We drove north out of Rapid City, SD, skirting the Black Hills and then followed a Harley through Sturgis, motorcycle center of the universe. There were many fewer bikers here than when we were nearby in 2009. Bison were spotted too - the first of this trip. We were going north on Hwy 85, which we dubbed both the Pronghorn Parkway and the Roadkill Hwy. We didn't get any decent pronghorn photos. The roadkill count was huge (we stopped counting), this was the deadliest stretch of road we've been on in a long time. At least 4 raccoons, 2 skunks, 2 rabbits, one squirrel, owl, porcupine, deer, and several unrecognizable. And it's not a very populated road, so it seemed to be especially deadly.
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| The main drag in Sturgis SD |
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| Bison in Custer National Forest - Dakota National Grasslands |
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However, this was also a very lovely drive - maybe a few weeks ago! We found out that sunflower seeds are a big crop around here. Miles and miles of brilliant yellow flowers, but the seeds are ripe and the flower heads are too heavy, so they're all drooping downward - lots of promise of beauty, but kind of a downer to see them at this point! Road repair is another strange thing in the Dakotas. We had six miles of unpaved road. Who has a six-mile long construction site? Smaller segments seem so much more efficient!
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| Some of the millions of sad sunflowers. |
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| 6 miles of unpaved road! |
Soon after seeing bison, the <*Most Important Event of This Trip*> occurred -- we crossed into North Dakota! Yippee! Randy's Quest for 50 States was realized! Randy's Wish to get the Sportsmobile to the Lower 48 States was also realized! And Bryn made it to her 50th State too, very exciting!! We took photos by the sign and the wind was whipping hard. We would later find out that the wind whipped hard for our entire visit. We found out at the NPS Visitor Center that North Dakota is, in fact, the most-often last state visited. Their slogan is: "North Dakota, I Saved the Best for Last!'
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| The Big 5-0 ! |
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| The Sportsmobile completes 48. |
After dilly-dallying at the North Dakota - South Dakota border, we went on to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A true gem!
See the next blog post!!
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