Day 4 - Tourista
Start: Mitchell, SD - End: Custer, SD (near Mt Rushmore)
Distance traveled: Stratight line ~270 mi, including sightseeing 385 mi
Today, was clearly different than our others. We were not focused on making the miles but rather catching the sights. Sights, sights you say? And your writing from western South Dakota? Amazingly enough, yes. There is a ton of great stuff right here - who’d a thunk?
Anyway started the day in Mitchell, SD. While drinking coffee we find out that Mitchell is home of the Corn Palace. Hey this is too good to be true - we are on it. Check out the photos - this is truly a
cool thing. The entire facade is made from corn and prairie grass. Very intricate and require mucho maintenance. No joke this building is impressive - check the detail.
Enough of that - back to the scooters. After many miles of farm land we cross the Missouri River and the terrain turns to high prairie. Rolling hills as far as the eye can see: green, lush, verdant. Amazingly awe inspiring. The air as changed as well - there is always a crispness present - but the sun is on our backs (and of course, being "bikers" we're wearing all black) so we are warm enough.
A quick stop in Wall, SD where we have lunch at the Wall Drug Store - which, in fact, comprises the entire town. Agreed the town is small and the store is huge but still - one store being a whole town. This seems very odd to me but hey, the lunch was good.
Shifting to a more serious note our next excursion ranks as one of my all time most intense experiences; we rode the loop through the Badlands National Park. I have never seen real estate like this in my life - it literally takes one's breath away. Alan thought I’d lost touch after I stopped the bike four times in 200 yards to take pictures. Trust me these pictures are nothing compared to being there. Interestingly enough, while the majority of the scenic stops where at high elevation points along the road I found the best
views to be as we rode along the canyon basin. Alan and I are in agreement: we might have missed today’s Sunday service but we definitely made it to God’s cathedral. Absolutely magnificent.
Back to the interstate and on to Rapid City, SD. Here we headed south to see Mt Rushmore and then to the Crazy Horse memorial which is still under construction - but that hasen’t stopped them from building a museum and charging $10 to see it.
Tomorrow we need to be in Billings, MT for a tire change first thing Tuesday morning - then into Canada and on to Phase II.
Be there, Aloha.
Distance traveled: Stratight line ~270 mi, including sightseeing 385 mi
Today, was clearly different than our others. We were not focused on making the miles but rather catching the sights. Sights, sights you say? And your writing from western South Dakota? Amazingly enough, yes. There is a ton of great stuff right here - who’d a thunk?
Anyway started the day in Mitchell, SD. While drinking coffee we find out that Mitchell is home of the Corn Palace. Hey this is too good to be true - we are on it. Check out the photos - this is truly a
cool thing. The entire facade is made from corn and prairie grass. Very intricate and require mucho maintenance. No joke this building is impressive - check the detail.
Enough of that - back to the scooters. After many miles of farm land we cross the Missouri River and the terrain turns to high prairie. Rolling hills as far as the eye can see: green, lush, verdant. Amazingly awe inspiring. The air as changed as well - there is always a crispness present - but the sun is on our backs (and of course, being "bikers" we're wearing all black) so we are warm enough.
A quick stop in Wall, SD where we have lunch at the Wall Drug Store - which, in fact, comprises the entire town. Agreed the town is small and the store is huge but still - one store being a whole town. This seems very odd to me but hey, the lunch was good.
Shifting to a more serious note our next excursion ranks as one of my all time most intense experiences; we rode the loop through the Badlands National Park. I have never seen real estate like this in my life - it literally takes one's breath away. Alan thought I’d lost touch after I stopped the bike four times in 200 yards to take pictures. Trust me these pictures are nothing compared to being there. Interestingly enough, while the majority of the scenic stops where at high elevation points along the road I found the best
views to be as we rode along the canyon basin. Alan and I are in agreement: we might have missed today’s Sunday service but we definitely made it to God’s cathedral. Absolutely magnificent.
Back to the interstate and on to Rapid City, SD. Here we headed south to see Mt Rushmore and then to the Crazy Horse memorial which is still under construction - but that hasen’t stopped them from building a museum and charging $10 to see it.Tomorrow we need to be in Billings, MT for a tire change first thing Tuesday morning - then into Canada and on to Phase II.
Be there, Aloha.
posted by TGA at
11:11 PM
2 Comments:
Tom,
Bryan showed this to us today. It looks like a lot of fun!!!
Good Luck and be careful.
Dean and Ron
(The Tail of the Dragon - Clayton, GA Crew)
By
Anonymous, at 12:30 PM
Thomas - the pics are *awesome*!!
I love the Corn Palace and the descriptions of the look and feel of the changing scenery as you head west and north.
Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, all very cool. But Ooooooohh, The Badlands! I mean, man, if the name ain't enough to compel one, your tribute will do the trick. I wanna go now!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome! Love you.
By
Anonymous, at 5:01 PM
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