I woke early several times this morning to what I think were coyotes. There were several – pups, maybe? It was between howling and cackling. I’d have loved to go check it out, but I know what I wish every parkgoer knew: these are wild animals, not a petting zoo. Stay the hell away. It was neat to hear, though. I heard wolves for the first time camping at Buffalo Bill State Park in Cody, Wyoming on our honeymoon.
The morning was clear and sunny as we got ready to start the day. Bill helped our friend Jacques by steadying his bike while he replaced the kickstand spring. Although it doesn’t look like it. (Dude, you OK?)
Since we didn’t do Needles Highway yesterday, we decided for that, Keystone and Iron Mountain Road, otherwise known as Pigtails. Why not do them back to back while the blood pressure is still up? LOL
So we started in Keystone, walking around in the hot sun looking for a new travel mug for Bill, preferably with Iron Mountain Road.
No luck. We walked through several stores, I scored several books (yay!) and we stopped to watch a gunfight in the street.
We went to leave for Iron Mountain Road, when I discovered my mp3 player missing. I knew I’d taken it off my bike, but it was nowhere to be found, nothing in my pockets and I emptied out my backpack onto to the hot asphalt. Great. First I leave my backpack at a gas station to be picked up by a good samaritan heading into North Dakota, then last year I leave a saddle bag open and dump my jump pack and Full Throttle shirt along the side of I-90. Now my mp3 player is gone. No music for the 1300 mile ride home.
My darling husband went into several stores we were in, to leave our phone number in case it was found, while I searched my bike and bag in the hot sun. Nope. We retraced just several of our steps, including the restrooms. There it was, on the TP dispenser in the women’s bathroom. Doh! I had put the damn thing in my back pocket and took it out so that it wouldn’t fall onto the floor. Sigh. On to the next adventure.
We stopped at a brand new visitor center in Custer State Park and watched an IMAX movie, Spirit of Tatanka, narrated by Kevin Costner. Both the movie and the visitor center are awesome! Definitely check it out.
Dinner at Pizza Works in Custer, another tradition. We met our pastor, Chuck Landon and his wife here the day before our wedding. We stop here every year when we visit Custer.
Heading home, the skies warned of more incoming weather. We still didn’t do Needles!
Heading north on 85 back to I-90.
The wind gusts were so strong, I thought for sure I was going to dump my bike trying to make the turn into this local business seeking shelter, but we made it.
The radio warned of 60 mph winds and half dollar size hail.
It blew over and we made it back to camp. The rain actually just now stopped, I’ve been in the tent summarizing the days events. Thanks for coming along!