Signs, Signs ...

Saturday, Sept 6th/08

Our last morning in Keystone, South Dakota and we met some lovely folks from Boston at breakfast and wish them a safe and fun journey. For those “Little House on the Prairie” fans, Keystone was the home of Carrie Ingalls for most of her adult life. Her sister Mary lived with them for a few years dying there in 1928.

We stopped at the quaint post office next to the Black Hills Central Railroad Station (built in 1900 to accommodate the gold rush) to mail a number of postcards. Heading out Hwy 244 for our last view and photos with the Rushmore Presidents we stop at a turn out and enter into a fascinating conversation with a gentleman who introduces himself as Harvey Peck from Pocatello, Idaho. Harvey served in WWII in the Navy and shared with us a number of interesting memories of that time. He was one of 8 buddies who enlisted. One was 16 the rest just boys of 17. Of the 8, he tells us sadly, there are only 2 left. He kindly invites us to knock on his door if we’re in his neighbourhood – he’ll make us a coffee.
The weather is good and we decide to grab the opportunity to do the famous “Needles Hwy”. Our experience with the weather here since our arrival is that it dawns cold and clear (38F this morning) which really doesn’t motivate me to want to jump on my bike and ride first thing. Oh – have I mentioned that I don’t care for the cold. By noon, the weather falls apart and has brought precipitation every afternoon.

Needles Hwy – also known as the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, driving through rock tunnels and winding past rock spires, the Needles Highway was labeled impossible when it was constructed in 1919. That didn't deter Governor Norbeck, who supplied more than 150,000 pounds of dynamite and the determination needed to construct the roadway.
The Needles Highway curves and winds through 14 miles of magnificent rock formations called 'needles.' One of the most prominent rock formations on the Highway is the Needles Eye, reaching 30 to 40 feet in the air with a 3 foot wide slit.

The song from the Five Man Electrical Band “Signs Signs Everywhere a Sign” keeps running through my head as we are seeing a lot of interesting signage on this hwy – here’s a couple that motorcyclists particularly like to see.

Now we’re back in the terrain that the Pika love to play in. These charming little daredevils seem to live just to play “Chicken”. They lie in wait at the edge of the road and then run across just as you near. Of course, we have seen evidence of the ones that waited just a little too long.

We fuel in Hot Springs, SD in early afternoon. It has warmed up to 63F – feels like a veritable heat wave. We arrive at a one lane bridge and I stop to see if anyone is coming across before I start out. I certainly didn’t imagine I would see a massive buffalo ambling towards the bridge at least 5X my bike’s size. I wasn’t sure whether to be ‘polite’ and let him go first or just gun it and get the heck out of there. I chose the latter. Gives a whole new meaning to “share the road”.

We cross back into Wyoming and fuel in Lusk. After the grandeur of the Black Hills and the Needles Hwy I find the ‘sameness’ of the rolling hills monotonous and it starts to make me sleepy. We opt to “chew up the miles” by crossing it at 85-95 MPH.
Our destination for tonight is Cheyenne, Wyoming which is the state capital and the principal city. In 1867 the Union Pacific Railroad was constructed through the area and brought with it much prosperity. It became known as “Magic City of the Plains”. Those who stayed and did not leave with the westward construction of the railroad were joined by gamblers, saloon owners, thieves, opportunists, prostitutes, displaced cowboys, miners, transient railroad gangs, proper business men, soldiers from "Camp Cheyenne," later named Fort D.A. Russell – now known as Warren Air Force Base. It was named for the Native American Cheyenne Nation, one of the most famous and prominent Great Plains tribes. The Cheyenne were among the fiercest fighters on the plains. Not pleased with the changes brought about by the railroad, they had harassed both railroad surveyors and construction crews.


We stop in at the Visitor Information Centre to pick up some brochures and are told “we picked the right weekend” it is the annual “Rib Fest” with participants competing in a rib cook off, live music, dancing and a general good time. We dine at Shadows Pub and Grill and enjoy the sights and sounds and boisterous revelry. Having decided we had spent long enough “in the saddle” for the day we splurge on a cab to take us the couple of miles from our hotel into town. Susan arrives in an ancient, dilapidated Oldsmobile that I’m not quite sure will get us there. It however does, at $22.00 round trip.