Dignity
DETAILS
When — May 26, 2O22
Where — Sioux Falls, SD - Deadwood, SD
Mileage — 412
Compliments on my motorcycle - 2
Heat, a drugstore, and dignity
Day four is complete and that brings leg one of the 55 day Double Nickel trip to a close. I might not have explained the way that I’ve organized the trip into certain legs, but all together there are seven legs to the trip. The first leg was from Ohio to Deadwood, South Dakota. From there the second leg is basically getting to Seattle, Washington. On this leg I will cross the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park and then get into Seattle. Leg three is essentially the Pacific Coast Highway that will run from Olympic, Washington down the coast to San Diego, California. Leg four is a short trip to Phoenix Arizona. Leg five is a trip to the Grand Canyon and on to Colorado Springs via Albuquerque, New Mexico. Leg six is motroing to Kansas City then to St. Louis. Finally, leg seven is from Louisville Kentucky all the way home. Those are the seven legs of the trip and leg one covered 1,422 miles.
Today was great. First of all, the weather was great, even though the morning started at 55°. The sun kept my back warm as I headed west. I did end up doing more miles than I had planned. A road closure and a signifiant detour extend by trip to 412 miles rather than the planned 380 miles. They GPS gave me alternatives to get around the closed road, but those roads were not paved. I wasn’t worried about getting the motorcycle dirty. I was concerned about cutting a tire and so I opted to keep it on black asphalt. I really didn’t mind the detour because it showed me some beautiful country in South Dakota. As I rode along it got warmer and warmer. Each time that I stopped I peeled another layer of clothing off. Ultimately it got to 85° and I was down to a long sleeve T-shirt and jeans!
I made two pretty cool stops. The first was another happy surprise because I was looking for a rest area for a picnic lunch. The rest area had two significant sights to see. First, was teepee structure in stone that commemorated Lewis and Clark’s Camp Pleasant which is a enc a moment Lewis and Clark used twice when exploring the source of the Missouri River. It has a beautiful view of the river and bridges. The second sculpture is entitled Dignity of Earth and Sky. The artist wanted to have an “enduring symbol of our shared belief that all here are sacred. And in a sacred place.” The scenic of the land, river, and the sky created a reverent feeling and I was awestruck.
The miles went quickly but I was surprised by the strength of the crosswinds. I had to really lean the motorcycle into crosswind. If I passed a truck, of course that would block the wind and then adjust my lean or risk riding in top the side of the truck. Another challenge was that I crossed into the mountain time zone. Honestly, I hadn’t thought of this and was struggling with the GPS clock and the miles I had remaining. Fortunately, there was a sign indicating the some zone change. I am now two hours behind everyone back at home in Ohio. I will be on the look out for the pacific time zone change.
My last stop was was at what I thought was a pretty famous drug store in Wall South, Dakota. It is called Wall Drug. The amount of highway signs I saw on I-80 advertising this drugstore was mind-boggling. I was thinking this must be something to see. I can remember hearing some of my friends talk about this drug store on their trip to Sturgis a few years back. I decided I was going to stop. It’s an interesting tourist attraction, but wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be. I got an advertised free cup of water and then did a quick tour of of all of the shopping. I did find donuts and a strawberry milkshake which were both very very good. It has been operating since 1931, so enjoyed the nostalgia and interesting stores.
Finally, I reached Rapid, South Dakota and ultimately the exit that lead Deadwood. This turned out to be the curviest part of the trip so far. I like what I see so far of the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Tomorrow I’m expecting good weather again. While it is a rest day, I’m going to do some laundry, pick up some groceries, hit the gym, and then travel down to Mount Rushmore. That will be less than 100 miles. Then I will start the second leg of the trip as I head to Seattle.
