Black Hills

I spoke to soon when I said the weather was perfect for the ride to the Black Hills.  By the time I loaded the bike and got on the road, it began to get cloudy.  By the time I stopped in Belfield, ND for some lunch, it was beginning to look like it might rain so I put on my rain gear.  I encountered some light sprinkles but no actual rain but it was pretty chilly out.  Eventually, it started to clear up and start to warm up and I took off the rain gear.

I made a short side trip to the geographical center of the US, located a few miles north of Belle Fourche, SD.  It’s in the middle of a cow pasture, miles from anywhere. It was actually kind of cool as there was no sound of anything except the sound of the wind in the grass and it was very peaceful so I just sat there for a while soaking in the solitude. 

I stopped in Lead, SD, located in the heart of the Black Hills, to spend the night.  I slept like a baby but still woke up feeling like I could use about 24 hours of more sleep.

In the morning, I left Lead and drove through Deadwood but didn’t stop since I have been there a number of times and its pretty much just a tourist town.  I stopped and took a short tour of a gold mine which was interesting and then drove to the Crazy Horse Monument and spent some time there.

After leaving Crazy Horse, I drove through Custer State Park and took the scenic highway 16A to Keystone.  I love this drive on highway 16A between Custer State Park and Keystone.  The road winds through some beautiful scenery and there are a number of these 1 lane tunnels you have to drive through that are cool.  Once I arrived in Keystone, I got a hotel room and since I still wasn’t feeling 100% because of the head and chest cold I am still suffering from, I took a short nap.

After the nap, I drove up to Mount Rushmore.  I have been to Mount Rushmore a number of times but I am still always amazed when I see it.  It is my favorite national monument.  I just think it’s amazing how they were able to carve out the faces of 4 presidents in the side of a mountain.  In case you have never been to see Mount Rushmore, the 4 presidents are Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln.

After Mount Rushmore, I went into Keystone and had a small dinner and then found this little bar that basically had only a few locals in it.  Locals are more interesting and more fun than tourists. I had a few beers with them and chatted for a bit then decided to call it an early night.

Downtown Keystone

Road to Center of the Nation

The geographical center of the US

Old Goldmine

Mount Rushmore