Not an XS ride report

[Joab]

Wow, amazing write up! I will be following this thread for sure!

[Pain]

Congratulations on your book! How very exciting! Details? Here or PM... I've really enjoyed your writing style. If the book is anything like your ride report, it would be worth the price of admission...

The book in question is a guide to traveling on lightweight motorcycles, but I can share details. Buy a couple, then I can travel more and work less. (Digital copies will be made available for less when I can).

I am working on a travelogue, which I am hoping to have done by the end of March, covering trip prep stuff to as far north as I got (Not Prudhoe Bay, that was never the plan).

[Wildkat]

Ummmmm... does it have a title?
lol

[Pain]

Ummmmm... does it have a title?
lol

And spoil the surprise?

The book is called Going Small - A guide to Lighteight Motorcycle Touring, and is now available for $7.50USD at that link. Amazon will have it in a week, but to be totally honest I set the print price as low as I could so print copies sold on Amazon won't pay me much. The Kindle version will be available as soon as I figure out how to make it (after Amazon has the book), and that will earn me money. Unless I make it free, I guess.

Anyway, time to type up the next part of the story. Glad you are liking it

[Wildkat]

If the Kindle version earns you more... we'll wait for that one.

Just like we're waiting for the next chapter of your ride report.
Pay no attention to the Jeopardy music playing in the background...
lol

[Pain]

If the Kindle version earns you more... we'll wait for that one.

The printed CreateSpace version (in the link), earns me the greatest royalty, the printed Amazon version (when it arrives) the least. But I am totally okay with people waiting for the digital version, I know I probably would.

Just like we're waiting for the next chapter of your ride report.
Pay no attention to the Jeopardy music playing in the background...
lol

Next post

[Pain]

Pipestone National Monument

Pipestone National Monument

After the storm the next day was cooler, but started out overcast. I wandered over to a National Monument marked on my map.

Just a quick word on maps. I did have a GPS, but only used it for location and as a trip meter since the SR250 didn't have one and running out of gas sucks. For actually going places I relied completely on paper maps. I read a lot about map publishers, and went to my local map store (Milwaukee Map Service, nice people). They recommended International Travel Maps (www.itmb.com). For comparison purposes, the Michelin Maps do contain more distance information, the ITMB maps have topography. While it was something of a change to switch, I found the ITMB maps still had enough distances marked for me to know how far I had to go, and the landmarks were very helpful when I was off the printed roads.

So, the National Monument on my map was simply labeled “Pipestone.” I had no idea what was there, but it wasn't far so I rode over.



Pipestone is actually a Native American quarry, where they get the red rock used to make pipes. It is still an active quarry with Native American's allowed to dig up the stone and then sell it. I guess pipes are still being made but the gift shop had all kinds of stuff in it.

There was a visitor center we wandered in around for a while.



The real attraction though is outside. The open quarries. Unfortunately, since there had been that rather large storm, the quarries were generally filled with water and no one was actually working. There was a video of the process but it wasn't the same. At least the Rangers didn't care if I brought Blue with (Okay, I didn't actually ask).


That dark band at the bottom? That is the rock they are trying to get.

It's that far down. Even today only hand tools are allowed for working the quarry and new claims expect to work two years before they even know if there was rock where they are digging. Most of the holes are family run, with kids digging where their grandparents started.



Apparently when the holes fill with water they just wait for it to drain out before working again.


The area was nice to hike in, though a little small, and there was supposed to be an awesome waterfall along the path somewhere. The rains, though, had flooded the river and the path was...missing...in places. The Ranger said it sucked, since with the rains the falls themselves were amazing. She admitted there was a way around the flooding but wouldn't share.


I need to practice getting the camera level.

After wandering around Pipestone for a while (and buying my National Parks Pass) I headed west some more. I planned to stop in Mitchell, SD, to see the Corn Palace and then find somewhere to camp.


The Corn Palace is one of those strange things that are interesting and weird at the same time. Worth a stop, though, if just to say you have seen it. Go in the fall when the corn is new, before the birds spend a year eating it (this is an eaten picture).


The first Corn Palace. It burned down, but looked much more Palace like (note the horse and wooden sidewalks). I wished the current one looked this awesome, but sadly it is more like a warehouse with a basketball court inside.

I did get a recommendation on a campground just to the north, and on a place to eat.

It was a little pricey for my budget, but the portions were huge and delicious. And it had free wifi.

