Wednesday August 13, 2003
520 miles 40 miles per gallon.
We gassed up at Bear Lodge and headed east. As we went down the Bighorns, the east side of the mountains looked lush and green compared to the west side. We stopped for brunch at a Perkins in Sheridan at 11:00 am, then hopped on I-90 to Gillette. We knew we had to make good time for a few days to get back to Wisconsin before our vacation time was gone. We were doing about 75 miles per hour in 105 degree heat on highway I-90. We gassed up in Spearfish and blew past Sturgis, which was nearly vacant by now. We kept on rolling up the miles in a strong crosswind on the way to Wall Drug. Then we took a little break to detour through the Badlands. Someday I'd like to camp here and watch the stars from this alien landscape.
After the Badlands, we were back on the road until after dark, when we crossed the Missouri river and pulled off in Chamberlain. We pitched our tent at American Creek campground and got a good night's sleep.
Thursday August 14th, 2003
499 miles, 41.7 miles per gallon.
We left Chamberlain headed eastbound. The weather had cooled down and it was another beautiful day. We stopped for gas in Humboldt at a Mobil station where they had the most incredible animal mounts (taxidermy) that I have seen in a long time. They were huge examples of big cats, deer, and buffalo. We plugged on through Sioux Falls and on into Minnesota. When we got to Worthington, Minnesota, we turned northeast onto hiway 60.
We stayed on hiway 60 all the way to Mankato, where we turned onto hiway 14 to Winona. The last 40 miles were beautiful on a good road winding through some land that looked very rich and fertile after having driven through the scorched land of the American West. We went over the bridge in Winona then headed northeast towards Eau Claire on familiar roads. The Mississippi valley looked even more beautiful than before, and we enjoyed another great sunset as we rode the final stretch home.
3925 miles of great riding with no flat tires and no mechanical problems, with friends and family, good weather and incredible sights - the best trip yet!
See you on the road!