Road Lessons/Day 4

At dinner tonight our waiter, Kadek, told us he was from Bali....how did he end up here?  Turns out he is a surfer at home and came to the US, got a job at a ski resort in Utah because he wanted to learn to snowboard.  And he LOVES it.  And now he is here, in South Dakota, working at a lodge in Custer State Park....waiting for snow again.  I sense a recurring theme for us: how did we get here and where are we going next?  We are liking this day to day adventure, and not being able to keep track of which day of the week it is....we might just keep traveling for awhile!

We got up and rode into the town of Custer for breakfast, saw a bison having a nice scratch on a pole just a few yards off the road.  We heard some bikers got stopped on the road for quite some time later in the day when a herd of 200 or so, bison took a stroll across the road.  I have driven through a herd of bison in a very large SUV, I am not sure I want to have the same experience on a cycle!  It is VERY intimidating.

After breakfast, we packed the bike again and drove the breathtaking Needles Highway over to Sylvan Lake Lodge, where we will stay the next two nights. A spectacular ride, but with all these bikes on the road, it takes a lot of concentration to navigate the narrow, curvy roads. I am glad that David is an experienced rider, and he loves these kinds of roads, but even he admits it is taxing to always be watching for other riders, wildlife in the road, and S curves with steep drop offs.  But this is the kind of thing he was looking for, beautiful challenging roads to ride on.

We were able to check in early at the lodge and after some lunch we went for a nice hike around Sylvan Lake.  It really is as spectacular as everyone said it was! We found a spot to take our shoes off and wade into the lake a bit to cool off, and got our toes nibbled on by what we assume were crawfish!

Later on we decided to grab an nice cold beer and find a place to watch the sunset.  We walked around the back of the lodge and out on to a rock outcropping.  We soon found other people had the same idea and wanted to come share our spot.
In just a short time we met a woman from Pennsylvania who was very concerned about serial killers in Michigan, escaped convicts on a killing spree in Yellowstone, and being able to keep her guns safe from the president so she can keep people off her property at home!  She was staying in Sturgis for the Rally and looking forward to seeing Kid Rock later on...ZZTop were terrible she said.  Then a couple of 60 something ladies came up who were from Colorado, though one of them used to live in the Twin Cities and remembered Golden Valley as the place where ACT2 Microwave Popcorn was made.  She said the plant also made waffles there that left a film all over her car when she went to the post office...hmmmm!?!  She lives in Boulder now, and encouraged us to leave Minnesota soon and move out there...heaven she says.  Turns out these two ladies that looked like traveling librarians in their Birkenstocks were also on motorcycles and up for the Sturgis Rally!  After they left a burly bald man and his diminutive wife came up...they were from New Hampshire and had come west through Canada and around the great lakes.

As this parade of characters came and went, we watched a person climb to the top of one of the peaks here on the left.  He/she is the small blip on top of the third rock from the left. You can just barely make out the sun glinting on the left of his body.  Now, that is some way to watch a sunset!
Not for me, though, rock climbing!  Fear of heights will keep me grounded, I am afraid, and I am OK with that!

And so, after dinner back in the lodge with Kadek, the Balinese waiter taking good care of us, we were able to sit outside for while on the veranda and enjoy a nice fire and watch the clear night sky and even saw a few shooting stars.  A lovely way to end the day.

Quote for the day:  "It's hard to live your life in color, and tell the truth in black and white." (This was on a guy's T shirt).

Lesson #10:  If you want to be left alone climb a big rock.
Lesson #11:  People on vacation are very friendly and it's a hoot to listen to their stories! So, you might as well stay off the rock.