Day 40 - Sturgis and the Black Hills of South Dakota

I am in South Dakota - it feels good just saying it. Elton John's "Indian Sunset" began playing on my headphones as I crossed the border into SD and it was perfect. I could feel the reverence of this land, the hard history of the change from native american to european settlers yet it was also beautiful to feel and experience this history while riding through the exact place where it happened. I think this land is absolutely beautiful and I can almost feel why the Lakota people consider these Black Hills sacred. I started the day visiting Devils Tower - an impressive monument to nature's awesome power. As soon I entered the park I stopped to take some pictures and there was my good friend the moon just sitting there in the sky next to the Tower. You crazy orb! From there I ventured into the wild world that is Sturgis's 72nd Annual Motorcycle Rally. It is quite the festival!! Hundreds of thousands of folk having fun and enjoying the place and each other. I met Sam for lunch then ventured out on my own into the craziness. All I can say is that I had a lot of fun people watching, I enjoyed talking with some of them who were from all over the world, and also just listening to the mayhem. Sam and Kristie then picked me up and showed me some of the sights and sounds of this magnificent area - Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, The Gaslight Salon and some of the gorgeous places in between. I enjoyed them all but I must say the Crazy Horse Memorial really touched me. I like the fact that the main reason the Lakota elders wanted this memorial built was to show future generation that they had heroes too - how excellent! Afterwards we had a great dinner at the Gaslight Salon and then I rode my bike to my hotel a couple of towns away. I like it when I visit a place and connect with the land and the people. Thank you Sam and Kristie for taking the time to show me around and for being such good and generous people. And thank you Elton John and the Lakota people for connecting me to this land. I have thoroughly come to love both land and people here in this special place called South Dakota.

Day 39 - PT and the Beartooth Mountains

Well today was a different kind of day, that's for sure! I woke up around 3 am with the moon shining in my window so I got dressed, went back outside to my bench, and relaxed under the moon with the place to myself. Insects and birds made their noises but the geysers hissed their songs the loudest. And the moon seemed happy to be back above the horizon and be able to share her messages. Thank you moon - message received! After a bit more sleep I got up around 6:30 am and walked the geysers again yet this time the steam was twice as thick because of the cold morning air. After a good breakfast (thanks Zach from Knoxville!) I headed north and east towards Sturgis. On the way I met PT, a woman in her 70's who shared much of her life's story and philosophies with me - and what a story it was! I listened to her for over an hour and left feeling so blessed for having met her. She was so generous with her time and to a complete stranger. As I was leaving she said "Remember, everything you need in life you already have in your heart and soul". This from a woman who seemed as surrendered (her word) and as at peace as anyone I have ever met. What an experience! I then crossed the continental divide for the last time and headed into the Beartooth Mountains. OMG - switch back roads on steep drop-offs for 2 solid hours - a motorcyclists dream!! The views were so huge to see and I was almost breathless the whole time. And just like anyone who has ever tried to take a picture of the Grand Canyon can attest, it is impossible. I spent so much time talking with PT I was now running late so I detoured for the Interstate (yuck!) and rode until 11 pm when I stopped in Gillette WY for the night. I am 2 hours from Sturgis so getting there for lunch will be a quick ride. What a wonderful day!!!

ODO - 8462

Day 38 - Yellowstone, geysers and my moon

It is possible that tonight will be my last night sleeping in a National Park on this trip. Aaaarrrgggghhh - I don't want it to end!! But I must say - What a way to go out - Yellowstone, the granddaddy of them all!!! I did not know it was the first national park in the world! So many animals! And such a diversity of landscapes within just a few hours of each other! It is late at night now as I write this, it's pitch black. And the sky is shining its millions its stars on me and it makes me smile. 6 weeks of being outdoors every day and night looking at the stars and the moon and I still love it as much as the first day in Colorado. I was actually heading to my room when I detoured to come out here and see the moon. But alas, she is not in the night sky tonight; she must be resting below the horizon. Too bad too - I would have liked to have heard what she has to say. Instead I lay on my back here on this bench 50 yards from Old Faithful, under the millions of stars, a bit cool, typing this blog page. Instead of the calm steady voice of the moon, however, it sounds like the sky is packed full of small voices all talking at once, like each star has a voice. I can also hear some kind of bird of prey screeching in the distance. I have no idea what he or she is preying on but whatever it is is toast and I am glad it's not me. During the day today I traveled to, through and on this beautiful park. I hiked one of the geyzer trails and enjoyed seeing all the geysers tremendously! That hint of sulphur smell in all of these geysers reminds me of my time in the hot springs of Liard in Canada, whenthese am in the hot springs under the midnight sun. That felt so good!! These geysers are all so busy boiling their crystal blue waters away and depositing their yellow and gold minerals on the runoff beds its too hit to swim in them. But they are so colorful! As I watch them spit out the sulphur steam I realize how much I have come to enjoy this park. There are hundreds of them - a veritable geyser feast! Tomorrow I head to Sturgis for a couple of days with 500,000 of my closest friends. I am looking forward to lunch Wednesday with Sam and Kristie in Sturgis. But for now it's back to looking at, and listening to, these stars.

