Wyoming

Well it's been a little while since our last post and a lot has happened. From the Koa we stayed at we flew with the help of a tailwind into the badlands national park for the fourth of July. The bad lands are awesome. After breaking off the frontage road we descended down the "wall" into the badlands. It is a several hundred foot wall of steep gray mud hills that are devoid of vegetation. We rolled into our camp ground and set up camp. Then we went a few miles into interior SD. There we rolled through the town of 67 people to the local store. We picked up some supplies and a six pack of bud to celebrate America's birthday. Back at camp we watched the fireworks at the interior rodeo from afar. The next day we rolled through the bad lands. A great ride with steep hills going from the lower and upper prairie separated by the " wall".
We were now on our way from bad lands to wall SD. Wall is a little stop over on the way to Mt. Rushmore for most people. It is also the home of wall drug. Wall drug once a little drug store is now a huge tourist trap with delicious donuts and pie. We got sucked in and also wound up buying books. What can I say I'm a sucker for a tourist trap. Leaving with a little less money we rolled on to the little of new underwood and a night in the city park.
Upon our exit from the badlands and entrance to the black hills, we saw more and more and even more chincy propaganda concerning Mt Rushmore and crazy horse and the attractions began to seem more like Disneyland than a majestic peice of art carved onto a beautiful slab of granite. This made Custer State parks scenery of natural beauty much more appealing. We decided to dodge the playground and find some tranquility in a little mountain campground in the park.... Or so we thought.... And for a premium. The park was everything we've hoped for, gorgeous, but the camping was a reminder that we were in tourist country. There were more cabins and rv hookups, not to mention RVs than tent sites. On a Wednesday we snagged the last open spot. We were treated to a neighboring camping family's campfire jamboree, definately Willie nelson fans. And next to our humble bike camp parked the largest rv trailer I've ever seen. I never did see them leave that thing. Anywho, the next day may have been primarily climbing, but extremely beautiful! We climbed into custer sd, then up into the hills, then through jewel cave national park to an amazing overlook. After all that climbing we were rewarded. We coasted all the way into wyoming and into Newcastle. Camped out at middle school, we mentally prepared ourselves for the next days trek. The next day we rode 70 hot and windy miles across thunder basin national grassland...aka..nothing....except for the continents largest surface coal mine!!! Wow, all I have to say. I had never been so happy to see a town as I was that night. The next day was more nothing, but prettier nothing. To a town of 400 with one police officer. We attempted to call this officer to find out where would be ok to set up camp, no answer, so we went to a rec center and asked them if they knew of a spot, lucky us, the woman we spoke to was his wife! She called him and we were set up with a football field. Today we are in Casper resting out some body aches at a days inn...aw a bed.

Location:East E Street,Casper,United States