Day 10
Sam, my son, called late this afternoon as I was doing laundry. He wanted to let me know the blog was not funny enough. And it was too short. And it seemed like I just "wasn't that into it." What can I say. Guilty on all counts. He said I should write more about disagreements between George and me, because apparently they are funny. George and I have reached the golden age of being either too tired to fight, or we can't remember why we were mad. It is also difficult to describe what we are doing day after day. How many ways can I say the ride was great, or the scenery was beautiful?
I was talking with my sister, telling her about the big Reggae On the River gathering in Eureka. I knew my niece had attended a few times. Karen said that her son, Chris, drove up to it in his truck with a friend. He did not want to pay to get in, no surprise there, so they camped illegally in some grove of trees. He started a fire in the back of his truck to cook dinner and a spark from the fire took off. Flames erupted and they had no way to put out the fire. Out of the smoke and gloom comes a white van. The passengers piled out with a fire extinguisher and put the flames out. (Without this help there would have been a big forest fire.) They took of into the night never to be seen again. Maybe it was Sunbeam....
It is apparent that more women are riding their own bikes. In almost every big group there is one or two women on their own cycles. And they are on big bikes. I also think the significant rise in the use of three wheelers speaks to the aging of this population. Riders just want to ride.
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| George looking presidential |
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| Models used to provide scale information |
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| Native American Dancer |
We went on another wonderful ride today. Our first stop was Mt Rushmore. The last time George and I were here we were having "issues" and did not really take advantage of the memorial. Actually, we were traveling with a large group and we were not having a terrific time. So, this time we watched a film on Rushmore, watched a Native American woman do the 21 hoop dance (fabulous), had ice cream, and took millions of pictures. There is something about Mt Rushmore that stirs the heart. The memorial was created to remind future generations that the founding fathers believed in freedom and the equality of all men. Of course it is 2015 and we have yet to overcome racism. I was thinking back on the blogger who commented about the preponderance of white male riders. I think the bigger issue is would a person of color feel safe in SD?
Mt Rushmore, like the Panama Canal, is evidence of the wonders that were created without technology. Hard work, dedication, attention to detail overcame the challenges of dangerous work conditions, low pay, and difficulties with the mountain. The original design of the memorial by Gutzon Borglum was to have the presidents carved from head to waist. Due to economic issues the memorial was never completed. Borglum was truly a genius. He utilized ancient methods to transfer information and measurements from the models to the mountain. Dynamite was used to complete over 90% of the figures.
George and I watched a Native American woman perform the 21 Hoop Dance. She was dazzling. The hoops are used to tell a story, and while we did not understand all of it, we appreciated the beauty of it. Afterwards we all spent time and money in the gift shop and ended our time at Mt Rushmore eating giant ice cream cones. Oh, while we were eating our cones there were two darling chipmunks. They are so small. I always thought they were bigger. Chip and Dale seemed much larger.
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| Wild Bison |
John led us on a ride through Custer National Park. Unbelievable. The first part of the ride was all spires, columns, and needles. We went through a number of one lane tunnels carved through the rock. At one point we rode into a large circular area where we were enclosed by rock on all sides. At first glance there did not appear to be another exit, but it was another one lane tunnel invisible from some angles. This was really one of the most fabulous rides I have been on. If I were an artist I would return and attempt to transfer some of the beauty onto canvas. If I were a poet I would write a sonnet to it.
We stopped for lunch at a small lodge where Dee found the buffalo socks she wanted for her son, brother, and his girlfriend. She was delighted! We had lunch in the small cafe and George, Dee, and John ate buffalo bratwurst. UGH! I had a black bean burger. The young man who waited on us asked us about Sturgis and said he was unable to get there because it had been so busy. He said he was there for the summer trying to improve his English. He is from Turkey and graduated with a degree in Engineering. What a doll! And, some of you will appreciate this (Heidi, Debra), his English was beautiful.
The second part of the Custer National Park ride was the Wild Animal Loop. We saw two different groups of prong horned antelope. Then we happened upon the Begging Burros. The park has about 50 burros and they beg for food, therefore, they became known as the Begging Burros. People come with appropriate food to give them. We had nothing. The second burro we saw was a mama with a little baby burro. SOOOO cute!
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| Prong Horned Antelope |
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| Begging Burros |
So, we are going around a corner and notice the traffic has stopped on both sides of the road. And then we saw them! Hundreds of buffalo! Walking in the road, walking by the road, running up the hills. Big, beautiful, buffalo right in front of us! And they are huge. A group was surrounding a white car and they could not move. According to a sign, the buffalo are wild and not to be confronted. So, finally a few moved off from the car except for one big, huge, enormous fellow who stood on the road and was not going anywhere. He just stood there. Bikes would roar past him, and he did not flinch. By the way, the color red does not appear to excite the buffalo. That is a myth. Also, we don't have Buffalo in North America, we have Bison.
Anyway, this experience made Dee's day. I thought she and the guys might be in danger as they had just eaten Bison sausage and I was sure the aroma of dead Bison would be considered in bad taste and cause some form of reaction. But, although there was a lot of running, and you have never seen anything like a 2000 pound Bison running, the Bison eaters were safe. When Bison run they can get up to 35 MPH. The park has about 1500 Bison and once a year there is an auction and a few hundred of the herd are sold.
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| Beautiful wood bridges |
We ran into a little rain in the park, but made it back to the hotel in good shape. What a day! We decided to celebrate and eat at the Longhorn Steak House. George told us it was a 15 minute walk and he knew a shortcut. Now, tonight is Dee's last night with us and we wanted everything to be wonderful. Walking through weeds, thorns, and trash in thongs (Dee and John) was pretty funny. And it wasn't even a short cut! But, we eventually made it to the restaurant and had a delightful dinner followed by a long, laughter filled walk back!
What a day. Memories were made today that will never be forgotten.
Tomorrow, Casper, Wyoming
Good night Rapid City
Jenson
