MY VIRTUAL VACATION – Courtesy of The Saint

I received a text message from my friend, The Saint, last Monday. (If you’re new here, you can check out my MAKING OF A BIKER CHICK posts in my sidebar and get to know her and the Biker Nazi better.) The message read:

Wish you were here.

The Saint

I quickly replied, “Me too. Where is here?” I assumed that she wasn’t at work or she wouldn’t be wishing I was there. I WAS at work so I was wishing to be ANYWHERE else.

She replied with, “South Dakota.”

I asked who she was with. She told me, “The Biker Nazi.”

Just the BN, I asked? She confirmed. I told her she was either very brave or crazy. She told me that he was already threatening to send her home. And she was leaning toward crazy over brave.

Well, what the ……? No one discussed this trip with me! Where was my invitation? Apparently I’ve opened my smart mouth once too often and have been voted off the island. Did I wish I was there? You bet your sweet bippy whatever that is I did! Of course the truth is that had we been invited, we wouldn’t have been able to go but still… I pouted. The BN and TS were having fun and I wasn’t. How could that be fair?

I had my 3 second pity party and was over it. I asked her to send me a picture a day so I would feel like I was there with them. And because we did this trip with them two years ago, it almost feels like I am there as I receive the photos.

The photos look great on my phone but they are a little grainy now that I’ve sent them to my computer. Even so, they are beautiful! Allow me to share:

Mount Rushmore is one of my favorites! The history of this whole area is so interesting.

I guess without me there, they probably didn’t risk being asked to leave this time.

Awwww, look! The Biker Nazi made a friend.

Looks like they have a lot in common!

Look at the snow at the top of BearTooth Pass! In JULY!

This is Glacier Park, Montana. We didn’t make it this far on our trip two years ago. It was on the agenda but we ran out of time.

Someday……………*sigh*

Hugs,

Smart Mouth Broad

THE MAKING OF A BIKER CHICK - Needles Scenic Byway

We left Custer after breakfast and headed for Deadwood and Lead, SD. The Needles Scenic Byway was recommended to us by the owner of the Valley Motel. I could just kiss her for that. This was one of the most beautiful stretches of pavement I've ever seen. As the crow flies, I'm sure it's not nearly as far from Custer to Deadwood as it seemed but no one cared because this was a great place to be. I was even able to forget about the brick masquerading as a motorcycle seat and enjoy the ride. The road was one hair-pin turn after another with all these tall needle like rock formations in the mountains. I'm not sure if the highway is named for the turns or the rocks but either way it is just a little slice of Heaven on Earth. There's not a lot more I can say about these pictures. They pretty much speak for themselves.

These photographs were all taken from the back of a moving bike.

You can see here how narrow the road was with the mountain rock on one side and an opportunity to plunge to your death on the other.

Never mind.

Looking up.

At least we weren't on foot. Look at these brave souls.

There were a lot of tunnels like this. They were one way (at a time) only. You sit on one side and honk your horn to let the other side know you are coming thru and to wait until you come out before proceeding. It's a very hi-tech system.

I took this picture so I would know where to return. Like Hanzel and Gretel. This is my bread crumb.

When we arrived at this spot and I saw this inn and the view that it had to offer, my first thought was that I wanted to stay here for the week and write. I didn't even blog back then. Still, that was my thought. I would stay there and write and MHS, Biker Nazi and The Saint could just come back in a week and retrieve me. Look closely at the little patch of grass there and you can imagine me with my laptop.

And this is why. *sigh*

This particular shot may look familiar to you even if you haven't been there. Have you seen the movie, National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets.

This is the film location for the scene at the end of the treasure hunt. Imagine our surprise later that year in the movie theatre when that scene appeared on the screen. MHS and I looked at each other and said in unison, "We were there!"

Another possible death plunge on the right.

Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I had a lot of anxiety about going on this trip. I'm so glad that I didn't chicken out. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I don't regret a single second of it. OK, that's a lie but for the most part, it was pure pleasure and fun, fun, fun!

THE MAKING OF A BIKER CHICK - Mount Rushmore

It would be really hard to name a favorite stop on our bike trip out west but Mount Rushmore was most definitely one of them. The history of the area intrigued me. I loved stopping to read all the plaques that tell the tales. I loved the mountains, the trees, the cool air, all of it. I regret to say that my photography skills are no match for the beauty of this monument. (The above photo was "borrowed" from the internet.)

After riding for two days in extreme heat with temperatures soaring to 114 degrees, we were more than grateful to get to some higher elevation where it was much cooler. From this point forward, the trip just got more and more beautiful.

I always tried to take pictures of the signs as we entered the parks so I would be able to sort the albums later. Getting MHS to slow down for a decent photograph was not always easy. I found that a nice jab to his middle usually worked well.

This was our first view of this spectacular monument to Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. Around this corner is the entrance to the park. We didn't enter the park during the day but instead chose to take a ride through the mountains and return that evening for the presentation.

We encountered lots of bikers on our trip. No wonder as it was some of the best riding in the world, I'm told. There is an unwritten bikers' code that you always wave to another biker. Not an elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist princess wave but a low, subtle, 45 degree, straight arm, two finger kind of wave.

The views from this overlook were gorgeous.

See what I mean. If you've never seen it, this gives you an idea of just how big this thing is. You can see it from miles away.

If you look closely (and you may have to enlarge it), you can see the monument thru the tunnel.

I love these old wooden bridges.

President Roosevelt peeks through to say, "Bully for you, Smart Mouth Broad!" I can't be sure but I think I saw him wink at me.

When it started to get dark, we headed to the park for the show.

The Biker Nazi and The Saint lead the way.

This is the view looking up from the moving bike.

The entrance to the amphitheatre has this very impressive flag display. You can see the Presidents overhead watching us walk in.

After the flag display, these mountain goats are just roaming free right there. Y'all know how I love goats.

At the end of the history of Mount Rushmore presentation, the park ranger asked for all of the United States Military veterans to come to the stage. Once everyone was there, a round of applause erupted and it went on forever. It was awesome and brought tears to our eyes.

Pièce de résistance
The monument stays dark throughout the whole presentation and then is lit at the end.
Breathtaking!