Rapid city S.D.
Up and out of the hotel at 7:45, a quick stop to top off the tank and we head south to ride the Black hills area. We take route 16 to route 79 and pick up Route 36 west to Custer state park, there we turn onto Iron mountain road. In all of my travels, of all the roads I have ridden this is my favorite.Beginning in Custer State Park, the Iron Mountain Road is most popular for its series of pigtail bridges which bear a corkscrew shape, and its three single-lane granite tunnels that perfectly frame the faces of Mount Rushmore in the distance. The pigtail bridges enabled road engineers to reduce elevation without needing to build a switchback. The road comes off the bridge, makes a circular turn, and continues below the bridge. Definitely an experience, even for well-seasoned travelers Next we pick up Needles highway,with a short stop at Sylvan lake state park. The Needles Highway curves and winds through 14 miles of magnificent rock formations called 'needles.' One of the most prominent rock formations on the Highway is the Needles Eye, reaching 30 to 40 feet in the air with a 3 foot wide slit.
As we exit the park it is nearing lunch time and we are hungry. We pull into a picnic area at Stockade lake, make some sandwiches, grab the chips..time to eat. We are about ready to leave when a deer wonders up to the picnic are. She did not seem to care that we were there, was able to get some nice pictures of her.
Time to leave, Steve wants to go to Montana, lets roll...We head north with a fuel stop in Deadwood. Steve says we should be at Pompeys Pillar in Montana in 2 1/2 to 3 hours. ...8 hours later we arrive,, Its getting dark, we are tired and hungry and in the middle of nowhere. We pull into the Town of Ballentine ,population,,336. The only hotel in the area is a trailer that has 4 units, well we don't have a choice. We ask where we could find a hot meal,,"let me make a call" says the clerk. We here her say " I got a couple of hungry bikers here, you open?" once off the phone she tells us the fella on the other side of the highway has a small bar and owns a George Foreman grill,,he'll fix you a burger. OR you can ride over to Worden, next town over,,they have a couple of places, The Dark Horse Saloon and Eatery is a fine place. We choose the Dark Horse,,great decision.
At the Dark Horse we have the best meal of the trip, The people are friendly the food is great and the beer is cold,,perfect!!! An older couple at the next table , a rancher and his wife tell us they have two daughters, both work at the pentagon. One is an Officer in the Air force. We chat with them, and they offer us a place to stay for the night, Steve thanks them for the offer, but tells them we already have a room. We take a ride through the town of Worden before calling it a night. It has been a long day. Just as we settle in for the night we hear,,,WOO,,WOO,,a train whistle,,CLOSE!!!! great,,but I am so tired I have no trouble falling asleep.
