2009 Summer Motorcycle Trip: Day 35, Deadwood to Chamberlain SD via Badlands National Park

After packing up, started out at 8:15 am. The snoring still continued from the campsite next to me, and the rest of the campground was still quiet.
I took the Nemo Road (a nice back road) to Rapid City. Made a stop at Wal-Mart for snacks, fruit and a quick second breakfast. Made my way east on route 40 towards the badlands which were further away than I realized.... but the road ran parallel to I90. The winds were stiff early today, and I made the best time I could on a nearly empty highway. I arrived into an area of the badlands and stopped for a rest and photos. It was also a rest from the wind that had changed to gusting headwinds when the bike was pointed in the right direction.... the rest of the time the bike danced around in my lane. I arrived at a small town called Interior, and had a choice to follow hwy 40 or it was 11 miles to I90. I didn’t realize then, but soon did, the 11 miles was through Badlands National Park with a $10 fee to enter. I wasn’t happy about the fee, until I went a little way down the road and was in the best part of the Badlands, but also surrounded by buses, RV’s and cars. I stopped for several photos and a snack at a tourist stop before heading onto I90.
The wind was present again, but not too stiff and rather constant, no gusts. I made some distance but my hand cramp returned and I finally pulled off for a rest at a remote gas bar with a store. The shop keeper, told me about Old 90, a 2 lane service road that runs parallel to I90 but not immediately beside, that was the original highway, still in decent shape and paved, and it serves the farms along the highway. It was a great road for me, because it was deserted, I could travel at any comfortable speed and stop anytime my hand needed a few minutes rest. It had one unique characteristic, as I rode, there were hundreds of what I thought small clumps of dirt bouncing off my boot and the bike. I mean, there were impacts like a few every second on my boots and legs. The first time I stopped for a minutes rest, I realized these clumps of mud were grasshoppers (or locusts), My bike wheel was scaring them into flight off the road and my radiator and oil cooler was collecting them by the handful. I cleared them away and checked my boots; they were showing the evidence of the impacts. I continued on this 2 lane road, which was by far more interesting than I90 and also easy to keep a good pace as it was better protected from the wind. My personal highway I was thinking, because there were very few other vehicles on it. I must have ridden this road for 2-3 hours and probably close to 120 miles. Glad I found it.
Eventually I made the town of Chamberlain SD, still well short of my earlier goal of Sioux Falls, where I took a motel for the night, to treat myself to a bed, TV and convenient morning shower. It was not fancy motel, but walking distance to a store and restaurant, and clean and comfortable enough. No WiFi.... but I didn’t need it. My wife was travelling today to visit Lisa in Whistler.
There was an elderly couple in the next room, I struck up a conversation and found out they were married almost 60 years ago. Wow, that isn’t a common statistic. They lived in Iowa, and were on a short 4 day trip to see the western hills. I pulled out my tent I had packed still damp with dew, and dried it out next to my bike in the parking lot. I also cleaned some clothes in the sink and tub with a little laundry soap I had, my denim shirt was very grubby, but turned out presentable. Watched a movie on TV, checked the weather (still looks good) and updated this journal.
19,081 kilometres since I left home.

Entering the Badlands area