ODO - 7995

Day 37 - A moose, a wolf and Ralph Engelberger

I hiked the Tetons today - it felt so good to push my body to do some work in this clean and crisp mountain air. It was amazingly quite and peaceful with views you can't see anywhere else on the planet. On my way back down I stopped and washed my hands, face and then dunked my head into this small creek running down from the mountain peaks and it was the best feeling in the world! What is an especially good reminder for me about all of this is the fact that earlier that morning, amongst the big crowds in the valley, I was ready to leave. I was trying hard to "let go" but i was not doing very well. I snapped at this rude french woman (is that redundant?) and I just wanted to bail and head out. Fortunately I went to the local Visitors Center instead (I felt like my father) and this guy behind the counter proceeded to tell me about all these great rides, trails and magnificent view points. So I went out and did as he suggested and had a wonderful time! On the trail hiking up to the lake I saw a moose grazing in the bush 10 feet from me and he looked quite content - no need to charge me, Mr Moose. I also saw a small wolf but he was freaking out and more concerned about getting the hell away from the humans than anything else. When I returned to my bike I took this really nice and leisurely 75 mile ride around the park and then ended the day with a delicious pale ale from the local Snake River Brewery. I enjoyed myself so much I stayed and ate some lunch / dinner there and mingled a bit with some of the locals. This was obviously a local favorite hang-out as it seemed everyone knew each other and they were all celebrating a victory of some sort or another. Being on my motorcycle I thought it best to remove myself from the festivities before I got too caught up in them but I sure was tempted to stay! Instead I got back to my hotel around 6 pm, took a long hot shower and then did some postcards, laundry and planed out tomorrow's trip to Old Faithful. I know what you are thinking - Old Man! But that's cool - I am glad I did as last night's visit to the Cowboy Bar and this trip to the Brewery were enough for me. I am, after all, still 2500 miles from home. And let me tell you - a cold Coca-Cola after a long day in the sun beats a beer any day!

PS - I think this is the nicest Best Western I have ever been in - it could easily be a Hyatt or a Westin.

ODO - 7876

Day 36 - The Tetons phase of my "Killer" trip

Today I rode from Bozeman MT to Jackson Hole WY along Highway 89 - perhaps the most beautiful ride I've been on in the continental USA. The sea of dead trees from the fires of 1988 in Yellowstone surprised me; I thought they would have been long overgrown. But no, it is a sea of dead burnt trees with new trees working their way to the sun and plants, flowers and bushes thriving underneath in the brightness of the open sun. As I told a friend yesterday - its the perfect display of new healthy life building off of the devastation of the past. Perfect! It is a weekend in the summer in a big national park so the number of cars can be frustrating but luckily enough it is also a chance to practice letting go which I did with good success. In fact at one point I even found humor in the situation - I was at a stand still in traffic when along comes on of my friends (a bison) just strolling down the street on the other lane just as happy as you please. He couldn't have cared less about the traffic jam he was creating, he just was out for a stroll. As soon as he walked by me all the traffic freed up and I was off again. I saw large herds of bison and elk in huge open fields and also bears eating a dinner of fresh fish with eagles and hawks soaring overhead looking for prey. I forget sometimes just how special these national parks are until I get in them and marvel at their beauty. On a completely different note, due to popular requests I did have some beer at The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar - a fun place that is practically an institution around here. I met a flock of Australians here who had rented Harley's and were tooling around America. They envied my trip and called it "Killer". Tomorrow I explore the Snake River canyon region - I am excited!

Day 35 - I appreciate what I have!

While getting back into the groove of a "work day" was not easy (and I am not sure I did a very good job of it) it gave me the chance to REALLY appreciate this trip and how grateful I am to my partners for letting me go. That is not to say it wasn't a good day - it was a very good day. That said, I want to go back to Bozeman and continue my trip on Sally and that's exactly what I get to do. The day is done and I am now on a plane flying back to Bozeman. Tomorrow I back on my bike for 2 more weeks. Oh thank you God!!