Friday, July 31, 2009

Day 1: Late, late, late, and South Dakota is a breeze...

Miles traveled today: 497.5 miles
Start location: Mission, KS
End location: Chamberlain, SD

I was so late, about a day and a half late in my mind getting out of town and that sucked. I couldn't finish bikes quick enough, I couldn't get the stuff I need for the trip quick enough, and I couldn't go shopping early enough. I finally rolled out of KC at 2:30 PM. So much for making it to the Badlands today.

Besides being late there isn't much to tell you about besides the roads in Iowa sucking worse than Missouri's (see I got a dig in about Missouri). So bad so in fact that I headed over to Decanter, Nebraska to get a way from it. A 75 cent toll later I was back on easy street or rather abandoned highway street.

Surprise realization on the road: Lots of bikers, and even more poser bikers in RV's, wonder why? Well a stop at a rest stop in Iowa answered my question quickly enough: Sturgis Bike Week starts tomorrow. I guess so much for the open road. Could have gotten my bike blessed there, but figured that would just slow my flaming hellcat from planet kickass down.

South Dakota does not suck by the way, rather it is awesome for one simple fact (besides extremely nice and helpful people), 75 mph speed limit. Thank you South Dakota for not being a D-bag like Iowa and Nebraska with their 65 mph speed limits.

The great bug genocide occured this evening between Vermillion and Souix Falls at 8:45PM on my windshield, in case anyone needed record that moment in history.

So today, not so good, but tomorrow brings the Badlands, Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and maybe Sturgis (but probably not). Goal for ending point tomorrow is Great Falls, MT.

Okay Matt go sleepy now, goodnight.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

This trip...

This is just a test write-up for the blog, but I will go ahead and share the trip plan.

Drive from KC to Badlands/Mt. Rushmore to Glacier National Park and then either back south through Yellowstone/Grand Tetons or over to Portland (don't ask why) but then down to Niwot, CO and finally back home in KC.

A lot of this is playing it by ear.