We haven't had internet for the past three days because to get it we have to ride the 50 km to Rapid City to find a Starbucks that has free internet. When I think of all the coffee I have bought at the place, me getting free internet shouldn't be a problem for them. And, truth be told, they have been very understanding of Garry and me taking the primo internet spot in the place, (the one with two power outlets) and sitting there for two hours while drinking one coffee.
This morning (Thursday) we rode the Spearfish Canyon which loops around past the Homestake Resort, along Spearfish Creek, and in to Lead and Deadwood. There was a large number of bikes on the road this morning, but it was disappointment seeing Spearfish Creek almost dry in places and Bridal Veil Falls was a mere trickle falling down the rock face. The pullout was full of bikes and the Christians were handing out bottles of ice water and pamphlets to read. The gist of the pamphlet was that the reader's life is empty and miserable and finding Jesus will make it all better. I suppose for some people that might be true, but telling someone that their life is empty and meaningless halfway through a ride up the Spearfish Canyon is kind of missing the point. How could anyone be miserable when they are riding their Harley in a place like that?
Riding in Spearfish Canyon
Bridal Veil Falls
I did some video of the ride because the road is mostly twisties with rock walls that are several hundred feet high in places. Somehow I missed seeing the pool where I saw three generations of guys from one family fly fishing last summer. It was a truly iconic western American scene and I was disappointed to have ridden by it without seeing that place again.
At the Homestake Resort there is a Sturgis mini-market bith T-shirts, patches, and other clothing as well as a guy doing pin striping and a woman taking arty photos of people and their bikes. Garry and I each bought a T-shirt at 30% off and I bought a patch and a Sturgis flag to hang in the bike garage.
View from the Homestake Resort
Someone loves his bike!
Spearfish Creek
Spearfish Creek
We carried on by Lead and in to Deadwood. We didn't take the ride into Lead because the highway passes the old town but we stopped in Deadwood for lunch. The town was full of motorcycles and we strolled on the main street where we each bought a Deadwood T-shirt as well. The exclusive hotel is the Franklin Hotel and they own the Franklin Silverado casino where we had the buffet, the first decent meal we have had in three or four days. I took five dollars and played the slots in the casino adjacent to the Harley store. At the end of about 25 minutes I walked out with my five dollars. So I've now gambled in Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back holding the 'dead man's hand' of Aces and eights.
Main Street in Deadwood
Deadwood architecture
Deadwood's premier hotel, The Franklin.
A famous Deadwood watering hole
Leaving Deadwood we rode in to Rapid City to hit the Starbucks to do the blog for Wednesday the over to Rapid City H-D where Garry bought a throttle rocker for his bike. The 'Buffalo Bike was there again this year looking a bit frayed. The bike underneath it is dirty and looks like a bit of a 'rat bike'. There are so many bike goodies here that it would be possible to spend a great deal of money putting all sorts of cool stuff in your ride. And the parking lot always seems to have hundreds of bikes in it.
Another type of 'wooden Indian' - a 1946 Indian Chief carved in wood from Indonesia.
The ratty old 'Buffalo Bike'.
The people in the campsites seem to keep coming and going as well as seeing people arrive, every day there is a parade of motor homes and converted buses as well as guys with their gear on the backs of their motorcycles heading out. Probably many of them have been here since the end of last week and are leaving to get back to work. The group in the next campsite to ours are form North Dakota and the guys work in the oil fields there. The youngest guy, Jeremy, has a 2010 Road Glide I believe, but he has put a new paint job on it and V&H Monster Rounds pipes. It sounds great. The other guys, Pete, Doug, and Jimmy are great to talk with. Doug is from New Hampshire and is a real story teller some of which cannot be repeated here, but they are hilarious. Doug's wife and her friend are also with the group and they are all really friendly people. When I think of what Americans are like the people in the next campsite are what I imagine them to be. They are friendly and welcoming.
After arriving back at our campsite I hiked over to the Vietnam Wall of Remembrance replica which is at the entrance to the Chip. I know that sometimes I rant about all the 'patriotic' stuff I see in America and one of my favourite John Prine songs is, 'And Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Any More', but I think that in some respects that patriotism is something we would do well to emulate in some ways. Although I'm a Canadian and as a young man I watched the whole Vietnam episode from afar, I was aware of the tremendous casualties that young American men were taking during that conflict. So when I walked through the field of flags to the Wall, I found myself moved almost to tears for the tragic loss so many families endured during that time. It was quite striking to see men my age walking up to the wall and running their fingers along some to the 58 000+ names that are inscribed there. It is a small thing but I think it is a strong statement about the basic decency and humanity of most of the American people that they would do this and that so many would be moved by it.
The field of flags at the Vietnam Memorial
Part of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall replica
Part of the display
Rant coming here. The tables have turned 180 degrees from when soldiers returning from Vietnam were spat upon and called 'baby killers', but it bothers me greatly, and I really have no right to be this bothered but I am, to see that some of the most warlike Americans in power or aspiring to be in power since 2000 were those who took great pains not to have to make the sacrifice of going to Vietnam. I mean specifically Dick Cheney, who took five deferments, George Bush who went AWOL from his National Guard unit for a year, Paul Wolfowitz, that architect of the Iraq War that cost more than 4500 American dead and trillions of dollars who never served in uniform, and Mitt Romney who took four deferments while doing 'missionary work' in France then put his name into the draft pool when the war was winding down and it was safe to do so. After seeing that wall and feeling it's power, it troubles me greatly that these 'chicken hawks' have been in a position or aspire to be in the position to send other people's children to their deaths while neither they nor most of their children ever served a day in the uniform of their country. End of rant with the proviso that I am a Canadian and have absolutley no right to feel this way, but I do.
The 'Chip' at sunset.
Tonight's show at the Ampitheatre was the two big names for the week. First, Sugarland, the Lynyrd Skynyrd. Sugarland's performance was amazing. The woman singer (I don't know her name) is probably five or six months pregnant and she put on an incredibly high energy show. I wasn't a fan before the show but I am now. She, and the band, were terrific and the show was over way too soon.
Sugarland
Sugarland
Lynyrd Skynyrd was the marquee performance of the night. They too did a good show and did 'Southern Man' and others of their well known songs but it seemed to lack the energy of Sugarland. My perception was that they did an OK show but many of the audience are total devotees and the Lynyrd Skynyrd legend carried the band for much of the performance.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
The day again was a scorcher with a high temperature over 100 degrees F. but it beats rain and cold weather and we'll have that soon enough when we get home. Today was Day 10 of the trip and Day 3 since I've had a shower. I'm getting kind of dirty and raunchy right now with no break in sight until Saturday at the earliest.
No comments:
Post a Comment