Home Sweet Home....

All the pictures are in one folder.... Might make a slide show with music.

First day back to work.  Wow, I got some great hugs from people... Thanks!

Would I do this again? Yeah, in a heart beat! It was tough, I think I've grown a lot (riding wise/and in preparing for another trip like this.)

What great riding partners.. I could ask for none better.  I really didn't have any expectations.... I knew it would be awesome, but, I had no Idea what we would encounter.... Let me say that the Tetons literally took my breath away... Just Amazing....

 Then I would have to say Needles Highway

That was so cool....  then the Badlands....

That is Sweetlu!  it's Vast!   Oh My Gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got the Crap beat out of us from the Wind.... But we were also very blessed.  We ran into rain the first day.... some rain in Rapid City, but, nothing we could not live with...... We still accomplished all that we set out to do... Thanks to our radar on our phones.... really we went into Sturgis on one of those days, and we did Spearfish Canyon.... Both very cool! Really bad weather was ahead of us then behind us.... but, we had favor... And we were thankful.....

We met the nicest people... We talked to this gentleman in Sturgis, a local...

It was kind of sad really the effect the Rally has had on the town itself.... There are really no businesses, Just empty store fronts, that fill up during the rally then close the rest of the year...

The thing that warmed my heart the most was Rich.... He just took us under his wing and helped us out! Thank You So Much Rich!   May G-d Bless you and I am praying for His complete healing for the cancer in your body.. 

Want to send that Man a Thank YOU!

Sometimes I felt like a mother with two teenaged boys..... Like at Old Faithful..... Ohhhhh My! You fill in the blanks.....

And I saw the above and could not resist taking a picture.... too Funny!



We love seeing everything around us, but we also love getting the flavor of the places we go.... Talking to locals, we learn so much about their every day lives. You get the best tips from the Locals too.... What's your favorite place to eat for breakfast?   .... Oh yeah..... R&B Breakfast Club. 

Our Bikes loved this gas...... yeah!

The two pictures that I like the most out of all of them are.....

The funny thing is I could not see in view finder for both of this pictures.... Out of about 800 pictures.... these are the best.   

We had a lot of laughs and we found out why Mike wanted to go to Wall Drugs so bad.....

The Guys had fun posing for pictures....

Them in Sturgis..... Too funny!

All the hotels that we stayed at were ok.... I think the worse one was in St. Charles, MN... It wasn't terrible... kind of Cabin like.... The Sports Bar/Grill in St. Charles was nice.... good food

This was the funniest for me.... after we came down from Togade pass.... We pulled into a Motel 8 parking lock and crossed into the restaurants parking lot.... Mike leading.... Lu and I both thought Mike was calling it quits for the day, because it was so darn cold!  LOL....

This trip was beyond anything I could have dreamed.... I was Awed time and time again.... every turn, every crest of a hill there was something new... something amazing....  Who would have thought I'd be within feet of Wild Buffalo's....  The Landscape was Vast and ever changing..... Prairies, desert, canyons, Red rocks shooting out, in the middle of lush rolling hills....

I could go on and on forever.....Trying to share it all.....

If you want to do it, and have a chance.... Do it... You won't regret it..... This was one of the most amazing things that I have ever done in my life... I couldn't have had a better time... We rode hard, but we had a blast.... We had time to rest.... relax,  and enjoy.... We enjoyed the time on the bikes....we enjoyed each others company , and we enjoyed G-d's beauty that has spilled over on this earth.....

Amazing.... Just Amazing......

Day ......15

We left St Charles around 9:45 AM...... We crossed the Mississippi,

and entered Wisconsin.

The riding was nice.... kind of cool, but the wind that had been beating the Crap out of us, was not felt... It felt good.  It was over cast and the clouds were dark but, not one drop of rain was felt..... Nice.... we then entered Illinois, we didn't stop to get a picture.... the mood has changed.... we just want to get home.... 

We are making really good time, we stop for a fast bite to eat, then head back out..... we stop fast a couple of times, then head on down the road again.... then we hit stopped traffic right before Chicago (construction). Our bikes start Thumping.... so after a while we decide to ride on the side of Rt 80.....  we get a couple of miles down the road and we get back in with rest of traffic.... about 7 minutes later a police car is coming down the side that we were just on with it's lights on.... ok..... here we go...... he drives right past us.... phew!

We start moving again..... we reach Indiana, and here we go again.... traffic stops..(more construction).... ok.... so much for the good timing  we were making.... we were trying to make it to South Bend...... but it would have been past 9 when we got there and we would lose an hour.... so we pull off before the time change and check into a nice hotel...... Celebrate! we are almost home!

Lou got home tonight.... Lou you kicked butt getting home.... how do you do it!? Glad you are home safe and sound....

we have a nice ride of 500 miles ahead of us for tomorrow...... it will be nice to get home..... Sheba!!!!! might Video when we get home to get her reaction.... :-)

Day....14

We got a late start, we crossed the swollen Missouri river,

a National Guard truck from Utah passed us. Probably here to help with sand bagging the swollen river. When we had breakfast there were also people from the red cross there eating. I over heard them talking about passing out water to the workers that were sand bagging.



