This was a short day, we stopped in buffalo, wy at noon. The weather was very bad, it was raining and cold and had snow, 41f, ...which on the bike was 21f with wind chill factor. My worst day riding in a long time. Wow are at a comfort inn with a Jacuzzi, guess what my first stop was.
Our mosquito repellant is still frozen after an hr in a heated room and it took awhile for my hands to thaw out.
The forcast for tommorow is sunny and 70f..if so we go to custer's battlefield, if not it will wait for the next trip and we will head south.
I'm going via the interstate just in case of snow, did I mention the snow plow following us over the pass between jolette and buffalo..not sure if he was waiting for us to find the snow/ice or to use his plow to clear our wreck off the highway.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Still in South Dakota, Day 20, May 9, 2011
Lightning lit the sky but it was on the other side of a ridge from us and the wind started blowing hard enough to wake me at midnight plus 30. But in anticipation of this we had put on all guy ropes for both tents, a first for mine.
No rain hit us for the second night in a row. I could get used to that.
Went about 20 miles to get breakfast and then on the way. I had never been thru/in the badlands of South Dakota so decided to add that loop to the trip...pretty awesome. We decided not to do a tour of a minuteman silo..saved it for another time.
Then it was onto Mount Rushmore, got really cold on the way there, could see my breath. After Rushmore we went into the town of Lead (pronounced leed) to get hamburgers at my favorite spot, Lewies Saloon, very awesome. Then thru Deadwood and to Sturgis. Most of the Sturgis spots weren't open yet. Also tried to see the cavalry museum at Fort Meade but it also wasn't open yet. We were just to early for the tourist rush. The fog and cold rolled in as we left Lewies and went down the mtn to Sturgis.
After Sturgis it was 3pm and we decided to push on towards Sheridan, WY (about 200 miles).
Did I mention the fog, moisture and cold yet? After 10 miles kip pulled into a comfort inn and said enough.
So here we are in Spearfish, SD for the night.
The weather prediction for Sheridan and on into the Little Big Horn battlefield for the next 3 days is thunderstorms and rain. But even with that we look forward to our last battlefield of this trip.
No rain hit us for the second night in a row. I could get used to that.
Went about 20 miles to get breakfast and then on the way. I had never been thru/in the badlands of South Dakota so decided to add that loop to the trip...pretty awesome. We decided not to do a tour of a minuteman silo..saved it for another time.
Then it was onto Mount Rushmore, got really cold on the way there, could see my breath. After Rushmore we went into the town of Lead (pronounced leed) to get hamburgers at my favorite spot, Lewies Saloon, very awesome. Then thru Deadwood and to Sturgis. Most of the Sturgis spots weren't open yet. Also tried to see the cavalry museum at Fort Meade but it also wasn't open yet. We were just to early for the tourist rush. The fog and cold rolled in as we left Lewies and went down the mtn to Sturgis.
After Sturgis it was 3pm and we decided to push on towards Sheridan, WY (about 200 miles).
Did I mention the fog, moisture and cold yet? After 10 miles kip pulled into a comfort inn and said enough.
So here we are in Spearfish, SD for the night.
The weather prediction for Sheridan and on into the Little Big Horn battlefield for the next 3 days is thunderstorms and rain. But even with that we look forward to our last battlefield of this trip.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
South Dakota, Day 19, May 8,2011
Got up and no dew on the tents, neat stuff. Returned to the local diner but breakfast was not as good as their dinner. Hit the road and dodged lightning but got some rain. Took the us20 to interstate 29 north and then 90 west. The wind was horrible, it made riding not a lot of fun.
Stopped about 5pm at a koa in midland, SD. Very nice they fed us and had a laundry.
The weather doesn't look good for tonight, we will see...
Stopped about 5pm at a koa in midland, SD. Very nice they fed us and had a laundry.
The weather doesn't look good for tonight, we will see...
Got to Iowa, Day 18, May 7,2011
Left our comfort Inn in mendota, IL after our prepaid/included breakfast. It was cold and wet. It was pretty country and we stopped in Sac City, Iowa for dinner and got directions to the state aprk about 15 miles away. But when we left the resteraunt we found the local park was setup for camping so we got a great spot very cheap.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Onto Illinois, day 17, May 6, 2011
Today was a long day on the bike, cold and wet. I would like to say we covered a lot of miles but we were on us30 and went thru southern chicago....it took hours and I will never do it again. A bad area and I didn't even like stopping at the lights.
We pushed on to about 70 miles out of Chicago to a state campground. But the only site with grass and fairly flat was the handicapped spot and they wouldn't let us use that.
Backtracked a bit and stayed at a nice comfort inn.
We pushed on to about 70 miles out of Chicago to a state campground. But the only site with grass and fairly flat was the handicapped spot and they wouldn't let us use that.
Backtracked a bit and stayed at a nice comfort inn.
Into Ohio, Day 16, May 5, 2011
After talking to a rider from Iowa I decided to take us30 thru Iowa. It was nice but very slow, always going thru small towns, of course that is what made it interesting. Going around Pittsburg was very bas, seemed like it took forever and lots of traffic. I was ready to give upon hwy 30.
We stopped at the site where flight 93 went down on sept 11. A permanent national monument is under construction. A brave group of people on board that plane.
We went off us30 to camp at Loudenville, Ohio for the night. Got there after they closed and were gone before they opened.
We stopped at the site where flight 93 went down on sept 11. A permanent national monument is under construction. A brave group of people on board that plane.
We went off us30 to camp at Loudenville, Ohio for the night. Got there after they closed and were gone before they opened.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Gettysburg, Day 15,May4, 2011
Got up today to rain,did that stop us? Of course not we had lots more of Gettysbug battlefield to see...and we had the park to ourselves for the first couple of hours and then the West Point bus showed up followed by tourists,not raining as hard by now.
We had done the Culp's Hill part of day two's battle yesterday so we started by going to the starting points for Longstreet's corp. From there we followed the route to Little Round Top. What an overlook of the battlefield. Then we went thru Devil's Den, the Wheatfield and peach orchard.
After that we went to the bloody angle where Pickett's charge got accross the wall on day three. After discussing it we drove back to the confederate side and I let Marsden off at the VA monument and she walked Pickett's attack route and I met her at the bloody angle. We then finished our tour with a visit to the cemetary.
Had lunch and did laundry, the rain has stoped and we are now ready to leave in the morning. We are going to head nw to Altoona so Marsden can see some train stuff.
We had done the Culp's Hill part of day two's battle yesterday so we started by going to the starting points for Longstreet's corp. From there we followed the route to Little Round Top. What an overlook of the battlefield. Then we went thru Devil's Den, the Wheatfield and peach orchard.
After that we went to the bloody angle where Pickett's charge got accross the wall on day three. After discussing it we drove back to the confederate side and I let Marsden off at the VA monument and she walked Pickett's attack route and I met her at the bloody angle. We then finished our tour with a visit to the cemetary.
Had lunch and did laundry, the rain has stoped and we are now ready to leave in the morning. We are going to head nw to Altoona so Marsden can see some train stuff.
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