Black Hills/Badlands Harley Trip Sept.2013... "with Google Tracks"

On our way to Wall, South Dakota to meet up with the Cave Country H.O.G. Chapter.  Jimmy and Alison enjoying a stopover somewhere in South Dakota. Last count was 35 Harley's and over 48 people would be leaving Bowling Green this week for the 1200 mile journey to the Black Hills. We will spend 5 days riding the hills and spending quality time with our son and daughter-in-law. So far the trip has been great with good weather and no problems. Most of the riders are ahead of us as we didn't leave until late Friday.

Jimmy and I swapped the driving chores and we are gaining ground on the motorcycles that left earlier. Alison keeps us laughing the whole way and makes the trip go quicker. We should arrive at about the same time as most of the group. Our week of riding starts at 8:00 a.m. sharp on Monday with a group ride leaving Wall, S.D. and continuing through the Badlands, into Sturgis and on to Cadillac Jacks in Deadwood where the group is staying for the week. We will ride out of Deadwood each day for the next four days.

Arriving at the campground in Wall, S.D. and happy to have the first 1200 mlles completed. It's off to Wall Drugs for lunch and some shopping at the areas most notorious tourist attraction. We arrived ahead of all but a few of the motorcycle riders that are at Best Western Motel waiting for everyone to arrive. The riders left in small groups of 4-6 to make the trip less stressful. Trying to keep 35 motorcycles on a schedule is almost impossible. The next days rides are carefully planned and everyone will be riding together.

Alison has been talking about wanting to see a prairie dog and a jackalope ever since we entered into South Dakota. Well, I found her a big ol' Jackalope and she is happy as pregnant prairie dog. 

We had lunch at Wall's and did some touristy sightseeing before calling it a day. Everyone has arrived from Bowling Green with iron butts and sore tails but everyone is safe and sound. Alison said she had a heart to heart talk with God and all is good for the upcoming week. Everyone is excited about riding through the hills and badlands. Stay tuned for more pictures and tall tales.

Monday, Sept. 16, 2013

Out bright and early for a morning tour of the Badlands with one of my favorite girls. Alison and Christine had not seen this part of the country so they were in awe of the scenery. The bikers are ahead of us by about an hour. We stopped at most of the overlooks and took lots of pictures. We will meet up with the gang in Deadwood for dinner at Cadillac Jacks tonight.

Another one of my favorite girls at an overlook in the Badlands. The wind is whipping up a bit but other than that it's a beautiful day to be in South Dakota.
The girls have seen prairie dogs, sheep, antelope and a couple of tour buses.
Alison will have lots of pictures when she gets back.

Another stop for the girls to get some more pictures. It's been a great trip so far and everyone is looking forward to cruising the Black Hills tomorrow.

Everyone will be checking in at Cadillac Jacks tonight except us.  We will be camped out at "Days of 76" campground.

Jimmy and Alison will be joining up with the H.O.G. group tonight and we will all ride out first thing in the morning for the hills.

All set up at "Days of 76 Museum and Campground". Jimmy and Alison are off for a short ride before dinner.

They better be back in by 6:00 pm or I'll have a big head start on dinner.....

Earlier.....
We stopped off at Black HIlls Harley Davidson so Christine could get a glimpse of the 2014 Ultra Limited. She's got the hots for a new ride.

We ended up with a tee shirt instead!

Some of the Cave Country H.O.G. Chapter gang waiting for our dinner number to be called at the Buffalo Bodega in Historic Downtown Deadwood.

Everyone getting fattened up for tomorrow's ride. We leave out with tanks and bellies full at 8:00 a.m.
The ride will include Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Iron Mountain, Custer State Park, Needles Highway and many more cool places. The weather tomorrow is forecast to be absolutely gorgeous.


Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013

Early morning riders meeting if front of Cadillac Jacks to go over today's route.
Around 50 degrees when we pulled out but soon warmed up to the upper seventies. The weather was picture perfect and everyone was ready to go  for a full day of riding.
Michelle has done a wonderful job of  putting this ride together, she deserves lots of praise for a job well done.
It's not easy to organize 35 bikes with over 45 riders and keep them happy.

