Great road trip of 2009

For over 20 years, I've wanted to go to the Great Plains. Don't ask me why, because I couldn't really tell you. Perhaps the vast openness; perhaps the lack of people; perhaps what I call "the pull of my people" (since I am part Native American). I was planning to do this back in the 90's, but never really got around to it. But now, a perfect storm of life situations made it possible. My proposed route was to be basically Dallas - Black Hills (Mt. Rushmore), SD- Devils Tower, WY - Little Bighorn, MT - Boulder, CO - Dallas. I wanted to stay off of interstate highways as much as possible, so I could see more of the countryside. The only part I wasn't sure about was making it to Little Bighorn - my problem when I left was having to be back on a certain day because C was possibly traveling. That part was going to be a last minute decision. Overall, I loved the trip. The only negative was that I picked the wrong time to be anywhere near the Black Hills - it was Sturgis week. I've never seen so many bikers in my life. I started seeing them in Kansas and the further north I went, the more I saw. Luckily, they were all heading south (since the motorcycle rally was ending that weekend and from what I was told, most of the bikers leave by Friday). Well, if most of them were gone, I can't imagine how many are there. They were ALL OVER THE PLACE. The hotel guy where I stayed in the Black Hills told me that you basically draw a circle 100 miles around Sturgis and that is how far they have to stay. Which also explains why I had to pay $100 for a hotel room that would normally be $40. Sturgis week + summer rates = $100. I guess I was lucky I could find a room at all. I can see why bikers love the BH - great weather, hilly and curvy roads. But they certainly hinder wildlife viewing. I can't count the times I was stopped on the side of a road watching elk or bison or antelope when here would come 5 or 6 or 20 bikes. They would stop to see what I was looking at and with all the noise of idling bikes, the animals would stroll or run off. Some of the little towns would not allow non-motorcycles down the main street because the traffic was so bad. Making turns took forever; buying gas took forever, trying to eat took forever. Then again, if I had a bike, I'd probably be up there with them.

I was convinced by a Park ranger at Devils Tower that I could make the trip to Little Bighorn before it closed. So I decided to give it a go. My route was going to take me thru 2 reservations, so I was advised to fill up before taking off, since there isn't much out there. I also had a back-up plan if I felt I wasn't making good enough time and had to call it off. About 20 miles before I had to make the decision, I ran into a really bad rainstorm. The temp dropped from 75 to 55 in about 5 minutes and it was raining with some hail mixed in. I was driving 80-85 (and getting passed) and had to slow down to below 55. But, after about 15 minutes, it stopped and the skies cleared and it looked good to the west. I made it with about an hour or so before the park closed. I was an interesting place, a bit eerie, and was the one place where I really thought about the history of the area and the Plains in general.

Some other observations:

• I've heard of the "seven wonders of the world". Until I drove thru Kansas, I'd never heard of the "seven wonders of Kansas". One of which was "The Big Well" - the deepest hand-dug well in the world. For Kansas, I guess that is a big deal.
• Why anyone would live in Kansas is beyond me. Nothing there, flat and just miles of dirt, corn, or wheat and a stench that made me gag every time I got out of my vehicle. All the people I saw were rather large, which surprised me because I could barely eat. But I guess you get used to it.
• I saw a crop duster airport - a long shed and planes taking off one after the other. Cool!
• My parents have always talked bad about Nebraska (the smell, the flat fields that go forever, brown and no trees). Well, the part of Nebraska I went thru was nothing like that. I saw trees, rivers, grassland with rolling hills. Not much wheat or corn. I even went thru a national forest that reminded me (sorta) of parts of Colorado.
  
• The Iron Mountain Highway in the Black Hills is the coolest road I've ever been on. I was on it early in the morning in the rain, so I didn't see a single bike. Only saw 1 other car. Great views, great wildlife, unbelievable "rock tunnels" and then BOOM - Mt. Rushmore. And I think Mt. Rushmore is something every American should see (as well as a trip to DC). I thought all the faces looked like the person, except for Teddy Roosevelt.
  
• The road curves and spiral over and under itself. Even at slow speeds, you get a bit dizzy. The best individual tunnel was on the Needles Highway.
• When you first see Devils Tower from the highway, you are 20 minutes or so from it. When it popped up after taking a curve, I had a "Close Encounters" feeling, like I was being drawn to it. It was as awesome as I expected. The grooves and crevices were incredible and it looked really cool with the blue skies, white puffy clouds and birds flying on and around it.
• Montana folks drive really fast. Then again, the roads are flat and you can see forever and you wonder why they even have speed limits. I seem to recall that parts of Montana didn't have them until just recently.
• I spent Sat. night in Sheridan, WY. I couldn't believe how dead if was. I was trying to find a place to eat and had a difficult time finding any place that looked open. I think I may have been on the wrong side of town, but still, it was strange. I ended up having to get a sandwich and some chips from a convenience store where I bought gas.

I had a great time and probably could have spent another day in the Black Hills area, but I was worried about finding a place to stay and I was getting tired of bikes. Not the riders, because all the ones I talked to were nice and friendly. Just dealing with driving and noise and the hassle was getting to me. I want to go back during off-season and perhaps I can talk C into going as well.