Day 15 - Is Wind Better Than Rain?

Dry overnight! That could be a first on this trip.  We pulled out of Huron, SD this morning and it was 69 degrees, cloudy and a little clammy.  We resumed our pursuit of US 14 West with our eyes set on Gillette, Wyoming by day's end.

A brief stretch stop in Highmore, SD was where we first saw the sun today.  I opted to shed a layer encouraged by the sight of the bright star in the sky.  Others decided to go one more stop before committing.  Turns out waiting was probably the right call.

The ride from Highmore to Pierre was overcast and it would be most of the day before we felt the warmth of the sun again. What we did see in this stretch were fields and fields of sunflowers.  Who knew South Dakota produced so many sunflower seeds?  We arrived at the Pierre, SD Harley store it was 77 degrees on the bank clock, but it sure didn't feel like it.

Leaving Pierre US 14 joins up with US 34.  As we crossed over the river, we regained the hour we lost nearly 2 weeks ago.  I know the time zone is an invisible line, but almost immediately outside of Pierre the air was thinner, drier, and more like the climate of the west that we know and love.  My hands no longer felt sticky in my gloves.  My allergies kicked in as we went from farm fields to range lands.  And, the ever present wind that seems to blow across the plains was waiting for us.  The space was wide open and Deb got a few great shots that illustrate the views. 

I noticed a few signs along the way denoting we were riding along the "Old Deadwood Trail".  Turns out that in 1875 after gold was found in the Black Hills, the shortest route to Deadwood was by steamboat from Yankton to Fort Pierre and then this famous 200 mile trail taking them across prairie and creeks to Deadwood.  I can only imagine riding across this prairie in a wagon and the challenges that brought with it.  Similarly, I pictured what it would have been like for the Native Americans to live on this land they called home.

US 14 had been relatively quiet as far as traffic.  It's a two lane highway, but we didn't have to pass too many vehicles along the way.  Just prior to where 14 and 34 split with 14 going off to the south we had an SUV in front of us with a semi in front of them.  The semi was hauling a trailer full of round bales (I'll say 1 ton each) when one of the bales rolled off the right side of the trailer, hit the road and went into the ditch.  We had plenty of time and space to slow down but it was a bit unnerving to watch.  Within a minute or two, a second one fell from the trailer, again hitting the road and rolling into the ditch.  This time the semi driver seemed to realize something was amiss.  It was then that he was making the turn onto US 14 and I was glad that we were going to go down US 34.  I'm still not sure that the driver pulled over to check the load, but for that SUV's sake that followed him, I sure hope he did.

This road, US 34 from Hayes, SD to Sturgis, SD exemplifies the meaning of out in the middle of nowhere.  The winds picked up and had some strong gusts to go with it. As we rode into a stout headwind that at times felt like we were riding the bike sideways, or tilted at a pretty good angle, I considered if riding in strong wind conditions was somehow better than riding in rain.  In the end, I think the wind riding is better, but some of those gusts make one wonder by just how much.   Some how a road that offers very little in terms of services, like fuel and bathrooms, still managed to have road work/construction on it.  As we waited for the pilot vehicle to lead us through, we were grateful that the 13 miles of loose gravel were in the lane headed eastbound. 

Sturgis was unrecognizable to me.  Our last visit was in 2015 during the annual motorcycle rally.  The place looks completely different without the 1.75 million people in the area.  We hit the Harley store and a nice lunch at the Knuckle Saloon.  Predicted temps were 75 degrees as of last night.  In reality, it was 65 degrees and layers were going on, not off. 

Leaving Sturgis, US 34 rejoins US 14, both of which piggy back onto I-90. It was a quick 115 mile zip into Gillette where we were safe and off the bikes for the night.  As we crossed the Wyoming state line the sun presented itself.  It felt warm on our faces and I, for one, was glad to see it. Torrey and Cami made a quick run over to the Gillette HD store, but were still unable to find a certain 115th Anniversary hat that both Torrey and Rudy would like.  They didn't buy when they first saw it and now it looks as though they may have missed their chance. It is notable that this time Cami and Torrey managed to avoid crossing paths with the state troopers. An improvement over yesterday when they went out on their own.

Total miles today: 409
Time to travel that distance: 8.5 hours
Total Cumulative miles: 3925