits down, but we took a wrong turn and had to back track a bit. While the construction didn’t slow us down too much, the east bound lane was at a standstill.

As for the weather, we encountered rain just west of Toledo, but it only lasted a half hour and actually felt good. It yesterday I thought the US needed milk and cookies today all we see is corn; corn for us, corn for our cars and probably corn for the hogs too. In fact, our lodgings tonight are smack dab in the middle of corn.

Just before we stopped for the night, we met some nice folks towing a 1972 Buick, which looked so much like my sister Anita’s first car; I had to strike up a conversation about it. Turns out, one man’s wife has had a Skylark since it was new, and is in need of restoration now. The other guy with him will do the restoration, but the Skylark needed a new frame. In this photo is the car that will donate the frame. These guys went to Michigan to get it and were shocked at all the original parts under the hood. I wish them well. They seemed excited to get their project under way.

It’s been many years since Andy and I traveled 90 west and we are shocked by the tolls we are paying. So far, we have spent more than 50 dollars for the two of us, and we are only ½ way. There goes my mad money for the vendors in Sturgis.