Arriving at Crazy Horse Monument as our first stop of the day. Already everyone is shucking the jackets..

This is my third visit here and I must say it is one of the most spiritual places you will ever visit. It is a must do for your bucket list
We spent a couple of hours here and still just can't see it all. The story of Crazy Horse and the Lakota Indians is sad but a true reminder of just how our government treated the American  Indian. Maybe being part Cherokee Indian is why it means so much to me but I don't think anyone could come here and not feel the sadness that these people experienced.

The gang is checking thru at the Ranger Station and Michelle has pre-arranged our passage so we didn't have to pay the 10 dollar fee. She got a group rate for everyone to go thru for about a buck each.
Again, just one of the many tasks she accomplished so everyone could enjoy the ride.
Now, if she could just wave her magic wand and make my Hives go away......

Just some of the scenery along Needles Highway. This is some of the most breathtaking motorcycle riding anyone can do.
This highway consists of several tunnels, lots of switchbacks, and more curves than a beauty queen.

Jimmy and Alison riding in at one of many tunnels thru the rocky hills.

They had laid back to let all the riders go by while they video the long line of bikes. Hopefully, I can download his videos later for the blog.


We pulled over here for picture taking and short rest stop.

One of the tunnels along Needles Highway as we make our way thru. We held traffic from the other side while our group continued thru.

These are barely big enough for a car to pass thru but many tourists travel it daily for the beauty of the scenery.

Two Happy Harley Riders on vacation in the Black Hills.

It has been really neat spending this time with Jimmy and Alison. It's not often they get a full week off to pursue their favorite hobby.

They ride a beautiful 2012 Harley Davidson Ultra Limited with every gadget made.

Riders waiting for everyone to clear the tunnel before heading on down the hills.

The elevation here is over 3000 feet so the views are awesome.


Check out that clear blue sky, are we living right or what????

Jimmy leaning her into the curves as we make our way back down the hill to eat lunch.

Another tunnel coming up......












A couple of tunnel shots. The one on the right has a view of Mount Rushmore as soon as you clear the tunnel.

Picture below.....
Mount Rushmore as you come out of the tunnel......

John feeding the wild donkeys from his Road King along the Wildlife Loop of Custer State Park.

More begging donkeys along the Loop. Sorry, but all the buffalo were off in the distance so we didn't get any shots of us riding thru the herds.



Lunch at Custer State Park Game Lodge.
This was a summer home for Calvin Coolidge and Dwight Eisenhower..

This picture is out of sequence as we had lunch before riding the Wildlife Loop.

We will be riding through Iron Mountain Highway after we complete the Loop.

Jimmy found the Ice Cream Shop at Mount Rushmore.
The Presidents in the background..

Ice Cream in one hand and Smart Phone in the other. Must be checking in on Facebook.

That's what we do these days.......

Christine taking a break and stretching her back at Mount Rushmore.

She hung in there today, riding over 200 miles ain't easy for someone who hasn't ridden much in the last 5 years.


Only a few more miles back to the motorhome and I'm sure she will hit the sack early....




Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2013

We decided to skip the Devil's Tower ride today (been there, done that). Instead we rented a RZR to do some back country off-roading.

This will be a new experience for Christine so the day should be very interesting.

The crew is checking over the RZR before take off.

The weather today is perfect, highs in the 70s and clear skies. Trails are mostly dry and we'll keep her on the easy stuff today.

Christine checking for cell service so she can post on Facebook. She is having a good time so far. Trails have been easy.

Some of the gravel roads are pretty fast so we let her hang out a few times.

Some of the trails in the Black Hills. Lots of dry creek beds and rocky trails.
Most mud holes were dry or almost dry so it was a pleasant ride for Christine. Myself, I could use a few more O'Shits.......that's redneck for big ass mud holes and really steep hills.

Aaahhhh, Finally some water .........

Nothing like a good ol' creek crossing to satisfy the need.....


Kinda reminds me of the motorcycle Enduro days.

A totally new experience for my co-pilot and navigator.

