OKLAHOMA TO SOUTH DAKOTA

This is lengthy, I hope it proves to be a decent read going by the seat of my pants and quickly trying to remember the last 3 weeks…

I have time, sitting out a potential storm at a park shelter in Sturgis. I'm a few days early of the actual rally start date, but I had to roll through and see what was going on. Started hitting swarms of bikes 2 days back when I got in the Black Hills area. 

The last 3 weeks have been great to say the least, here's the rain BTW. I left Zach's from Guymon, OK on the 9th of July and started meandering towards Oark, AR where I was to meet up with the GS Gypsy tour on the 15th, leaving me just over a week for the meet up. 

The ride towards AR was a slow one, I ventured through the panhandle of Texas to hit up the Black Kettle National Grasslands of western OK where they have free developed campgrounds and met Ben from Arizona, a self sufficient older man living in the desert and traveling with his dog, Harley. I stayed for 2 days as it was on a lake where I bathed, had a trail that I hiked and walked off into the open grasslands and rain the following morning that I sat out and read Tim O'Brien's, In the Lake In the Woods.

The next day was full of wide open Oklahoma goodness, farmland, good people and riding. It was a full day, making it to Antlers, OK about an hour before sunset where I slept on a picnic table anticipating the supposed mountains on OK. I had the road to myself all morning and I was climbing in elevation with the smell of mountains. I carried on and met up with the Talimena Drive meeting up Talihena, OK and Mena, AR. I'm in Oklahoma?!? It looks like WV here, vistas everywhere looking into the numerous valleys. It's not as long as the Blue Ridge, bu it rivals it in scenery and views, which is saying something.

Arkansas is a great state and I enjoyed the time I spent there, maybe 5 or 6 days including the GS rally. I spent a majority of the time riding forest roads and collecting pix for the rally. The forest roads were good, some led to others that weren't so good, I got to cross 2 dry creek beds with large smooth rocks and the Beemer kept a movin'. Got envolved with rain and the street tires did pretty well considering the slick the dirt turned into. Sleeping simply involved finding spots on the side of the road that I happened to be on and all is good.

The GS Gypsy/Giant Rally was fun and bleary and I also met up with Desert Dave who I stayed with in Phoenix, it was good to see him again. We had us a good spot with a swimming hole just behind us where we concentrated our efforts. The first nite was a hoot fueled by high octane local brew. Things got a rolling and as they say, things got out of hand but was settled just the same. It was a 4am debacle and going to sleep was necessary. I wake up the next morning, took a dip and look for my camera, gone, as it still is. Over a weeks worth of pix gone and 2 weeks ahead that only I will remember. We took the bikes out 1 time while at the GS shindig, and that was for phone reception, a local lunch and on back to the swimming hole. It's funny, a body of water and only a few people take advantage of a situation. The last day, there was a friendly competition on the trails, going to watch, Kevin pulls me aside and says you got to get your bike out there, off I went, stripped the boxes off the racks and went back to ride a trail never seen or rode. My name was called, I lined up, missed the opening, backed up, hit the opening a proceeded around the trail, not caring about feet touching the ground or the possibility falling, I wanted to prove that the bike was capable of doing it, which we did, and we got a standing ovation out of everyone, me slapping bike's tank, me sweating profusely and on a rush, whew what fun. There's a pic out there somewhere and I'd love to get ahold of it.

Next morning was departure for the MOA national rally in Sedalia, MO. A good days ride due north. Desert Dave, Detroit Jim and I set out together, 10 miles out, Dave's rear tire develops 3 large oranges on the left side, soft to the touch and in the country. Only decision we had was to carry on slowly, about 45mph to Eureka Springs about 80 miles north where we located a tire at 39 Classics. We arrive in the afternoon, get the tire switched in 15 minutes, Dave says "Keep up with me.", and off we go to Sedalia at road speeds. It was good till we got to MO, where the heat, despicably made it known to us, lugging up 65N, my widens side boxes creating drag and we limp into Sedalia about 4 hours later than expected.

