Rushmore - Yellowstone Trip
#1
11-30-2014, 04:05 PM
Rushmore - Yellowstone Trip
My wife and I have debated for years about getting a lake cabin or mountain getaway to enjoy in our old age. However, we love riding our bikes and decided to get something a little more mobile so we can enjoy many places instead of just one. So, here goes nothing
THE SETUP
2011 Ford F-250 King Ranch Diesel
2015 MXT 303 Toyhauler
Equalizer Weight Distribution hitch
2 2013 Harley Davidson Heritage Classics
2 Condor Motorcycle Chocks
8 “The Keeper “ Tie Downs with soft loops
4 x 8 finished plywood to hold Condor’s
Our trial run was a little 5,200 mile trek from Alabama to Rapid City, then on to Yellowstone, Tetons and wherever the road took us.
The main objective was to set up camp near our primary destinations and then ride the Harley’s to see the sights. My wife’s sister and her husband were going to go with us, but, they don’t ride, so they were planning on driving my truck to see the sights.
THE SETUP
2011 Ford F-250 King Ranch Diesel
2015 MXT 303 Toyhauler
Equalizer Weight Distribution hitch
2 2013 Harley Davidson Heritage Classics
2 Condor Motorcycle Chocks
8 “The Keeper “ Tie Downs with soft loops
4 x 8 finished plywood to hold Condor’s
Our trial run was a little 5,200 mile trek from Alabama to Rapid City, then on to Yellowstone, Tetons and wherever the road took us.
The main objective was to set up camp near our primary destinations and then ride the Harley’s to see the sights. My wife’s sister and her husband were going to go with us, but, they don’t ride, so they were planning on driving my truck to see the sights.
#4
11-30-2014, 04:09 PM
DAYS 1 - 3
The trip began on a Thursday morning. Strong storms moving through the area delayed our departure until afternoon, but, loading and checking everything took more time that I expected, so, in realty we lost about 2 hours. When we first left everything was smooth and easy.
I was concerned about weight distribution and just how 2 800 lb. bikes with a full load were going to affect the handling on the road.
We were to stop and pick up my sister-in-law along the way. I about messed my pants when I saw they had a full pickup bed of clothes, suitcases and whatever that they were taking. But, we crammed it all in and hit the road.
The trip out was fairly uneventful. We headed up through Nashville, Paducah and on through St. Louis. The first night we stopped at Kingdom City, Mo., and then on to Kansas City and up to Sioux Falls where we headed on I-90 West. We made it to Mitchell, SD and thought that this might be a good place to stop.
The trip began on a Thursday morning. Strong storms moving through the area delayed our departure until afternoon, but, loading and checking everything took more time that I expected, so, in realty we lost about 2 hours. When we first left everything was smooth and easy.
I was concerned about weight distribution and just how 2 800 lb. bikes with a full load were going to affect the handling on the road.
We were to stop and pick up my sister-in-law along the way. I about messed my pants when I saw they had a full pickup bed of clothes, suitcases and whatever that they were taking. But, we crammed it all in and hit the road.
The trip out was fairly uneventful. We headed up through Nashville, Paducah and on through St. Louis. The first night we stopped at Kingdom City, Mo., and then on to Kansas City and up to Sioux Falls where we headed on I-90 West. We made it to Mitchell, SD and thought that this might be a good place to stop.
#5
11-30-2014, 04:10 PM
Now if you have never been to SD, like me, I really had no idea what to expect. I-90 from Sioux Falls to Rapid City is sure one lonely highway. Pulling a load, my truck was getting about 250 miles from a tank, but, when I got around a half tank, I started looking for fuel. You could easily go 100 miles and see no sign of civilization. Lots of dead carcasses littered the roadway.
We started seeing these signs for Walls Drug for about 500 miles, so naturally we had to stop, especially since it was the first town it seemed we saw since we left that morning. We visited a sprawling complex of shops and malls which are part of Walls Drug and also visited Badlands HD to get the necessary t-shirts.
We finally rolled into Rapid City around 4 pm and found Heartland RV Park. After setting up camp, I finally rolled the Harleys out of the garage. My battery was completely dead because I forgot to set the transport mode and my security system activated, duh. I finally got her jumped and took her for a little ride to charge the battery.
We started seeing these signs for Walls Drug for about 500 miles, so naturally we had to stop, especially since it was the first town it seemed we saw since we left that morning. We visited a sprawling complex of shops and malls which are part of Walls Drug and also visited Badlands HD to get the necessary t-shirts.
We finally rolled into Rapid City around 4 pm and found Heartland RV Park. After setting up camp, I finally rolled the Harleys out of the garage. My battery was completely dead because I forgot to set the transport mode and my security system activated, duh. I finally got her jumped and took her for a little ride to charge the battery.
#6
11-30-2014, 04:11 PM
MT. RUSHMORE, IRON MOUNTAIN ROAD, STURGIS –DAYS 4-6
Next morning we headed to Keystone, Iron Mountain Road and Mt. Rushmore. The weather was beautiful and we just rode and took it all in. The beauty of the Black Hills is beyond my ability to describe.
After a great day of riding and sight-seeing we got back to camp and started a fire. What goes better with a good campfire than pizza and tequila? The girls got wasted and started smoking my cigars. What a day!
The next day was a rainout, so we all piled into the truck and headed to Deadwood and the Casinos. Louisa walked out with a couple of hundred extra dollars, so she was happy. The rest of us were not as lucky. On to Sturgis.
Sturgis was nothing like I had imagined. Quaint, clean little town much like most towns I guess. There were bars and joints, like The Knuckle and Full-Throttle, but, no one was there. We stopped at Full-Throttle and the only ones there were a girl and a dog. After getting t-shirts, we rode around a bit to see some of the campgrounds, etc. It is hard to imagine a half-million bikers here.
We had planned to ride the bikes to Sturgis, but, decided we had seen all we wanted to see here. So, with rain in the forecast, we decided to leave Monday and head to our primary destination, Cody, WY.
Next morning we headed to Keystone, Iron Mountain Road and Mt. Rushmore. The weather was beautiful and we just rode and took it all in. The beauty of the Black Hills is beyond my ability to describe.
After a great day of riding and sight-seeing we got back to camp and started a fire. What goes better with a good campfire than pizza and tequila? The girls got wasted and started smoking my cigars. What a day!
The next day was a rainout, so we all piled into the truck and headed to Deadwood and the Casinos. Louisa walked out with a couple of hundred extra dollars, so she was happy. The rest of us were not as lucky. On to Sturgis.
Sturgis was nothing like I had imagined. Quaint, clean little town much like most towns I guess. There were bars and joints, like The Knuckle and Full-Throttle, but, no one was there. We stopped at Full-Throttle and the only ones there were a girl and a dog. After getting t-shirts, we rode around a bit to see some of the campgrounds, etc. It is hard to imagine a half-million bikers here.
We had planned to ride the bikes to Sturgis, but, decided we had seen all we wanted to see here. So, with rain in the forecast, we decided to leave Monday and head to our primary destination, Cody, WY.
#7
11-30-2014, 05:57 PM
Grand HDF Member
