Mt Rushmore

I arrived at my campground near Mt Rushmore around 3:30 on July 2nd after an exhausting ride through eastern South Dakota which is a wasteland for the most part. The only thing I can see that this land is used for is to put up billboards for all the things to see in western South Dakota. There are literally hundreds of them the whole way. They can't say that we are backwards in the south or at least not any more than them. There was a billboard for an auto repair shop and the sign said "We offer toe service". Of course I assumed they meant "tow" service but who knows up here. Maybe they do manicures as well as repair your car. Anyway, it started raining just as I arrived in Custer where I was staying. I set up camp and was pleased to find I had cell service where I am staying because most areas up here are dead zones. The rain stopped and the skies cleared a bit so I decided to take a short ride on the bike. I went to Custer State Park and took the wildlife road. I saw turkeys, deer, pronghorns, & buffalo on the 6 mile road. The scenery is incredible here in the Black Hills and the roads are a motorcyclist's dream. Lots of curvy roads and great scenery. It started raining on me so I headed back to camp to eat & settle in for the night. I awoke early the next morning so I could drive the camper to Mt Rushmore so I could get a good spot to watch the fireworks. The line of cars waiting to get into the main parking lot was miles & miles long so I parked on the side of the road where I had a perfect view of the monument and a quick escape route when the fireworks were done. It rained all morning and into the afternoon so I worked on my blog and then put in a DVD and relaxed with a nice scotch on the rocks. I also enjoyed watching the people walking the 3 miles up the hill to the monument and all the cars inching their way up the hill. The most amazing thing I saw was 2 people riding unicycles up the hill. Now that takes talent. The rain finally stopped and the skies cleared so I was optimistic that we might have a show after all. I stepped outside and paid a visit to my RV neighbors behind me. They were a nice group of folks from Minnesota. Then some bikers pulled in between me & the truck in front of me so I went and spoke with them for a while. They had ridden 6 hours from Minnesota to see the show. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. My friend Walter McArdle called and said they were heading my way and I told him I had a spot saved for him. Unfortunately, the clouds had moved back in and it was getting foggy on the hill. Things were not looking good but it was still 2 hours away from the show so everyone was hoping it would blow through. Walter got delayed and it was getting close to showtime and they closed the road up the hill. So Walter, his wife Lisa, & their son Allen walked the 2-1/2 miles to where I was waiting. It was great to see familiar faces in such a far away place. We drank a beer and caught up with each other's lives. There was lots of laughter and good cheer all around. The fog had gotten worse and you could not see the monument anymore but for some reason they shot off the fireworks anyway. They sounded really good but all you could see was a red glow in the sky every once in a while. We stayed a while and then decided we should get out of there before the traffic got bad. I drove over 1500 miles to see the fireworks at Mt Rushmore and it was a bust. Oh well, there was much more up here than just fireworks so I didn't let it bother me. The next day I rode my bike to Walter's cabin and we went to the lodge for a buffet breakfast before heading to Harney Peak for a hike to the highest point east of the Rockies in the U.S. We went there via the Needles Highway which is a very scenic winding road. We stopped often to take pictures along the way. The hike was around 7 miles round trip. We headed out on the trail at Sylvan Lake which is a popular destination because of its beauty. It is also where they filmed part of National Treasure 2. We were trudging along the first part of the trail which was not too difficult and then we started the uphill climb to 7242 feet. The trail became more and more difficult and the last half mile was grueling. As we climbed the last stairs to the top my legs were burning. When we reached the summit we were greeted by a majestic 360 degree view of the hills and valleys below us. There was a good cool breeze that felt marvelous on our sweat soaked faces. Harney Peak was used as an observation tower to watch for fires back years ago and the building of rock still stands. We ate some snacks and spent about an hour up there exploring the rocks and taking pictures of everything around us. We finally decided it was time to head down so we could get to the store and grill some steaks and celebrate the day. Everyone assumed the hike back would be easy since it was mostly downhill but we soon discovered we were mistaken. About halfway back our legs were burning and our feet were getting tired. It seemed like we would never get to the parking lot. My calves were trying to cramp but thankfully never did. Back at the vehicle we all grabbed drinks and rested our weary muscles. After stopping at the store for supplies, we got back to their cabin and started a fire and popped a cold one. We reminisced about old times and they told me things to do when I went to Wyoming and Montana as they had just come from both. The ribeyes were cooked to perfection and we enjoyed a fabulous meal together. I was tired so I got on my bike and headed back to camp. As I approached the road to my camp, I saw cars lined up along the road and remembered that Custer was doing their fireworks that night. It was the 4th so that made sense. I stopped on the side of the road and watched the show which was really good and then headed home for some Advil and well deserved rest. The next morning I drove to Walter's cabin to pick up supplies they no longer needed since they were flying out that day. Now I am back at camp charging my camera and camcorder to get ready for a nice long bike ride this afternoon. I'm not exactly sure where I am headed but it doesn't matter. No matter which direction I go it will be amazing.