After eating two days worth of calories I got back on the bike and found the campground. It was, of course, clouding over again and would soon start to rain but I did have time to explore some of the hiking trails.

Next up – The Badlands

[Wildkat]

At least the Rangers didn't care if I brought Blue with (Okay, I didn't actually ask).

You learned well Grasshoppah

The Ranger said it sucked, since with the rains the falls themselves were amazing. She admitted there was a way around the flooding but wouldn't share.

The nerve of some people...

lol

I need to practice getting the camera level.

Oh good, I thought I was lopsided again.

The Corn Palace is one of those strange things that are interesting and weird at the same time. Worth a stop, though, if just to say you have seen it. Go in the fall when the corn is new, before the birds spend a year eating it (this is an eaten picture).

The outside decorations are all made of corn... yes?
Pretty impressive work as it stands now... and I agree! the original palace was VERY impressive!

On pins and needles waiting for the next chapter...
Please hurry, it's painful

[Pain]

Badlands and Wall, SD

Badlands and Wall

I rode west through South Dakota, thinking happy thoughts about finding a reasonably narrow place to cross the plains. I don't have anything against the plains, really, but sometimes they can go on forever.

When I stopped for gas there were usually other motorcyclists about, but generally I was left alone. Odd, since usually people are coming over before I can get my helmet off. I like solitude so it was a non-issue. I did go and talk to a few people, though, when I saw this -


Between him and his friend, also on a bike, they were traveling with three(!) dogs. He made the Vetter trailer him self, and It carries one. Another on the bike, and his friend had one. I will admit to being impressed, and I don't think I could do it.

The dog was a bit shy.

I got to the entrance of the Badlands NP without incident

and confirmed they have free camping, just without showers, and at the end of a 13 miles gravel road. Oh, and I was at the wrong end of the park so I had to ride through it to get to the camping, such a chore.

I had a flash of panic not long after I was in the park. I had used my National Parks Pass to get in, and she hadn't given me the little bit of paper I was supposed to flash if I left and re-entered the park. Then I remembered I had a National Parks Pass, and could come and go as I pleased.

After I set up my tent there was a visitor in the campground.


When Blue saw the bison he killed and ate it, of course. Circle of life.

I went into Wall for groceries and cooked something for dinner in camp. While there I got a text message asking if I was still alive, and decided to spend part of the next day in Wall communicating with the outside world.


The next morning the rest of the bison herd was on the road leading out of the campground. I stopped further back so Blue would leave them alone (and so the motor wouldn't cause them to run). And we stopped now and then to enjoy the view.


Once in wall we walked around a while. I hadn't been there in a couple of years, and wondered what, if anything, was different.


Still have the free water. I filled up my hydration pack. It was very cold.

Not really sure what the deal is with the animatronic dinosaur, but not sure I care. It was pretty cool, huge crowd of kids every time.

Blue wondered if I could find him a Jackolope for dinner. I said maybe.

After some internet and phone calls, I headed back to the Badlands for some hiking. The sun had burned off the clouds, and the day had warmed up a lot, so the delay in the morning ended up being good.

The Badlands don't have the massive amount of trails some other parks have, but they do have a couple very nice ones (as well as a couple really long ones. I passed on those, more because I wanted to be in the rocky bits and they tended to stay in the plains).

I locked my helmet and coat to the bike so I could hike in just a t-shirt and my (mesh, thankfully, it was hot) motorcycle pants. I also had shorts and lighter shoes but there was going to be climbing and I wanted more protection.

Sadly, a lot of the cooler trails were dead ends, so I would have to walk them twice. Not too big a deal, I supposed.

Yeah, rattlesnakes! You better beware!



Nice of them to leave a ladder.

Once on the ridge the landscape changed a lot. No more green.


Sure, keep right over that big rock. The trail to the left was eroding away, if you can't tell from the picture.

Once at the end of the trail the view was impressive.


After soaking it in for a while we headed back for the bike and another trail.

Almost a line for the stairs.

The other trail I had decided to hike was Saddle Pass, which the little brochure rated as “Difficult” but it was only 1/4 of a mile, so how hard could it be? Opps.


It goes over that.
But I'm game and start climbing

And climbing.

(you can almost see my bike from here), oh and there was some more climbing


The top of Saddle Pass is a flat area where you can connect with one of the long trails that go through prairie.

I was willing to take the long way, but the bike was back at the bottom of the pass, so I got to climb back down.

