Finding Nemo, Sturgis and Bear Butte

Decided to drive up to Sturgis now that the 300,000 plus bikers are gone.  Planned on taking the scenic route through Nemo - but missed our turn and ended up going an extra 20 miles or so, but we finally got back on track. 

Hit Sturgis and did the Motorcycle Museum.   Lot's of cool and really old bikes.  All on loan. 

They had a ton of Indians 

and some specialty bikes - this one belonged to a Texas Oil Baron 

This 1991 FXR belonged to Senator Dave Zien of Wisconsin, he drove it 1 Million Miles.

Had to visit the Famous Buffalo Chip campground while in Sturgis - it's just past the Famous Full Throttle - The world's largest biker bar, it is open for only 10 days a year in August.  They also have a reality show on Tru TV

The Chip looms in the Distance 

They have concerts here this year's they had Def Leppard, Toby Keith, John Fogary, Styx, Greg Allman, Stevie Nicks, Alice Cooper and more.

I suspect it looked a lot like Woodstock as this is just a portion of the Campground - think about it a few hundred thousand bikers camping

Can't even imagine!

Next stop is Bear Butte Mountain which is in view!

Getting closer!

Temps are in the 90's but we decided to attempt the 2 mile hike up to the summit.

The higher up we got the breezier it got which was good on one hand but on the other hand my hat blew off and down the mountain.  Probably on the top of some cow's head down in the pastures below!

A view of Bear Butte Lake

Hopefully we're almost there!  No sense in turning back now.

There were some fossils in the stones on the path.

The final steps up

We made it!  The Mountain is very sacred to the Indians and there are prayer cloths on most of the trees along the way.

There were a bunch of dragonflies at the top of the Mountain resting on the branches.

There are Buffalo here as well!

All in all a great day (only 1 phone call from work)

We meet friends Sharon and Steve for the all you can eat Fish Fry at the Silver Dollar Saloon

Till Later!

Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n!

Melissa and Gary



Badlands revisited and Wounded Knee

 A cool day was predicted so we decided to drive back to the Badlands and venture down to Wounded Knee.  A good thing we got an early start as we ran into the usual traffic jam in the Park.

Pretty intimidating when they are strolling by just inches from your window - makes you hope they're not having a bad day.

Bison in the distance ARE larger than they appear 

A nice drive through farm land 

We arrive at the White River Visitor's Center which is located in the Southern Section of the Badlands and in Sioux/Lakota Reservation Land 

We want to go check out Sheep Mountain Table for the spectacular views of the Badlands.  Don't wander off the main roads though!  Nothing personal if you tried to call me and got voicemail. 

Its a dirt road in that quickly becomes 2 wheel drive - high clearance vehicles only - okay so we only had 1 out of 2, that didn't stop Gary. 

The views are pretty spectacular 

We lose our Heat shield off the bottom of the Vehicle and decide to stop here as the road takes quite a dip 

Good thing as the road ended about 500 feet down. 

From here we headed down to Wounded Knee.  Stopped at the Oglala Lakota College to check out their museum.  We stopped for gas and there was this young dog wandering around I patted her on the head and she started to follow me  She was quite thin and had a limp.  We left and went to the College and all the way I couldn't get this dog out of my mind.  After lunch I made several calls to try and find a shelter but was told just to call 911 and report it as a non-emergency.  After much cajoling - okay maybe it was pouting, Gary took me back but she was no longer there :(  We went back a second time on the way back from Wounded Knee but she was still nowhere in sight.  Hopefully she found her way home or another Good Samaritan picked her up.

After learning the history of Wounded Knee at the College we went down to the burial site.  The U.S. Army called it a Battle, it was a Massacre.   An Indian Agent at Pine Ridge wired his superiors in Washington, "Indians are dancing in the snow and are wild and crazy....We need protection and we need it now

The leaders should be arrested and confined at some military post until the matter is quieted, and this should be done now." The order went out to arrest Chief Sitting Bull at the Standing Rock Reservation. Sitting Bull was killed in the attempt on December 15. Chief Big Foot was next on the list. When he heard of Sitting Bull's death, Big Foot led his people south to seek protection at the Pine Ridge Reservation.   The Indians were performing a Ghost Dance and wearing Ghost Shirts which they believed would protect them from the army's bullets.  In a desperate attempt to return to the days of their glory, many sought salvation in a new mysticism preached by a Paiute shaman whom they believed to be the Messiah.  Big Foot had surrendered peacefully and the Indians had laid down their arms.  At some point a shot was fired.  The army opened fire on the Sioux with canons and hotchkiss guns.  When it was over approximately 300 Sioux were dead and 25 Soldiers most who were killed by "friendly fire".  A blizzard blew in and it was 3 days before the dead were gathered and placed in a mass grave.

A very sobering place.  Man's Inhumanity to Man never ceases to amaze me.  According to one of the Indians we were speaking with, the Crow Tribe came through afterwards and finding babies alive would toss them up in the air and shoot them with arrows, so it was not just the white man who carried out atrocities that day.   We headed back to the Badlands and continued home.

Just outside of Rapid City we passed several Sunflower Fields

A bike ride on the Mickelson Trail

Hadn't gotten any exercise in the past couple of weeks so we decided to go for a bike ride on the Mickelson Trail to Hill City (16 miles 1 way).  It passes thru fields, streams, tunnels and over several bridges

It was an old rail road bed and extends over 100 miles from Edgemont up to Deadwood

Sometimes there are surprises under the bridges 

And then there are the Toll Keepers

The first 6 miles to Crazy Horse was a gradual uphill run. 

Not a lot has changed over the past 100+ years 

It's a long wait for the next train 

Almost there! 

Guess we weren't the only Bikers who thought of coming here today.

Went to the Alpine for lunch.  Good food as usual, Monte Cristo Sandwich and Grilled Chicken with Gorgonzola Cheese, Grilled Onions and Bourbon Sauce.  I had the Cinnamon Pastry with Ice Cream, roasted Fuji Apples and Caramel Sauce for Dessert, Gary had the German Potato Salad - that's just wrong.  I didn't share!

We met a couple Steve and; Sharon who host at a campground a couple miles south of Hill City, we stopped in to say hello, and they offered us a ride back to Custer if we needed it.  After Lunch my legs were crying out so we stopped by on the way back and took them up on their offer.  We cut about  6 miles out of the return trip which was mostly uphill - Steve gave us a lift back to Crazy Horse.  Still we did about 20 miles. 

Got home and rested and then remembered that the Custer County Fair was going on in Hermosa so off we went.   Along the way we finally saw some Bighorn Sheep well, maybe Little Big Horn Sheep

 The Fair was free and when we got to the food court looking for a cold drink we found $1 Root Beer Floats.  The lady then told us there was a free Buffalo BBQ going on - so we got in line.  A BBQ Buffalo Sandwich, Chips, Drink and Cookie - what a deal!

The Fair was mostly 4H stuff and a rodeo.  The first event was the Horse Catch.  All the cowboys unsaddle their horses and let them go.  The first team to catch their horses, saddle them and ride out of the arena win. 

At first the horses all came back to their owners and had to be shooed away

Once it started it was Mayhem

The last event we stayed for was the Cowboy Sled Ride.

It didn't last long as the Sled got a flat on the 2nd run.



Till Later,

Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n

Melissa and Gary