Morning musings:
The Custer KOA is perched on
a tree covered small hill. As is typical
in a campground the roads are gravel. We
were originally slated to be in tent site #9.
As we made our way there I started getting a sinking feeling about the
location. That particular site was down
a slight incline surrounded by trees, minor ruts and gravel…no problem for a
car or truck, a bit trickier for me on a bike.
I sat there and tried to figure out how I was going to get Zeus to the
parking area without tipping over.
Couldn’t see a way, so I consulted Kim and went back to the office to
see about a different site. Tent site #12 had electric so we checked that
out…it was on a slight slope which wasn’t a problem, but tree roots in addition
to gravel and ruts didn’t make my gut feel any better. Cabin #6 was available so that’s where we
ended up. A cabin costs more but it
would be cheaper in the long run if I had less areas of my bike needing attention
from the body shop over the winter. A
saddlebag and front fender already need some minor attention due to a spill on
gravel a couple of weeks ago.
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We had the windows open last
night because the outside air felt good.
An intermittent sound woke me up, I saw the curtains of the back window flapping and
thinking they were making the sound I asked Kim to close the window. Left the front window open. Wasn’t long before the sound
started up again. Oh, just rain on the
metal roof I thought as I drifted back to sleep. Up at 7 a.m. and when I stepped outside I
took a good look around…no evidence of rain, no metal roof, pine trees weren’t
close enough to drop pine cones and besides there weren’t many pine cones on
the ground. What was making that sound
last night? I mentioned the mystery to
Kim and he suggested maybe it was pine needles. Pine needles? Really? They’re
heavy enough to make a noise when they hit the ground? There were some on top of the bike trailer so
he picked them up and let ‘em fall back down.
Sure enough that was the sound.
So maybe they don’t make a noise when hitting the ground but they sure do
when they hit the top of a metal covered trailer. 😏
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Sun was just breaking through
the trees when we got up at 7…looking to be a good day to ride. Camp was fairly
quiet when we walked to the bathroom so we’ll have breakfast before heading
out.
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One reason we wanted to come
out to Custer State Park was to see the buffalo, realizing there’s never any
guarantee on that. Someone along our
travels had told us that the annual roundup of the park herd had started so
they might not be out and about. I hope
there’s still some wandering around….
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Evening update:
On the road to Custer State
Park before 10 a.m. Because the camp is
surrounded by trees, it was a bit cool for riding when we woke up. Waited a
couple of hours for the sun to work its magic; then it was time to hit the
road.
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Well, the information about
the buffalo herd roundup making the buffalo scarce was a bit erroneous. We saw plenty of buffalo…three or four off by
themselves, several groups of 4 or 5, and there were a couple of herds that must
have numbered in the hundreds each. I stopped to take a picture of a buffalo on
our side of the road. He acted like he wanted to cross the road but was unsure
of my intentions so I just stayed put. I
didn’t want to move ahead, have him panic and turn into one of us. We’d lose, for sure. So we waited it out and sure enough he ambled
up to and across the road.
Every buffalo that was close
enough to the road for me to see distinctly had flies buzzing around their heads,
especially about their eyes. And the
animals really can’t do much to discourage the annoying little buggers…a flick
of the tail now and again but that’s about it.
Also I’m assuming buffaloes smell nasty.
But I’ll never know because I’m not about to get close enough to prove
that assumption right or wrong.
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Got some information about
the buffalo roundup from Bill, a volunteer at the Wildlife Station Visitor
Center. The maximum number of buffalo allowed in the park herd is 1500, so they
do a roundup near the end of September strictly for getting a head count. The
herd is culled down to about 900 for the winter season. They look at the total
number of buffalo and the total of each sex and age, then determine which ones
to keep and which ones to send to auction. Hopefully what amounts to an
educated guess will keep the herd numbers under the maximum allowed after the
spring calving season. Those that make
the cut and remain in the park are not corralled over the winter. They roam freely throughout the park in the
winter just as they do the rest of the year.
Those that don’t make the cut are sent to public auction where anyone
can bid on them. Some buffalo are bought by other parks to increase their herds
or maybe start a herd…some are bought by meat processing plants who then sell the
meat to restaurants and grocery stores…some are bought by individuals who
fatten them up to butcher just as you would a cow. It’s be interesting to know how much a buffalo
generally goes for at auction.
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This morning we stopped in
Custer so I could get a picture of a very unique motorcycle; Kim stayed on his
bike. I went into a store and when I
came out Kim was on his bike posing for a picture for some random lady whose
husband was waiting patiently on the sidewalk. Interesting. Seems the lady approached Kim and in her accented
English said that she has taken pictures of lots of motorcycles but she has
never seen a rider sitting on one…she wondered if she could take a picture of
him sitting on his bike. Kim obliged her.
So when this German sounding lady shows her friends all the wonderful bikes
she saw on her trip to South Dakota, Kim will be in the slideshow in all his
bad ass glory. 😊
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We hit the Big 3 in Custer
State Park…the Wildlife Loop, the Iron Mountain Road, and the Needles Highway. We were gone about 8 hours and most of that
time was spent on roads where the speed limit was posted at 25 or below. I’ve been through the park several times,
both in a car and on a bike, so I’m fully aware of what the roads are like. I
was riding lead most of the way; not at all a position I’m comfortable with especially
on twisty hilly roads. As a result of
the Great Crash of 2010, I find I can’t
ride twisties as fast as most bikers...that’s just how it is for me. I do feel a bit self-conscious and a certain
empathy for those caught behind me when I’m in the lead in those conditions. But Kim insisted I lead. Bah!! Anyway, most
of the ride today was outside my comfort zone in that area…10 mph hairpin
turns, the Pigtail Bridges on Iron Mountain Rd., and lots of twisties in general.
Throw in the up and down of the hills
and it’s no wonder my shoulders and neck were all tensed up and tight by the
time we got back to camp. Despite all
that, it was still a good ride.
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The Wildlife Loop is where
the buffalo are typically seen…as are prairie dogs, pronghorn and the
occasional elk. The terrain varies from hilly forested areas to open
meadows.
The Iron Mountain Road has 3
one-lane tunnels, two of which present a view of Mt. Rushmore. Who gets the right of way is a matter of
courtesy…but honk your horn first to let opposing traffic know you’re coming. Traffic
was light today but the majority of it was motorcycles. The Pigtail Bridge is also located on Iron
Mountain Road. The road spirals just
like the name implies employing a bridge to facilitate the spiral. It’s a true engineering marvel and
interesting to ride.
The Needles Highway, known
for its rock spires, has several one-lane tunnels also. And these tunnels have specific measurements
which are clearly posted…approaching one of the tunnels we encountered a motorhome
which was clearly too big to go through the tunnel. I thought it was stopped but Kim said it was
slowly backing down the hill. That’s
gonna take some fortitude, skill and time.
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 |
| Family photo at the Heads |
I planned our route through
the park in a way that we could stop at Mt. Rushmore in between Iron Mountain
Road and Needles Highway. There was some
highway driving in there so it gave me a break from the twisties and we could
stretch our legs walking in to see the Heads. A required stop for us even though nothing has
changed…Mt. Rushmore is still 4 heads carved into a rock. 😉
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Small Town of the Day: Custer, South Dakota…population 1,860
It’s a larger population than the last several winners but Custer was
the only town we went through today so …and there happened to be a population
sign on the far side of town so perhaps by default Custer is today’s winner. Custer has life-size painted buffalo placed
throughout the town, mostly on downtown street corners. Very creatively done, too.
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Sunday miles: 100 miles
Total miles: 1,577 miles
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