Sisters To St. Paul
Day 11

 

Date: August 4, 2005

Route: Hill City to Deerfield Lake

Distance: 34 miles

Ride Time: 3 h

Elevation Climbed: 3200’

Weather: mid 70s

Log

I scrapped all my carefully made plans and scoured the map for a quiet country road. There were just too many campers, RVs, and land-yachts for me to feel comfortable on any of the routes I had chosen. The desk clerk made a few suggestions and Jon and I took the car and the bikes out to reconnoiter. He drove me the 11 miles to Hill City where we parted with plans to meet in 3 hours.

The road started with a short 14% climb … my cold muscles were outraged and screaming when I got to the top but I had no breath to apologize. I stopped at the entrance to a classic cowboy graveyard thinking it was certainly conveniently located judging by the state I was in. The road continued to climb, though at a more civilized pace with a few downhills to let me recover. The scenery was amazing, the road surface smooth, the traffic light. I was in cycle heaven and smiling ear to ear. After 17 miles and 2500’ of climbing I was at Deerfield Lake. A sign said there were several campgrounds nearby but I neither saw nor heard another person.

 

The return trip was a well-deserved payback. When you see a sign like this, you know the good times start just over the crest. There were 5 of these in the 17 miles back to Hill City!

 

 

I would be remiss not to mention the other surprise awaiting us in Keystone … motorcycles. Does the town of Sturgis mean anything to you? It is THE mecca for the Harley folk. The 65 th Annual Harley Rally begins this weekend. The Black Hills are literally throbbing with Harley-roar. I actually like the sound of a Harley so this is not as unwelcome as one might think. And we have a few things in common: we travel on two wheels, we have windshields, we ride with our hands in the begging puppy position, and we have our feet out in front. I think I fit right in.

In the afternoon, Jon and I drove to Custer State Park over Iron Mountain. What a road, what a view! On the wildlife loop we saw two herds of buffalo and several herds of pronghorn. We slowly drove the narrow Needles Highway and ended at Sylvan Lake.

Now, back at the hotel, we’re packing for the long haul to Minnesota. As we pass through Fargo, I’ll be on the lookout for Marge in her Prowler.