Motorcycle Trips : 07-13-1999 8:10PM Posted by Armand Ré Duco on 07/13/1999 08:00 PM (712 reads) • Went up to Mt. Rushmore. Yikes! The bike hated it. I think it was the altitude up there. I didn't get to spend as much time as I'd like, but then again, I have to admit it's not all that. It's nice. It's big. It's a monument. But you see it and go, "Oh. That's it." The TechoFlip Times Mt. Rushmore. Now you've seen it, too. I liked Wounded Knee and the Badlands better. The drive up to Rushmore was great-a lot of twists and turns up the mountain. Going down was much more fun. I went way too fast, but hey you only live once. An easy day, 45 miles. I needed the rest anyway. A trip to the bike shop didn't find any real problems with the carbs. I guess it must be the air up here. Oh, I'm sure that it's my overactive imagination, but Rapid City has a local "most wanted" cable access channel and I swear the guy that told me I should be packing (Tony) was on the lamb. Granted I was still digesting some food and hot sauce from the local Chinese restaurant but, still.. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow and ask him. Rating: 0.00 (0 votes) - Rate this News - Motorcycle Trips : 07-12-1999 7:11PM Posted by Armand Ré Duco on 07/12/1999 07:10 PM (833 reads) Left O' Neill at 11:30 and kept on RT. 20 across Nebraska into a little town called Gordon. No he, wasn't there and I don't know why the town is named after him. My $7.95 pocket atlas shows the Wounded Knee Massacre site just a hop over the border in South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore is just a little north of that. Looks like I finally have a destination. Well, the Wounded Knee Monument is just about what you'd expect the federal government to give to native Americans. You'd expect "the white man" could come up with a little more funding. It's located in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. A great ride out there, lot's of hills and scenery. And Indians who seemed friendly. Tony, one of the locals (what kinda Indian name is Tony? Tonto, Sitting Bull, Dances with poultry - those are Indian names.), led me to a gas station-six miles down a loose gravel road on a motorcycle following and breathing a cloud of dust left by his car. This place, the "oasis" as it's know in smaller circles, if I hadn't known better I'd swear it had been closed since '56. Come to think of it most of the places I saw on RT. 20 seemed like that. Good thing, though, I was down to less than a gallon and for some reason my fuel mileage dropped to half of what it normally was. Must be the altitude. Tony advised me not to hang around the Indian Reservation without packing a gun. My Leatherman (pocket knife) was not gonna cut it. Tony recommended a 9mm semi-automatic. I had the impression he would have sold me the one he carried if I asked. You know, the first order of sales is to create a market! But hey, what kinda travel agent would ever give you good information like that? He tells me that since I look part Indian (news to me) I should tell the "homeboys" (funny to hear a native American refer to their gang members as "homeboys") that I am up to see my Grandma. He even showed me that local gang handshake. Um....Ok. All this from a 40+yr old Indian. In retrospect I'm glad he told me that after I spent half the day hours cruising around the reservation! So then I, um decide, it would be best to head off to Rapid City, SD but plan a quick tour though the Badlands. I guess this is what Tony was talking about : http://fox7.blackhills.com/cgi-bin/archived.pl?930614153 (Was a local story about a riot at the Pine Ridge Reservation) The TechoFlip Times: They didn't look so bad to me, pretty cool actually. Oh I get it, yea, there were baaaad! Maybe the homeboys are trying to make the Badlands live up to their name. (as Cartman would say, "west-sigh-eed") Now I've made it into Rapid City for a two night stay. I need a break from the saddle and 352 miles makes a pretty good day considering all the scenery I took in. Rating: 0.00 (0 votes) - Rate this News - Motorcycle Trips : 07-11-1999 8:10PM Posted by Armand Ré Duco on 07/11/1999 09:10 PM (703 reads) • Back on Route 20 to O Neill, Nebraska. I'm somewhere south of the middle of nowhere. Over 770 miles in ten hours. I'd pat myself on the back if wasn't so sore. Route 20 is as straight as an arrow, some hills. A lot of farmland. Almost hit three deer. A mother and two fawns. Saw another deer teaching her fawn how to jump over fences. Haven't seen a cop the whole trip. Bet I could really open it up out here. Ok, I did. Speedo read 140. Now we all know that motorcycles speedometers are very inaccurate, reading much higher than actually. My GPS did tell me the real speed within a tenth of a mile. Something you can only do when you can see for miles ahead and behind you. •Had a bee squeeze through the vent on my helmet and splatter on my sunglasses. Yum. His damn stinger scratched my sunglasses. Rating: 0.00 (0 votes) - Rate this News - Motorcycle Trips : 07-10-1999 9:10 PM Posted by Armand Ré Duco on 07/10/1999 09:10 PM (865 reads) • Took Rt. 11 through WI into Dubuque, IA onto route 20. First stop - Independence, Iowa. Hey, they have a Wal-Mart here. 232 miles. Not bad considering I didn't leave 'til 5pm. The weather has been great. Decided to take RT. 20 across Nebraska. Single lane highway and not a soul on it but me! A local man said, "I'd like you to meet my wife and sister" and there was one woman standing there. Ping! Sorry I couldn't resist. Rating: 0.00 (0 votes) - Rate this News - Motorcycle Trips : 07-10-1999 1:13AM Posted by Armand Ré Duco on 07/10/1999 12:10 AM (712 reads) The TechoFlip Times •I'm hittin' the road today on a motorcycle trip out west. •Destination unknown! • I have the alien control device! Picture's will be posted when I get back.... • Hey, Thanks for closing the door... • What am I doing up so late when I'm leaving for a motorcycle trip tomorrow? I damn you, Dyno Jet! Gum and a coat hanger save the day. Rating: 0.00 (0 votes) - Rate this News -