On the way back to camp I found a prairie dog town. They were all very excited to see me.


And the bison were still around, actually causing something of a traffic backup for cars on the road.


I had a quiet evening in camp, and slept very well. Next I was going to head for the Black Hills, with a brief stop on the way.

[Pain]

Missiles and Cars

I left the Badlands with the final destination of the Black Hills. If you look at a map you can see those two places are actually very close together, so it doesn't seem like much of a ride. It's all a matter of routing.

First, there was another National Monument I wanted to visit. I had often seen the signs while cruising on I-90, but even the one time I had stopped I hadn't found the site. This time I was going to keep looking until I did.



Right next to the Badlands is a National Monument containing old nuclear missile silos. I wasn't even born for the tense part of the cold war, but was old enough in the 80's to follow it all. And, of course, I have seen Red Dawn more than The Sound of Music, so this was something I wanted to see.

But you can't just roll up to the old bunker. The signs, if you are paying attention, actually lead you to a trailer in the parking lot of a gas station (which is why I missed it the last time, not really what I had been looking for). There isn't anything on display there, just a couple of posters. But there you sign up for a tour at the actual missile site and they give you a little piece of paper to prove it.

Then you ride a little further west,

and if you followed the directions correctly you end up here


We were early for the tour, so I had a snack and chatted with some other people who were also waiting. The grounds were still locked, and the parking lot was outside the gate. Old groups were let out as new groups were let in, and the gate was relocked. Seemed a little extreme, considering it was supposed to be a deactivated base (or was it?)

Once our time came the guide let us in and gave us a talk in the lot outside the building, showing off the VLF and VHF antennas that were still there, and the water and propane tanks. (The tanks I get, why are were there still all those antennas?), and admitted he was stationed at this very base during the cold war.

Maybe he was nuclear missile auxiliary? Do we have that?

After being shown the outside we walked through the above ground portion of the base.

Officer's bunks

Not officer's bunks.

Common area.

All in all, pretty comfy for the 1980s. Our guide reported he was stationed here before satellite TV, and there were only two channels that came in. There was a lot of movie watching, but he didn't say anything about Red Dawn. Or Wargames.

After seeing the above ground stuff we took a very small elevator below ground.




It was a very thick door.


The control room was very roomy for two people, and very cramped for the tour group of six.


The Button isn't even a button. I felt a little ripped off.

After the tour I was back on the bike and headed Southwest (which, if you looked at a map, would not be in the direction of the Black Hills) for another landmark I had wanted to visit but never made the time for.


Compared to the Little Big Horn site, the Wounded Knee site is empty. Just the sign, and some poorly built wooden shacks that looked like people were supposed to be selling things from them. There was a couple in an RV having lunch, which seemed like a good idea.

If you don't know the Wounded Knee story, there's the sign-



After lunch I was riding again, with one more place in mind before heading north for the Black Hills. It was starting to cloud over and there were occasional drops of rain, which made me think about heading back north where I could see blue skies, but I persevered and arrived.

Unlike the Corn Palace, where I have been to lots of times, I have never been to Carhenge. It was, in it's own way, just as weird as the Corn Palace, but there were fewer places to eat around it.


And there wasn't just the cars around either.




After walking around for about an hour, and getting rained on a little, I headed back north to the sunshine and the Black Hills.

[neJeff]

For those of you who don't this little detour from the Knee to Carhenge and back to the Black Hills is a bout a 4 to 5 hour jaunt! You are a true cycle warrior my friend if you wanted to see Carhenge that bad (oh, been there 3 times myself!). I can't wait for your next post!

[Pain]

Black Hills

I didn't have a real plan for visiting the Black Hills. It was a convenient place to stop for a day, do laundry (which I hadn't done since leaving Wisconsin), back up some things online and update my blog. After looking around some I 'splurged' on a KOA, since they have decent wifi and laundry facilities, and a pool. It was hot.

After I had clean clothes again I started looking around for things to do. The caves, of which there are several, were an easy choice, since they are nice and cool inside. I headed for Jewel Cave first. It is supposed to be similar to Mammoth, where I had been recently, and I wanted to compare them.



No one seemed to care here about Blue or his backpack, and I walked right in with them.

Big cave, and chilly inside.

Like most caves in the National Parks system, you have to sign up for a tour. And, typically, the National Parks Pass doesn't cover the tour costs, which sucks. But, at least you end up with a ranger who can explain what you are supposed to be looking at.