The navigator got us lost more than once but I'll have to say it wasn't her fault.

The maps supplied by the local rental shop are useless. We stayed lost from the moment we left. But, it worked for the best, we rode countryside we were not supposed to travel. Trails that were supposedly too rough for novice renters. We blazed over those rocks and gullies in nothin' flat......

Sometimes being lost is a good thing.

We saw lots of deer and turkey on the trails. There was probably a few mountain goats and big horn sheep watching us pass by but we weren't slowing down to find them. If they didn't jump out in front of us we just figured they didn't want their picture taken anyway.

The mother of these two fawns had just stepped into the brush when she got this shot.





Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

Well, that cold front they were calling for came through right on time. Rain with 15-20 mph winds last night. Woke up to 32 degree temps and strong winds.

But do you think that deterred this hearty bunch of Harley Riders.....No Way.

All 35 were up and ready to pull out at 8 O'clock sharp. Even mama put her long johns on and hopped on the old Road King.

Riders meeting before departure every morning to go over the route.

Thank goodness today is a short ride, only 120 miles or so.

First stop is for "all you can eat...... 99 cent pancakes".

Then on to a Gold Jewelry Maker that designs and sells Black Hills Gold Jewelry. The girls should like that stop.

Christine and Alison look like they can hardly wait to get going.

I think the Jewelry Shop is their only incentive to ride today.
Little do they know we are also going to the Black Hills Harley Davidson to test ride the new 2014 bikes.

Alison looks all snug with her heated jacket plugged in.

After we stuffed ourselves with 99c pancakes and lots of hot coffee we wandered around Hayes Ol Town Museum.

Lots of working shops making hand made knives, tin plates, wood carvings, etc.

Also a few old cars sitting around and a fully equipped old time machine shop.

And wouldn't you know it, Christine found a really nice shirt on sale at the supply house. That girl is always looking for a bargain.

Her and Alison bought the exact same design shirts at different times but didn't know it until they got back to the bikes and did a show and tell.

They thought that was quite a coincidence.

Everybody ready to go to the next stop, an antique car and motorcycle museum on the way to the Harley Shop.

Got so excited looking at all the cars I didn't take any pictures.

Also got really excited riding the new 2014 Ultra Limited that I didn't take any pictures there either.

Oh well, you'll just have to come out here and see for yourself.......
But just for the record, it was one cold ass ride back to Deadwood at the end of todays adventures. We arrived back at the motorhome and it was 49 degrees with 18 mph winds out of the Northwest. Try that at 60 mph through the canyons trying to keep up with Jimmy....
Friday, Sept. 20, 2013

Suiting up for today's ride to Lead, S.D. and Sturgis.

Most of the riders pulled out this morning to head back to Bowling Green. Jimmy and Alison wanted to check out a few more places today so we waited a couple of hours for the temps to warm up a bit.
It was 32 degrees early this morning  but it warmed up to the mid-70's by mid day. Great day to be in South Dakota.

The girls are feeding "Emmett" the donkey at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis. He's a regular on the TV show of the same name, it's airs on the History channel.
We wandered around the grounds but nothing happening now as it was 5 weeks after the Sturgis Ralley.
Emmett met us in the parking lot as soon as we rolled in.
This place is billed as the "World's Largest Biker Bar". It's a sight to see.






Alison hanging out with the big guy. Both girls under the big dude on the chopper.

Isn't it funny how the women seem to migrate toward the biggest dudes in a crowd.

What do they have that we don't........





Christine thought she would try her artistic skills on the pole before the crowd showed up.

I told her she was doing great but she would have to shuck some of those clothes if she wanted any tips from the boys.
And....
She said.........

Our next stop was at Lead, S.D.......
When the Homestake Mine closed it was one of the deepest gold mines in the Western Hemisphere.
Shafts down to 8000 ft and was actively mined until given to the state of South Dakota.

The girls are standing at the edge of the mine right off the main street in Lead.

Found this neat old engine that was used in the mines. Lots of old mining equipment to see and a cool museum in Lead.

Another beautiful day for a ride in the Black Hills.

