Single Cylinder Psyche

I spent a good part of today’s ride regretting what I wrote in yesterday’s post about people at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.  So first thing I did after I got settled in this evening was to rewrite that section of the post.  Now it’s a more tempered statement of how I feel about the subject.

Today I spent the first part of the morning with my cousin John, then looked around Buffalo Gap some more, rode through Wind Cave National Park and Mount Rushmore National Monument, and the balance of the day stair-stepping my way northeast across South Dakota as far as the Missouri River.

It was a privilege and an education spending time with John, his wife Irene and daughter Sarah.  They’ve built an enviable life for themselves in the Black Hills area of South Dakota.  John and Irene live on their 1,400 acre cattle ranch a few miles down a gravel road from Buffalo Gap.  Sarah, who lives near-by, owns  and operates an elevator and feed store in Buffalo Gap.  They are the epitome of small town success.  It makes me smile inside when I think how these hard-working people have faced many challenges and come out winners.

The rides through the parks were just that.   I have been there a couple of times before so didn’t feel motivated to do the park visit thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I learned from John that these monster sprinklers are called center pivots.  I’ll have a new appreciation for them next time I fly over the country.

 

On the left are the elevator and feed store in Buffalo Gap operated by Sarah.