Where the buffalo roam...

What a day! My state of mind late yesterday afternoon and evening were so disjointed and messed up. It felt like the old days of pre-depression, or severe PMS. I kept trying to rationalize that I hadn't eaten lunch, we left Roku alone to long and I was worried about him, that the day hadn't gone as planned. But underneath the anxiety of explanations, I felt damn depressed. Then guilty that I felt depressed. Was I still chewing on this new life? Was it not panning out - how can I tell in a week! I can't.

Up early today, still feeling moogie and distant and bitchy. Dreaded another day of hot and cold feelings today, just want to enjoy what's in front of me. So, top down (the car, perverts!), temp about 76, we hit the road at 11:00. In an attempt to jump start my weird mood, I plugged in a Thorougood CD and rocked out. As music usually does, it helped!

And then there was the great drive to Mt. Rushmore, through the shmaltzy town of Keystone, paid $11.00 for parking - no fee for the park, right?! And many bikers were there....here....and everywhere. The cement parking garage walls were banging with pipe noise. Arrggghhh! Here's the first pic of the majestic Mt Rushmore. We enjoyed the views, and the info center. Custer's wagon train showed up in a pic there too...that expedition was everywhere.

Got giant ice cream cones and sat inside at a table with two bikers. What a surprise to find them there - the place was rotten with them. They seemed friendly and inviting so I asked them where they were from; I should have just asked, "Which southern state are y'all from?" as they answered "Georgia." Pretty obvious. We shared our adventures with the south, and talked about son-in-law John, who is a Georgian. The guy with the ring on his finger was excited to be here with his buddy, his first time. Said he's in bed by 9:30 and up late to ride. I asked why some folks trailer their bike in, and he said, very profoundly I thought, "This is a bike rally, not a trailer rally."

We then zipped down the road to the Crazy Horse monument, see below:

Really another magnificent project, and the family has done an incredible job with their interpretive center and museum. Here are a few of the beautiful beading items:

They even had a bead collection that made my mouth water so much I couldn't take a pic. Every color, every size all organized and beautiful. Yum.

Set off for home via the Custer Park loop, this time with David Foster and friends CD, one of my favs. Starts with Buble and Shelton singing "Home", ends with Boccelli and McPhee singing their Italian duet (thank you for that seester Maureen). I was soaring with the music, and Tony was soaring us down the windy, steep hill. We passed so many cute parks with cabins and camping, right on rivers. And then!

What a sight, this buffalo, this time capsule in fur. Absolutely did not care about the cars, the bikes, the road. Shoulders like a mountain, large ruff around the neck, horns curved straight up to the sky. And, here come the bikes. What a great sight to see these tough guys with their women riding that pussy pad for all it's worth, come to seeing Jeebus through a buffalo on the road. The buffalo is bigger than their bike! We cruised on, excited and glad to see this whale of the prairie.

Another ten miles, the sky is so dark we know there's a storm coming. Black, dark, raining in the distance. Lots of bikes pulled over, we finally figure out they're getting their rain gear on - smart.

Little raindrops coming down. And then came the hail. Golf ball size. And here's the video. If there are kids in the room, or you're sensitive to swearing, don't watch it...

Back at the homestead, ran up to take a swim in the fab pool, and it was closed due to the storm. Went to town for sugar, then back for the swim and hot tub. It was a delightful way to end the day.

The weather was alot like my emotional state lately, unstable. But ended smooth.

We've decided to stay another day here and hit the road to the Badlands. Long stretch the next few days.