Ma and Pa Chafton goofing off at the museum.

Having lots of fun with the kids.....

Lunch at the "Bumpin Buffalo" in downtown historic Lead, SD...

Time to head back to the Motorhome and load up for Bowling Green.

Most of the other H.O.G. members are already on the road. Everyone had a fabulous time in the Hills.

Weather forecast for the ride home = PERFECT........



Made it home around 5:00pm on Sunday. No problems and as far as I know at this point all the riders made it back with no issues. No traffic tickets, no hospital visits, no break-downs, etc. A big thank you goes out to Michelle and Greg as they did a great job of organizing this ride. Karen and Don Wallace deserve an "Iron Butt Award" for riding out in just two days and the same coming back. On a Heritage at that......

Hatfield-McCoy Trail Ride....With GPS Tracks

Loaded and ready to ride...Leaving this morning for Bluefield, West Virginia to ride the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System with a couple of my Florida buddies. Frankie Campbell and Dave Crannell are bringing the "RZR's". Should be a lot of fun.

Took a break somewhere a little south of Hazard, Ky. Nice state park on a small lake.
Sunday, August 25, 2013

Unloaded the RZR's at the Indian Ridge Trailhead. Will be doing two of the seven trail systems today. Dave and I gearing up for the ride. Frankie taking the pics.

Frankie checking the map to make sure we're on the right trail. Very complex set of trials, all marked for different skill levels. Some are single track for motorcycles only. Great riding on a beautiful day.

This is one of the easiest trails. Lots of rocks on this one, the mud comes later.

Typical West Virginia coal town. We're headed in for gas and making our way to the next set of trails.

Met up with a family of riders from Roanoke, Va. on four wheelers. Currently in Keystone, W. Va.

This little cutie is twelve years old and rides the wheels off this giant Suzuki 4-wheeler.

Beautiful West Virginia hills in the background. Heading back to the trailhead after riding 57 miles today. Moving to the Pocahantas Trail System tomorrow. These RZR's are awesome. Not only fast but handle great.
Monday, August 26,2013

G

OOPS......Good day on the trails. Scott rolled this one coming down a steep hill on one of the "black trails". The Black trails are listed as "most difficult". Now we know why. I almost rolled the other RZR a few hundred yards on down but managed to keep her on all four. This is the most challenging cross country  I have done since the motorcycle days.

Another tricky spot...turning off a trail onto the steep downhill that got us upside down...Some trails are fast and furious and others are extremely difficult. All marked for skill level so you don't have to choose the hard ones. We like the "most difficult" Black Trails.

This good looking chick from Roanoke, VA. was waiting at the bottom....She had just accomplished the steep down hill section without turning over. She was celebrating with her husband on her feat.  And some people just don't understand why we do this...

This shot is me going thru a very deep mud section and when it laid over on the driver's side my co-pilot and navigator crawled outside and used his 250 pound body to counter balance the RZR while we completed this section. Yes, I was completely underwater from the waist down. YUCK....

This is after we got back on all four wheels and finished this section. One rider from Scott and Dave's team was waiting to connect the winch if needed and taking pictures of both RZR's coming thru. This is some really nasty mud...typical coal mine country.

Frankie's turn to try his luck at this massive mud hole. We laid one over and winched one out....Took about an hour to travel 1/2 mile....Not for the faint of heart but a hell-of-a lot fun..

A better shot of Frankie trying to keep us from turning over again. If he had not climbed out to give us the counterweight I would have been totally underwater when it laid over.......Thanks Frankie.....It's bad enough to have this nasty water in your boots and pockets, but in mouth....Yuck...

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Moved over to Pinnacle Creek Trail today. About a 45 minute ride between the trail system of yesterday. This is the fourth of eight Trailheads so far.

A typical creek crossing with lots of playground trails all around this spot. Great place for a private picnic. We had soggy ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch with a bottle of water....MMmm..Good.

            Come on Frankie, pour it to it....You can make...This was another easy to turn over spot.

Dave says, OK guys it's getting late and we need to move over to Matewan for the next days ride. I've got a better place picked out to stay. Let's load um up...