Jewel Cave was filled with carbonic acid at some point in it's past, which caused the quartz on the walls to bubble.


Since there is a different rock under the quartz (granite, if I recall correctly), the rocks expand and contract with temperature changes at different rates. So the quartz bits occasionally break off and you can see the interior patterns.



Mammoth cave was also very dry, while Jewel Cave did have the occasional sign of water leaking in.



I took a lot of pictures,

but the tour still ended and I had to go back outside. There were other caves, but I decided to take a ride through Custer State Park. I was there a few years ago and on the wildlife loop saw impressive numbers of bison and burrow. I felt like I hadn't seen much wildlife. Once on the park I couldn't resist the Mount Coolidge sign.


It was a nice view, spoiled slightly by all the power lines.

Mount Rushmore, off in the distance.

And Crazy Horse, a little further along the horizon.

The wildlife loop didn't disappoint.



Poor burrow, needs some reading glasses.

The burrows, by the way, are the only animals you are allowed to feed (though it isn't recommended), since they are not native to the Black Hills. They were imported to provide transport for tourists in Yellowstone and to Mount Rushmore, and when they weren't needed anymore just let loose. Looks like they're doing okay, though.

I had been undecided about going to visit Mount Rushmore, but back in the campground had met a family who were there just to see it at night. Apparently there is a program and them they light the monument up. I had only been there during the day, so figured a night visit might be interesting.


The program was only so-so. Generic facts about the four presidents on the monument (Generic for anyone who has paid attention in history class, anyway), and about the monument itself. Then some standard patriotic music. Perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind, but it seemed a little over the top. At the end of the Star Spangled Banner they turned on the floodlights.

A little washed out, but I like how the sky turned out. And I took this shot too-

There was actually something resembling a line for that one. I sort of cut in.

The ride back to the campground was short, which was good since there was a lot of traffic, no street lights, and I was in an area known for it's wildlife. My next general destination was the other side of the Tetons, where I had some friends I could stay with for a couple of days. There was a lot in between me an them, though...like the Tetons.

[natemoen]

Very enjoyable write-up so far, keep it coming!

[Wildkat]

Yea! Glad Blue got to see the cave! and I'm guessing the wildlife hadn't heard of his epicurean adventures earlier. The buffalo didn't look to be too intimidated.


Love the night picture with the flags!

[Pain]

The dead, the devil, and some mountains.

The dead, the devil, and some mountains.

I left the Black Hills and headed more or less west, heading for the Tetons and Yellowstone. I had mixed feelings about Yellowstone, since I knew it was going to be crowded, but I was also going to pass right next to it and it seemed silly not to visit (since it would be free on my parks pass).

It wasn't far, and I took my time, seeing the usual odd things along the road.

I went over a pass and saw snow for the first time. It was worth a picture.

The pass was just sort of 10,000 feet, and when I got to the other side the campground was full of bicyclists who were going to ride over it the next day.

Then I stopped here

And saw this

The cemetery is all hills – bring water if you go.

Nice view though.

Then there was this other place-

Where aliens like to land. Or so I heard. I hiked around some (which was good exercise but a bit much after the cemetery) but didn't find any.

I think they were looking for aliens too.

Devils Tower (in case you didn't know what that was), was exposed as the surrounding landscape was eroded away. The Native Americans had a legend that a buffalo pounded the ground down around it in a race between the different animals. Humans, pointing out that they only had two legs where buffalo had four, were allowed to let a magpie race in their place. The magpie won, and Native Americans could hunt buffalo.

The story science tells, of melting magma and erosion, isn't nearly as much fun.


Some hot springs, I guess. There were a few mounds like this around in a park, but the visitor center was closed.

Oh, and I met these guys-

At a wayside when I stopped to eat, refill my water, and decide if I was going the right way. I didn't think so. Anyway, they interviewed me for something, I wrote down who they were (and couldn't find the paper later that night when I went to journal about it), and we took of in different directions.


I did finally make it here.


The Tetons are pretty spectacular, and I spent a lot of time just looking at them. Pictures don't really do them any justice, certainly not my pictures.


I rode through the park, looping around the southern end of the mountains.

And the pass I used wasn't that high, but still had a nice view.


Then I dropped onto the western side of the mountains and headed for a friend's house to stay for a couple of days, do some maintenance and rest up some.

Blue, getting all comfy.

It was a good break before I headed back over the Teton's to Yellowstone, then started north for real.