The Badlands and the Black Hills from Behind a Biker…#3

I’m thankful for warm fingers, for dry clothes, and for Chad’s rain boots, gloves, and facemask. Yesterday we left the Black Hills in Wyoming. The camping was perfect… dirt roads, streams, a place to hang up my hammock, a rock fire pit, and a log that was a perfect table for playing cards. But then it rained. We got into the tents in time, but it was the beginning of reality…

“We knew these days were coming.” –Dwayne.

The drive was spectacular through the mountains! The roads were dirt and rocky, and curved up into the beautiful hills. There were cows and deer all over the road, and the view was simply amazing. I can’t count how many times I thought that we would drop our bike, (so thankful to be behind Chad!) But then we did drop it, not on the gravel road… we made it to the pavement, and then dumped it. Quite funny, really. But by the time we reached the pavement, I couldn’t feel my fingers, my legs felt like they had frost bitten welts on them, my face was numb, and the bitter cold wind had dug deep into my bones. I don't think that I would have survived if I didn't have Nate's long johns, seriously. It was hopeless, though; I would be cold and miserable for the rest of the ride. And we were planning on getting somewhere yesterday, at least out of Wyoming. So buckle up, this is the life of a girl on a motorcycle trip.

“We might as well see some flurries so we can say we drove through the snow.” -Nate

Let me go back to the Badlands and the bison, and the Black Hills.

We finally made it across South Dakota. We did stop in Wall. We would have felt guilty if we hadn’t after all the billboards that advertised that tourist hole. Cute, old cowboy town that somehow has become a tourist magnet.

“If we had missed this stop the whole trip would have been ruined!” –Nate

Check out the video of Chad imitating the cowboy below... good posing Chad. =)

The Badlands were marvelous. The boys enjoyed the turns through the colored rocks and barren hills, and we found a cute campsite where we could watch the bison, the prairie dogs, and the sunset over the dry dessert-like bluffs. I loved the view from behind Chad on the bike. The colors are hard to describe, hard to capture in pictures. (But this is my attempt.)

Perfect view. Beautiful ride. 

biking through the badlands...

Something about sunsets... I could travel the country in search of my favorite sunset, for a long time.

I'm really proud to be this close to a bison!

While in the Badlands we did a little exploring on foot. We set out for a peak in the distance, and were determined to reach it... on a route as straight as we possibly could. We hiked through the rocks and crevices, walking through anything to get to our goal peak, even if it meant sliding and climbing all over the snake-infested land. We discovered fossilized animal bones stuck in one of the rocks… we probably were the first ever to discover it, kind of a big deal. We snuck up on bison in our campsite. We broke a few rules, and went off the trail… and risked the poisonous rattlesnake bites. Kind of dangerous. =)

my adventurous travel partners.

Dwayne

Chad. (So glad that he didn't break his leg!)

Our destination is the peak to the left of Chad... trickier than it looks to get to.

We made it!

These are the fossilized bones we found in the Badlands

Then we headed for the Black Hills. Such a change in scenery: The trees are tall, the roads curve, and everything is glorious. It reminded me of how much God’s creation cries out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty! The earth is full of His glory!” If we will not declare the glory of the Lord, creation will… it does in the Black Hills.

It does all over this world. Just look out your door. It is spectacular. Marvelous. Indescribable. The Lord God has made an amazing world for us to explore… and even if we do not explore it, it will still give Him glory. Quite a big thought to get my mind around, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

What of the places that man will never set their eyes upon… like the intricate design in the deep places of the ocean floor, or the billions of stars and planets in galaxies we have not yet discovered, or the desolate mountains in Alaska that no one has ever been to… what of those places? Why has God made them? Why has He spent so much time on the little details? I can’t stop to consider why… because they give Him glory. Because they scream out His faithfulness, His perfection, His beauty. What a beautiful God He is… to make such a beautiful world. For His glory. It's all for His glory. That may change the way that I think about this trip. It should change the way that I live. Radically change the way that I live. I pray that it does.