Wow Dave, you did good. This little Bed and Breakfast is really neat. Cleanest place you found yet...This mining town has quite the history. Certainly want to come back some day. And yes, you can ride your ATV/Motorcycle from right here to the Buffalo Mountain Trailhead.

A little history lesson from Sharon, the owner of the B & B. More pics tomorrow, it's late and time to shower and call it a day...Can't wait to check out the breakfast....

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

    Just another shot of the interior of our Bed and Breakfast facility.

This breakfast is about as good as it gets...The ladies here do a fantastic job and service is excellent...Hats off to Sharon and her crew.....

The sleepy little coal town on Matewan, West Virginia....And yes you can ride your ATV right through town...The trailhead is only a short ride away, it's straight up that mountain.

Boys will be Boys...Frankie and Dave just hanging out in the mountains of West Virginia

We found this really cool rock on a mountain top and just had to take a Kodak moment. Still clean and fresh, haven't found the mud yet. Only about five miles into this trail..

I think we found some mud. Looks like a piece of cake. Hit it Frankie.....it's not deep

       Frankie, we told you to take the high line. Oh Well, I guess it was your turn to flip one and my turn to play counter weight. It took all three of us to put it back on it's wheels because it was uphill. This was Frankie's first rollover, I'm sure it won't be his last.

         Hey Frankie, I think you should pull over there so we can help you without getting our feet wet...

        Pulling back into town after another great day on the trails. We covered over 150 miles of trails.
        No damage, no injuries, and lots of fun. These RZR's are tough critters.

Cave Country H.O.G. Rides

Another gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Kentucky. Clear blue skies and temps in the 80's. Just a great day to ride with the Harley Owners Group. Twenty-one bikes rode down to Tennessee for lunch, stopping at Chaney's Dairy Barn in Franklin, Ky. on the way back for ice cream.

And guess who's leading the group. Our beautiful daughter-in-law Alison, only three days after returning home from her latest surgery at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Tx.   WHAT A GIRL,  she would rather ride on that Harley with Jimmy than anything...almost.  Her tongue was so swollen she could hardly speak (she calls it Shamu) but she charges ahead anyway.

Alison, trying her best to chit-chat with her friends at the Harley shop. She says Shamu just keeps getting in the way.
Saturday, July 20, 2013

The Cave Country H.O.G. Chapter at Rugby, Tennessee. A beautiful ride laid out by my son Jimmy, 300 miles of twists and turns in the hills of North-Central Tennessee. Good job, Jimmy.....Rugby is a historic English-American community with roots back to the 1700's.
Sunday, July 14, 2013

First H.O.G. ride since returning from Florida. Just a short ride up to Rough River State Park for lunch, only 50-60 miles North of Bowling Green. A rider is looking over this brand new 2013 Ultra the owner took delivery of just before we left the dealership.

The Smokies..July 21, 2013

Trout fishing in the "Little River" at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Brought Austin for some fishing before school starts. Weather is threatening but we'll try it anyway. The heavy rains had the river up about 1-2 feet and the water was murky. We had no luck so we blamed it on the rains.......that's our excuse today, we'll think of something else tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 22, 2013

Rained out the fishing the first day so we headed into Pigeon Forge the next day to let the waters recede a little before trying it again. Stopped by a wood carving shop to watch the bears being carved from cedar. Christine was looking for some tree faces but they only do bears here.

Christine and Austin wandering around another wood carving lot. She is determined to find some tree faces. This place had some very unique and expensive pieces but no tree faces. Next stop is at the "Worlds Largest Knife Store" to get some pocket knives for Austin and his dad.

Well, it a start. We are back at the "Little River" to try our luck again. Austin and I caught two each but very small. We'll keep trying. I wonder if it's called the Little River because it's full of Little Fish. There's got to be a mama and daddy in there somewhere.

Well, that didn't last long. Here comes the rains again. We just can't seem to get any fishing in. Mother Nature is telling us something here. We'll try it again in the morning.

                       A.T.'s got the fire going, think I'll cook up a hot dog for dinner.