July 12, 1981
Mount Rushmore to Chadron, Nebraska
The Good Life
When we woke up, it was cloudy but the faces of those great American Presidents were clearly visible. We had the feeling they had watched over us during the night. We left the great campsite and took to the road again (US-385), for our longest ride of the trip thus far, 109 miles.
After finishing the climb up Iron Mountain, we passed through several narrow tunnels that had been cut through solid rock. There also were several wooden bridges to ride over. The route was quite scenic and punctuated with some views of Mount Rushmore along the way.
US-385 then passed through Custer and Wind Cave National Parks. In both, we got to see Buffalo up close. Herds of them were slightly off the road in adjacent fields. A few were right alongside the road. At one point, I was unavoidably trapped at an intersection by a couple and their vehicle, when they pulled up and stopped suddenly. We were all within a few feet of a massive Bison that was larger than their small sedan. The couple of naive tourists stopped their vehicle and got out to stand right in front of the animal to take its picture. I was caught up there myself and hoped the animal would not charge them... or me. Luckily, it did not. Also within these two parks are Elk, Deer, Antelope, Coyote, and Prairie Dogs. We saw all but the elusive Coyote.
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After passing through an area called Hot Springs, where we could see people bathing in what appeared to be outdoor swimming pools, we left the Black Hills and headed out onto the prairie. The ride, on US-385, to the state border with Nebraska was hilly, windy, and winding. Often surrounded by golden wheat fields, we arrived to the state line in the late afternoon. A sign, welcoming us to our 7th state of the trip, read "Nebraska... the good life."
Standing on the border was like being perched on the rim (in South Dakota) of a huge bowl and looking down into it, at land falling away into Nebraska. Far off in the distance were what appeared to be rugged hills. I'm not sure how the border was determined, but if someone was standing at this spot, it might have been an obvious place to draw the line. It was an awesome perspective.
With the onset of dusk, the wind was blowing hard and we headed into the Nebraska bowl. As we descended, we fought the wind for the first 9 miles in the Cornhusker State. On the way down, the 38-Special song, Hold On Loosely, was in my head. However, I was holding on tightly to the handlebars.
They didn't have You Tube then and I didn't have a motion picture camera, but that ride would have made for a good video and the song in my head would have been a fitting soundtrack.
Despite the wind, we made very good time. When we later changed direction, the wind was behind us and we really kicked some butt. By the time we reached Chadron (population 6100) it was getting dark.
We walked into Helen's Cafe, looking like a couple of weathered road warriors and got the attention of nearly everyone in the place. It was a bit un-nerving. Then we were joined at the counter by two fellows and got a taste of Midwestern hospitality. Bob, a 50-year old, from Alliance and Tom-T, age 32 from Kansas City. Both were interested in our travels and had interesting personal histories themselves.
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Four years previously, Bob was hit head-on by a drunk driver who was driving down the wrong side of the freeway. He had no heart or brain function at one point and had to be cut away from the steering wheel. He went through several difficult surgeries. With significant hard work and perseverance, Bob has managed to be able to do many of the activities he was doing before the accident, such as water skiing, riding his motorcycle, running, and cycling. He was actually on his way to the Black Hills to do some cycling with his brother-in-law when we crossed paths. From talking with him at the cafe, he looked very fit and was mentally sharp. One would never know all that he has gone through. Bob is an amazing individual.
Tom-T was in the Navy, stationed at Whidbey Island. Since we had passed through the island, on a rainy evening in early June, we had a common experience with Tom. Since leaving the service, he has worked for 11 years with the National Weather Service. His office is in Kansas City, from where he manages offices in 14 states. The job involves travel to all of them to provide assistance and oversight. Since "the weatherman" (Tom-T) predicted a strong storm that evening and since he offered for us to stay with him in his room, it was a no brainer to accept.
The storm did arrive later on but I slept soundly and right through it. For me, only the wet parking lot and grass that I saw on the next morning indicated the precipitation of the previous night. Tom's unexpected kindness and Bob's captivating story introduced us to Nebraska's Good Life on our first evening in the state.
Today's ride: 109 miles (175 km)
Total: 3,041 miles (4,894 km)
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