50 States Day 65

Day 65, Spearfish touring to Spokane Creek, 79 miles 

 

"Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable."

~Peter F. 

 

If you think of South Dakota as Midwest plains, you are quite mistaken-at least

in the Black Hills region. Roads wind between tall cliffs, with forests growing

to the edges. Waterfalls cascade down through the woods, with trout treading

water feeding off insects. And beauty abounds, beneath a light tinting of smoke

from distant fires.

Lead is a cute little town, perched on a hill with plenty of buildings to remind

of its past. Deadwood, to the contrary, erects casinos at a frenetic rate and

tops it off with parking meters, bringing it down to Durango, Colorado levels.

Sturgis, because of its famous rally each year, throbs with the sounds of Bad

Boy V-twins running up and down its streets continually. Yet they are a handful

compared to the 250,000 or so that converge in August for this year's rally.

Back on the MotoBago and through more forested landscapes. The temperature

dropped almost twenty degrees and rain fell, first big erratic drops, then

building to a crescendo of a downpour, splattering twelve inches off the

pavement. Fortunately, we geared up for it. Ten miles later the skies cleared and

the temperature rose again.

We stopped at Spokane Creek Campground. First let me say it was a good value for

its money. However, they over promised and under delivered. That drives me

crazy! First, the Spokane Creek was an oozing slime snake between the tent

sites. Second the heated pool was a... Pool. They should call it an

"invigorating" pool, or a "refreshing" one. However, after riding in the sun all

day (with some very nice breaks), the pool, albeit cold, did the trick.

If you like bikes, see the previous post below. We toured the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum

and Hall of Fame and it proved to be a treat.