Devil's Tower

August 11:  Today was the day of the trip that I was dreading most.  Today marked the point of the trip where the riding was going to change drastically and the fact that I was really heading home was going to be sinking in...  But first, we were going to stop by and see the rest of the HVR group that was already in Sturgis, and hopefully rest up a bit before making the final push towards Lawrenceburg and the surrounding area.

We were already (way) behind schedule, but today offered up a mostly highway route to make up some time.  It was 9:00AM and we had about 40 miles to travel on US-212, which offered some nice rolling hills and mild curves through the Bighorns before we hit I-94 and, eventually, I-90.  Once on the highway, the speed limit rode 75MPH, and we did hit a few constuction pockets (surprise!) that slowed us to 55MPH.  I was leading the group today and, realizing that Tom was not comfortable cranking his bike's RPM too high, I relented on the speed as we traveled about 72MPH for most of the trip.  Man, that 6th gear is nice, if only I could open it up!

The highway traveled through barren ranch land that was somewhat parched, and we saw nothing but herds of cattle for much of the ride.  The ranches span for miles and miles, and I wasn't sure how much of the land was privately owned or was federal land.  In the high plains, I just can't imagine that individuals can own that much property, and we did see a lot of areas previously that were posted with 'Free Range Cattle' signs.  I wondered if the "free" part meant that the range was in my price range.

Gravesites at Little Big Horn

Our first stop for gas just happened to be where Custer made his last stand at Little Big Horn.  Barry had always wanted to visit this hill, but never had the chance to previously and we decided on the small detour (about 1/4 mile away from the gas station).  I never counted the gravesites, but I suspect there were thousands, which included some Indian graves of those who fought alongside the white man.  The stop was worthwhile, but short-lived, as we needed to make up some ground.  We hustled back to the bikes after about 15 minutes only to find that Scott and Barry were no where to be found.  We left quick phone messages that we were off to find some oil for Steve's bike and we were off again.  Barry caught up with us, but Scott was missing.  We found him before we did the oil, so we were a group of seven again, before heading out again... 

Indian gravesite at Little Big Horn

At about 1:00PM, we arrived for a gas stop in Sheridan, WY., and I commented to Jeff that this was the town we were suppose to stop in the previous evening.  The temperature had risen considerably since we left the hotel.  As I was peeling off the my jacket and long-sleeved t-shirt, I could see that Jeff looked a little weary.  Maybe he hadn't realized that the original planned also called for us to pull into Sturgis sometime before 3:00PM.  We were making good time.

We were back on the bikes and traveled a few more miles before we exited the highway again for the road to the Devil's Tower monument in eastern Wyoming.  It is quite understandable why this rock rising from the praries was sacred to the Indians who roamed the area a while ago, as it is an impressive site.  From the monument, it was a short, winding road down to the town of Huwlett, where we stopped to have a drink and visit the vendors.

Three bikers blocking the view of Devil's Tower

We were stopped by someone directing traffic as we entered town, and were told that we would have to check back with them before we left, because the road back to Sturgis was closed due to a bad accident involving five motorcycles.  Lovely...

The town of Huwlett is just about ten blocks long, and lined with buildings that you would expect to see in a western town.  It was really quaint and, by the time that we had arrived, was not so crowded with the bikers I had expected.  It seems that we got there a little bit too late for the 'No-Panties Wednesday' festivities (boo!)

After about an hour or so, we decided to head out to Sturgis.  Checking in with the traffic directors, we learned that the road we wanted to travel was now open.  Once we traveled the few blocks to get to that road, the state troopers had closed it again, and we were told it would be 15 minutes before it was re-opened.  We waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Going back the way we came in would have added time to the ride to Sturgis, and we were not looking forward to going backward.  After about 45 minutes, I was almost ready to suggest just that when the road opened back up.  By this time, there was a line of about 200 bikes waiting.  We got in line about 1/2 way through the pack and headed east following some very cautious bikers...

Sleeping quarters in Sturgis

We finally pulled into Sturgis about 8:00, but by the time we greeted those awaiting us, it was dusk.  We got the tents set up using flashlights and, amazingly, all six of them (Barry slept in an available camper bed) were in a neat little row when we finished!

Somehow, Tom had enough energy left in him to suggest going to the Full Throttle Saloon, and I had enough ignorance in me to agree to go with him.  Scott joined us as we got on the bus to town, but before we got to the saloon, we decided a better plan would be to just visit downtown Sturgis.  It made for a long day and, since the beer kept getting more expensive with each round, we called it a night at about 2:30AM.

Whew...