Jaybird Grasshopper and Bates left after work on a Friday night; average speed 90; average speed limit 60. They made it to the Brewster. Brewster doesn't have a gas station. They don't have a bar. They did have a dude ranch, with a gracious proprietor, who let them a room for the night, filled JG's flat tire with air, and gave Bates about 6 ounces of gas; that got the two of them to Valentine. Bates put 3.75 gallons in his 3.5 gallon tank; JG let a "mechanic" pull and plug two holes in his rear tire, one glass and one metal.
After the visit to the mechanic and a Subway sub, the road took them to the Rosebud Indian Reservation. A 40 year old land yacht lead them part of the way, and eventually they would meet again, just before crossing the badlands. Who knew that German college students thought a cool thing to do was to buy an old American icon, and drive it from Boston to Seattle. I didn't, but come to think of it, I'dve done it too.Something else I didn't know: getting hit by a wasp, butt end first, in the temple, going 35 MPH is probably the most painful thing in the world. Probably more painful than the shutting your fingers in the slats of a garage door (ask about that one another time). Well yesterday afternoon, I got pegged in the chest by a bumblebee, but I didn't get the stinger, so it's all about the situation.
After the wasp-face incident in Rapid City, it was a short rip up US16 to Keystone, for Mt. Rushmore lighting ceremony, and much needed rest in an air conditioned room. Bates left behind his Adidas goalie shirt. Both were confused by how closed things were in a tourist trap on Sunday mornings. A run down Needles Highway, lunch in Custer, and it was time to hit Devils Tower. Only DT was closed. Apparently some wussies thought it was too dangerous because some sort of prairie fire was coming up from the south and was gonna burn the volcanic monolith down to the ground, apparently. Bates thought it was a scheme by the man to get off work early on a Sunday afternoon.
Third lesson came that afternoon. Besides it being a bit of a jaunt from DT to Chadron, if you ever see more than one car at a time, it's because those two are being followed by a Trooper. Turns out going 90 in a 65 is frowned upon in Wyoming. But since the guys were willing to look for their license, insurance and registration, and were wearing helmets, they got off with just a hand slap 75 in a 65 (Funny, insurance never found aout about that one, Wyoming is a great State). Oh ya, fourth lesson: the high plains are cold after sundown.
Lesson 5: If you ever ride from Chadron to Eastern Nebraska on Hwy 2, remember that each gas station is about 60 miles apart. If you can only get 120 miles per tank, then you better fill at ever station, or you may just be walkin' a bit. Lesson 6: God does hate you, if the one day you travel East, He decides to have that be one of the three days a year the wind comes from that direction.
Sum it up: 1800 miles -- sweet; out of gas and a flat -- suck; Badlands, Back Hills, Devils Tower + 120 MPH -- sweet; two cars in a row in Wyo -- suck. Lessons learned: more than six I'm sure.
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