The MOA rally was large, around 9K people on the MO State Fairgrounds which was HUGE. It was a rally you rode around, not walk around. They had great music, Outlaws and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, providing music while poking around, seeing and meeting people. We resided for 3 days in the Swine Building. Tons of space where 500 people could easily fit, and there was maybe 75 people total taking advantage of yet another situation. It was either shade or a tent out in the open on crispy grass with no shade. It was 3 days of milling about and not bothering to leave the grounds. It was hot, too hot to ride really and too hot not to be sitting in the shade. Met great people at both rallies, The 2 NYC Johns with their wives, AZ Tom, Detroit Jim, Pittsburghers Scott, Dan 1, Dan 2 and Kevin, Wicked John from Boston, Bill and Michael from Ontario, Skater Glenn, Lynn, Scott, Daniel, Big Guy Pete, Claude, Rich, Randy to name a few of the awesome people out there. There's a ton more I have written down…

MOA was over and I was preparing for a westerly direction. I first had to head a bit north so I rode out with Dave towards Iowa, his home state. 4 or 5 days later I still find myself with Dave, meeting his friends Don and Becky in Walnut, bathing in the front yard by the bikes in front of their beautiful antiqued house, putting us up for the nit and feeding us, a big thanks. Next, it was on to his friend Phil's place on the river somewhere around Lehigh, IA. Spent 2 days there, and had a full day of watching and mingling with the riders of RAGBRAI, The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Thousands upon thousands of bike riders, never ending stream it was unbelievable. From Lehigh area, we went NW  to Dave's hometown of Cherokee, IA where he was staying with a friend and he shown me the local park to camp at, $5 I'll pay that. The clouds were moving in, and I packed up and moved across the road to the baseball field and found a shelter that nobody paid much mind too. Their were people cleaning the park, thinking they would move out when the rain moved in, and I would move over to a better shelter Dave scoped out. The people didn't move out, they started a baseball game which lasted till 10pm and me lurking in the shadows not wanting to be found which they didn't. They leave, I stubble through the dark, not finding the other shelter so I stayed where I was. The following morning, I met up with Dave and had coffee with his fine friend Dolly. An hour later, Dave invites me to Spirit Lake with him and his stepson and grandson. Kerrilyn did a fine job on the cabin on the lake, big picture window and good neighbors. The following morning Dave and I along with his 4 year old grandson, Ray, bebop around town hitting up garage sales, as Ray was looking for a tractor. We close the day at West Okoboji, soaking in the water and doing nothing really, enjoying a leisurely day. Joel meets us and picks up Ray, Dave and I hug and I depart north to Minnesota and Dave back to Cherokee for a flight back to Phoenix in the morning.

I arrive in MN, looking for a county campground outside Lakefield. Being too populated and looking at 3 hours of sunlight left, I decide to head west following the sun and county road and go ahead and hit up SD. I hit up the interstate entering SD for 3/4 mile and get a map at the rest stop, get off a mile down the road and head towards Beaver Nature Preserve where I found a shelter with a picnic table to sleep on. It was a quiet night on the prairie, I slept under the stars screaming and enjoyed the nice cool air. The next morning, clouds moved in and I found myself at the shelter till 4pm when the rain slackened off. I hit the road and followed 42 and 44 west and shooting south to check out the sleeping situation at Burke Lake, another shelter with picnic tables keeping me dry from the dew or possible rain and providing a bed. I leave around 7am or so and head to the Bad Lands of SD. Beautiful, even more so as I was here 2 years ago with Zach. I ride the scenic roads sided with the odd and gorgeous rock formations. I find a primitive road with a free campsite, walk the rolling hills and the creeks, buffalo everywhere on the road. Another early night as I'm back in Mountain Time and meaning an early morning. I head back down the primitive road which looked to me a free entrance to the National Park, stopping by an abandoned building for a break and watch the sun rise, wow it is early like 6am.

The ride to Rapid City was another early morning wonderland with the road to myself, I stop and buy me a camera at one of the box stores and hit the roads riding through the National Forest, north, south east and west, turning in for the night at a picnic grounds 5 miles down a dirt road, perfect, place to myself and another picnic table acting as a bed under the night sky. I'm close to Sturgis and I've been seeing bikes everywhere as the rally starts on the weekend. I'm too close not to go, so I ride my time north and east, riding slow and stopping often, sitting out another rain at another picnic area. The rain stops and I hit up some dirt roads east to Sturgis, riding through town around 7pm, not much going on, so I hunt down Camp Road 5 from the Forest Service map about 10 east of Sturgis. I find the road and from the looks of things they're expecting a good deal of dispersed campers. I put up the rain fly and cot, nip of vodka and it's time to lay down and get an early start on Sturgis, leaving my gear under the rain fly while seeing what this Sturgis thing is all about...