Sturgis Day 4: Ride On

We were up and on the go early this morning. We met our friends Sharon, Vickie, and Holly at IHOP in Rapid City at 9:00 AM. The idea was to have a nice long day ride and be settled back at the camper by the time it started to rain.

As a group, we decided to ride through the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, then circle back up to Iron Mountain road into Keystone. The ride around the Wildlife Loop is always amazing, and this time was no different. We came around a turn into a knot of sightseers and these little guys.

Of course we missed the buffalo when they were near the road, but we did see this herd from a distance.

After finishing the Wildlife Loop, we circled back to ride Iron Mountain Road. Now, Iron Mountain Road is one of the most technical roads I have ever ridden. This 17 mile long road has 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, 3 pigtails, and 3 tunnels. Depending on the direction you travel the road, as you come out of a couple of the tunnels, you see the faces on Mount Rushmore. At the end of the road lies Keystone, SD. We stopped to calm our nerves after the stress of all the twists and turns.

On a whim, as we left Keystone to ride to Deadwood, we decided to take the Old Hill City Road instead of the road more traveled. The Old Hill City Road is an 11-mile road that intertwines with the 1880 Train railroad tracks. The road crosses the tracks 14 times in that short ride. This is another road that can be a bit tricky to the unwary rider.

After the Old Hill City road, we turned north to Deadwood. By the time we reached the parking lot across the street from the Silverado Casino, the clouds were rolling in.

When we finished dinner and were discussing how long to stay and gamble, the lightning and thunder were making themselves seen and heard. So much for missing the weather today. Because our friends were staying in Deadwood, they decided to head back to their campsite before the rain started, so we said our goodbyes.

Lin, Donna, and I stayed in town after the rain started trying to wait it out. When the Weather Bug indicated that the storm was slacking, we made a dash for the bikes and our rain gear. Somehow I managed to stay fairly dry and found a place to gear up. The traffic through Boulder Canyon into Sturgis stayed at a comfortable pace for a change. Donna and I have been through that canyon in bad weather and been pushed through by the flow of traffic. Pretty hairy-scary.

Even though we got caught in the rain after dark (not our favorite riding conditions), I thought it was a pretty awesome day. We rode some of my favorite roads in the Black Hills, it doesn't get much better than that.

Tomorrow we head to Sturgis, mostly to register for the rally. We'll see what else the day brings.