Day 4 May 30, 2009
Day 4 has been as beautiful as anything I’ve ever seen in my life. The Days Inn in Murdo, SD was so interesting. It had a old west/cowboy theme with the lobby decorated in knotty pine and full of stuffed animals mounted all over the place. Breakfast was served from a chuckwagon in the lobby. The tables were wagon wheels covered with glass.
The walls in the hallways were filled with old pictures of Murdo back in the 1800′s, and of some of the settlers in this area. I was just amazed to read the stories of how they got here and what they had to endure to survive.
We got a better look at Mark’s bike this morning after his collision with the poor pheasant.
After taking Mark’s bike to the local car wash, we left Murdo, SD with Hot Springs, SD as our destination. We traveled through the beginning of the Badlands and through some beautiful prairie land. We saw bigger ranches and bigger herds of cattle and horses. It’s hard to even describe it. You just have to experience it. I just remember riding along and saying over and over, “Oh my God. This is amazing!”
And to see it all from a motorcycle makes it so much more special. You can feel the warmth of the sun, feel the wind, smell the freshness of the air and occasionally the smell of freshly cut hay, hear the sounds of birds even over the sound of the bike and the wind in your ears. It’s truly the best way to experience it. The only thing that would make it better would be to ride a bicycle, but I’m way too out of shape for that and it would take forever, so I’ll stick to the bike.
I feel so at home in these surroundings .. farms, animals, nature. I love the sight of the green grasses and the beautiful contours of the land, the way it smells here; and the sounds. There is virtually no traffic and everything seems so unspoiled by humans.
When we stop the bikes to take pictures, the peacefulness and quietness is astounding. All you hear is the sound of the wind gently blowing the grasses and the birds singing. One time when we stopped, about 15 seconds after we shut off the bikes we heard a strange sound. It only lasted a few seconds and we were so in awe of the view we didn’t give it much thought. Then about 30 seconds later we heard it again. That time I thought maybe it was a cow mooing from the other side of a big hill right behind us. When we heard it the 3rd time we really started looking around. Up on top of that big hill right next to us was an old rusty windmill. That was what we were hearing. I wish I could have recorded it. There was just something so unique about it. That old windmill had probably stood there for decades through all kinds of weather, and as rusty as it was, it was still working away even though it was groaning with every turn.
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| From Day 4 Windmill |
And I think we’ve outrun those pesky bugs now too. There didn’t seem to be any bugs until we got into the Black Hills. Mosquitos were out looking for something to eat when we stopped to put on our rainsuits.
I’m happy to say that I’ve finally fallen in love with my bike. I’ve been second guessing myself for months now and wishing I’d never let go of my low rider. This new bike has been so great to ride (now that I’ve got a seat that fits me). It’s so comfortable to ride and it’s heavy enough that the trucks don’t blow me around when we pass them.
Part of our journey today was to Merriman, NE. My maiden name is Merriman and I had to see the town and have my picture taken in front of the post office.
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| From Day 4 Sandy @ the post office in Merriman, NE |
It was about 100 miles out of our way to get there, but it was worth it. As we parked in front of the post office, a man in a van pulled up next to us to see if we needed anything. I so wish I would have gotten a picture of him. He told us he was the mailman. We explained why we were there and he began to talk to us like he’d known us forever. He told us the story of how years ago a bank robber peppered the front of the bank with a Gatling gun before he robbed it. He didn’t know if it was really true, but there are definitely holes all over the front and Mark said it very well could be metal fragments from the rounds stuck in the stone.
He also told us that his best friend just won the Power Ball Lottery .. $244 million! He said his friend has been dirt poor his whole life, and just last week the bank repossessed his mobile home.
That is one thing we’ve noticed in the areas we’ve passed in South Dakota – there seems to be a lot of poverty here. Many of the towns are basically empty and what’s left and still in business is run down. The houses in the towns are also in need of repair and many are boarded up and falling apart. It makes me wonder what happened. We saw mobile homes out in the middle of pastures that were literally blown apart. Insulation was loose and blowing in the breeze, windows gone. It’s such a contrast to the beauty surrounding it.
We started getting deeper into the Badlands today. It’s just as beautiful as anything we’ve seen yet.
The further we went the more dramatic the views.
We drove through Badlands National Park. What an amazing place!
It’s been a long day .. about 11 hours of riding and part of it in the rain. We’re exhausted but still having the time of our lives.
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| From Day 4 Leaving the Badlands |