Photo 1. View of the countryside outside of Rapid City.
Photo 1. View of the countryside outside of Rapid City.
Photo 2. The Cheyenne River.
Photo 3. Touring motorcyclists from Niceville, FL (near Pensacola). Left to right: James R. Lindsey, Pauline Recher, Maria Olsen and Ron Olsen.
Photo 4. The Longhorn Saloon in Scenic, South Dakota.
Photo 5. Jon and Marleen Karmilowicz from Coatsville, PA. Jon works at the Bethlehem Lukens Plate Division -- a steel mill.
Photo 6. The Black-Footed Ferret is back! Sign along the road in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.
Photo 7. Looking down the road in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. As my mother used to say when she visited the West, "It sure is a long road."
Photo 8. View of the Badlands National park near the town of Interior (pop. 67).
Last Modified on 8/16/98 at 15:20:43
Day's Narrative: I left Rapid City (referred to locally simply as "Rapid") this morning after eating breakfast at Wendy's. I have discovered that I can get the same number of calories for half the price and in half the time when I eat breakfast at one of the fast food places. The price is not so important as the time. The cool in the morning is short as it is, and any time I can spend riding then is very valuable. This morning, not knowing exactly what stores might be along the road and whether or not they might be open, I carried two liters of water in the CamelBak (a plastic container of water worn on the back like a rucksack) and two full bicycle water bottles. The riding was really good. There was no wind, or at most a slight breeze, so I cruised along approaching 20 mph most of the morning. As it turned out there was a store at Caputa which was open, and a store at Scenic, also open. I arrived at Scenic at 9:30, having ridden 44 miles in two hours and 50 minutes. Connie and I agreed to wait for each other at Scenic, regardless of who got there first. So I got a Coke and a sandwich and settled down to wait for Connie. Just at that moment I met four motorcyclists who had passed me up the road (Photo 3). They we from Florida, near Pensacola, and were vacationing in the area. We talked for a while, I took their picture, they took mine with them (not shown) and then they left to see more of the country. I met Jon and Marleen Karmilowicz soon after that. Jon and I are about the same age and Jon also bicycles. We talked for almost an hour about bicycles, the Badlands, and other assorted topics while I waited for Connie to arrive. Jon and Marleen's daughter is a Park Service intern at Mt Rushmore. Connie came about 11:30. When she arrived I was anxious to leave because the day was really starting to get warm. The remainder of the ride (32 miles) from Scenic to Interior went almost as fast as the first part. This was such a beautiful ride I stopped often to savor the landscape and examine things along the road. Note Photo 6 about the Black-Footed Ferret. I arrived at Interior at 1:30 p.m. Connie had already checked in at the Budget Host Motel (no phone, no TV) and had gone out to find lunch. As I was going to the motel room she drove up. After a shower and a nap we went to the local cafe where there was a Mexican buffet -- all you can eat for $4.50. Tomorrow we will stay in Interior and ride the tandem in the Badlands National Park -- just 2 miles away. Then on Friday we will leave and work our way closer to Pierre. © Ray & Connie Poore, 1998
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