Searching for a campsite... O, so much fun! =)

Things I’m learning about the guys:

*Chad doesn’t like snakes

*Dwayne would rather be a policeman than a fireman, if he had to pick one.

*Nate gladly gives up his chair for me around the campfire, since we only have three.

*All of them would rather have 20 kids than 0… if they could only have one or the other. (Not even too much hesitation on this one!)

Pactola Campground, Black Hills, SD. This is my view from my tent.

While we were looking for a free campsite in the Black Hills, all I could think about was how badly I wanted a shower. I was hoping the guys would just decide to go to a real campground that had a bathhouse. I was cold and dirty, and feeling more like a girl than usual =) My brother, Sam, calls me, “Hannah, the brother of the sisters.” And I take pride in that. But at that point, I wanted to be a girl… clean off the dirt caked in my heels, brush my tangled hair, put on a little mascara. And I could have hugged all those boys when they stopped at Pactola Lake campground.

You know you need a shower when you try to brush out your dreadlocks, and your brush breaks.

It was a coin-operated shower. The boys went into the lake. I paid twice. And I spent extra long talking with the lady at the little gift shop… I had a much-needed conversation with a female, and even bought a pair of earrings. I loved it. I came back with sausage, egg and cheese muffins for breakfast as a thanksgiving offering to the guys. I’m very thankful for that day.

Me in my rain get-up... so colorful! =)

And then off for another day with the boys. It was good to be back on the road, back with the guys. Back looking for campsites in the woods where there are no people around, and no running water.

We rode through the beautiful mountains and saw the famous Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore. Quite amazing! Although it was not my first time seeing those large carvings in the mountains, I was in awe, again. Unbelievable really, the way that man can chip away mountain and sculpt it to look so perfectly like people.

Crazy Horse

Mt Rushmore

this is the mark the bug left that hit my leg... it hurt.

Let me tell you what it feels like to get pegged by a huge bug while riding a motorcylcle… it hurts. From the splat on my leg, it looked like I hit a beautiful yellow butterfly that splattered on my jeans, but it had to have been a rock-solid butterfly, it didn’t land lightly like butterflies should. Chad got hit by a bee the other day. It got stuck in his beard. It’s a miracle we didn’t go off the road…

After passing through Sturgis, SD only a few weeks after the big Sturgis Bike Rally, we headed to Wyoming. We camped with the deer in the Black Hills mountains. This was my favorite place for camping yet, if it hadn't rained. But, I am getting better at hearts. And the boys are impressing me with their ability to come up with female Christian artists from way back in the day… but they still can’t guess the singer who sings this song: “People, get ready, Jesus is coming, soon we’ll be going home.”

Wyoming camping in the Black Hills.
Such a great campsite by a stream!

But then it rained.

Then we visited Devils Tower in Wyoming. Very spectacular. 

The boys at Devil's Tower.
Dwayne, love your space suit!
(Notice that I'm not in this picture... I more closely resembled a marshmallow than a person at this point!)

I was wearing every warm thing I owned, plus all the warm things that Chad, and Nate owned. And I was still cold. After Devil's Tower we headed south. I was so ready to go south!

Yesterday was the coldest drive yet. That is why I’m thankful for Chad’s warm gear and Nate’s sympathy and his wonderful long underwear that he is letting me wear until I leave, and the diner that Dwayne found in New Castle, Wyoming so I could drink some tea and try to warm up. When I get cold, I stay cold. And I was cold!

But, we made it into Nebraska for the night. The bluffs around the farms were beautiful, but we are eager to get to the mountains. And today we are off to Colorado.

Nebraska fields.

Kevin and Laban are on their way. They were close to the West Virginia border yesterday, and we are going to wait for them in Colorado. We are eager for them to get here! So excited! We are ready to have them join our team, and look forward to hearing their stories on their ride across the states.

We’ll update again soon….

From Behind a Biker, Hannah