Full size trees almost covered with water...

The wind beat us up again today. We went from sunny and warm to clouds and cold misty weather. We put on layers of cloths as the day went on. We passed Rochester, MN.



not much room left under the bridge






Tomorrow we will cross the Mississippi river, and keep heading home. I have a couple of pictures to add to this, but it will have to wait till we have Internet. I'm adding this from my phone. Hopefully I can fall back asleep now.

Day .....13

Wow..... What can I say..... heading home for real now... Hitting the Badlands, then Wall Drugs....

We go to a road that leads to the Badlands.... it's dirt,  it's been raining on this road, there is gravel, and it's majorly bumpy.. We decide to go to Route 240....

 We keep on going on Route 44 till we get to 240, we find that it is a national park, and to take the loop that is Route 240 we need to pay $10. each.... ok... we enter the park and follow the signs that say Wall.... we come upon this.....

Nice, but this is just the beginning......

Then we come to a part in the Badlands that we are over looking them instead of looking up at them....

it almost looks like a mini grand canyon....  it looks like rock, but, check it out up close....

up close it looks like dried mud....

Different shapes, different colors........

G-d's Tie Dyed land.....

yellows and pinks......

We leave this wonderful sight, and go to Wall Drug's we started seeing signs for Wall in Wyoming!  Chuck gave us 4 nickels to buy 4 cups of coffee. we pull into Wall, and it seems like the whole town is built after Wall Drugs

We have lunch at Wall, then go to Wall HD, then head East on the 90... We spent more time than we thought we would in the Badlands so we know we are not going to make it to Souix Falls.... So we head out on the 90 by Wall with a full tank of gas... We head right into some crazy cross winds... I feel like I don't have a windshield on, and I'm driving side ways and my left arm is starting to hurt from fighting with the winds.... we go about 120 miles and pull into a rest stop.... we are all being beat up.... we decide to get gas in about 40 miles... we pull of then and decide to call it a day... we find out from the Weather Channel that the winds are just going to be 5 to 10 MPH tomorrow......... ahhhhh that is more like it. 

Tomorrow we will cross the swollen Missouri  river.

This is a sad day....we are on our way home now, and we are parting from Lou.... he needs to be home Friday, he is going to be doing some crazy long riding.... Our prayers go with you Lou. 

Lou was a great riding partner... we had a lot of laughs, and a lot of great times with Lou this trip... We did get into a rhythm, the 3 of us...  We relaxed, we had fun, we saw some awesome things....

but, our journeys will continue tomorrow... but, not together, we know will have different stories... going different directions.... Till we all ride together again.... hopefully OctVRfest....

G-dspeed Lou...

hummmm what's the plan.... route 66, and the Grand Canyon???? Cool!   

Day......12

Today we want to do Needles Highway and Mount Rushmore..... We go to breakfast and it starts raining.... we check the radar, and it's just spotty clusters of rain.... So we put on the rain gear and head out.... We came all this way a little rain is not going to stop us!!!!!

So we head out on route 44  to 385 to Hill City...













Then we go to Needles Highway.... Wow.... Amazing..... Awesome.... Spectacular.

 The roads are hairpin and very curvy.....   

Needles Highway was awesome.....  we came out of that and went into Custer State Park Wildlife loop...


first we saw just a couple of Buffalo..... then we came around a corner and there they were a whole heard crossing the street....

We drive though the herd of Buffalo, and then head onto 16A and head toward Mount Rushmore.. That road was crazy.... pigtail roads..... I wanted to go back the way we came, but, it was getting late.... and too much wild life would be around.. So it will just be imprinted upon my memory.....

Mount Rushmore

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow.... we head to the Badlands and Wall Drugs....

Day.......11

It's raining ..... it's pouring..... we sleep in..... walk across the street for a late breakfast, and then decide to figure out what the heck is wrong with our new phones..... Mine keeps on rebooting by itself.... Mike got the blue screen of death on his..... So we go to a verizon store, and we find out that our sim cards are corrupted. Not knowing we *228 to upgrade the roaming and .... the 4 G phone does that itself.... of if you do it manually it messes up the phone.... We are sent to a different Verizon store, around the corner, we ride there in the rain, and we talk to Tiffany..... She is awesome and puts Mike in his place..... Lou and I are laughing in the background....

You Go Tiffany..... you're my hero!  We get the phones figured out.... have to wait for 6/30 for HTC to release the patch for the automatic Rebooting of the Thunderbolt.

After that we go to Starbucks and check out radar on our phones.... we decide to make a run for it and go to Spearfish, where it is clearing and go to Spearfish Canyon.....  (Thanks Lou) It turns out to be really nice out.... cloudy, but no more rain.... the sun even peaked out!

Spearfish Canyon..... Very Beautiful.... then we head to Deadwood...

We ride back to Rapid City and go to Mongolian Grill  to eat, I've never seen anything like this before.... you get a bowl and put everything you want in it, and then they cook it up for you this way..... it was so good!

Tomorrow the weather looks like it is going to be decent, so we are going to go to Mt Rushmore and the Needles Highway and see some more of South Dakota...