Buffalo and the Presidents....

Ironically after heading out this morning 15 minutes into my ride I came across a State Park with camping, then another one 15 minutes after that!! I guess I should read my map more carefully. Yes, thanks to Matthew's influence I actually bought a map in Moab, and I don't rely totally on my GPS. It is great if you want to find a particular spot, or make your way through an unknown city, or go from point A to point B the quickest way possible, but a map will show you the most scenic routes. I really think you have to have both a map and a GPS.

Thanks to my trusty map I noticed Mount Rushmore was only slightly off route to Rapid City, so made a detour through it. It was quite a sight, and an amazing feat of artistry. Lunch was a buffalo burger in the cafe!! How often do you get to try buffalo, at Mt. Rushmore, staring at a huge likeness of 4 presidents???? Very tasty by the way.... Drove through some amazing cloud formations on the way, with the threat of a thunder shower at any time, that never materialized.

Well, I am now in Rapid City, the center for my tour of the Badlands and the Black Hills. For safety sake of my gear I have a hotel room for 3 days, so I don't have to worry leaving all my stuff behind during the day. The final Tiger woe, which I knew was coming at some point... my tires have pretty much worn out, I was most worried about riding them in the rain. I am even with the wear indicators. 8500 miles, which apparently is much more than the 5000 mile estimate most owners had given me. So I am off to Sturgis tomorrow for new ones. I figured go to probably THE most famous motorcycle city in the USA to get them put on. BTW it is mostly famous with the Harley groups, so it is pretty funny riding a Triumph to a BMW dealer to get my tires!!! lol.... I got a great deal on a new set, rather than shipping my original ones out here cross border. They will still be there when these ones wear out in a year or so.

So I start my tour of the area tomorrow. I have pretty much decided I am going to try to get home about a week early. I will have seen everything I wanted to, and I really just want to get back home, even though I won't have a home to go to for a week... It means I can put in an extra weeks work this month, and maybe take the week later in the year at some point.

BTW for you eagle eyed observers, yes I currently have a beard. Having never really grown one, I figured why not for the trip, saves lots of time shaving... :-)