Black Hills / Bighorn / Yellowstone Tour 2011

[75TwinCam]

Wrapping up the last night at the hotel in Custer. The old Twin-Cam is ready for the road home to Colorado tomorrow. What a spectacular week this has been! The drives have been only a part of the fun - the comaradarie with new friends has really made this a week to remember! Many thanks to Slomove for organizing the tour, and rzempel & Z3Stalker for daily posts and pics. It's been fantastic to meet and spend so many wonderful miles and smiles with everyone.

 

Cheers!

Derek

Edited July 17, 2011 by 75TwinCam

[rzempel]

It was a great week, and a fantastic time getting to know all the guys, so it was with a bit of sadness that we bid adieu to Herb yesterday morning and Stewart and Catherine, Steve and Linda, Bob, and Derek this morning.

 

Gert, Dion, Bill, Tom and Skip (in the Miata), and I made an early escape from Custer. We knew the day was predicted to be hot, so we wanted to get as far into it as we could before the sweltering began. We took a last run through Custer State Park, along now familiar roads. Once out of the park, we quickly descended into the South Dakota Grasslands.

 

We sped through undulating countryside until we reached the western edge of teh Badlands. Our itinerary had us cross to the east just south of the badlands, but as it turned out, the road was 20 miles of gravel. We conferred and decided to take a 100 mile detour rather than drive over the gravel road.

 

You've probably guessed the punchline, but we ended up driving over more than 20 miles of worse dirt road allegedly being repaired. At the end of the deeply rutted goat trail of a road, we stopped to gas up in Pine Ridge on the Oglala Lakota Reservation. There was a distinctly Stephen King feeling about that place so we didn't linger.

 

Eventually, we made it back to the Badlands National Park where we stopped for lunch. The tourist center was air conditioned and we didn't want to leave but eventually we forced ourselves outside and on the way. It was about 105F there. It was a bit uncomfortable but in true Sevener fashion, we pressed on along the Badlands Loop. Ther scenery was actually spectacular, but after enough of it, I was ready for more air conditioning.

 

Leaving the park, we drove to Wall, SD, home of the world famous Wall Drugstore. I was particularly interested on their "free ice water" which they've offered since the great dust bowl migration. I doubt any of those migrants were any more thankful for that water than I was. it was still 105 out, and my air-conditioning didn't seem to be working.

 

Once again, we pried ourselves back out into the heat--this time it wasn't so hard because of the thousands of people inside. There didn't seem to be enough road traffic to support the number of people inside, so I left wondering how they do that.

 

Back on the road, we jumped on the interstate and picked up some speed until Rapid City. At that point, we turned off and after an interminable trip through town we were back in the Black Hills. The temp was, thankfully, lower (maybe 95 or so), and we had a nice meander through the hills to Deadwood. Pur Motel is just outside the old city center, and I'm sitting here with the air conditioner blowing on me full blast. It feels so good, that I might not even go out to dinner. I wonder if the liquor store down the street will deliver...?

 

Until next time....

[75TwinCam]

BSimon and I have made it home to Colorado. Was a hot, hot drive across Wyoming today. He did try to tell me that he had the windows down and the heater on in his Tahoe, but the puddle from the frozen air conditioning condenser betrayed his story at the rest area north of Wheatland . . .

 

Have fun out there on the rest of the tour! Wish I were still along . . .

[slomove]

Sounds like the tour is about to break up. But no, the hard core is still going strong. Well that means, kind of strong ar better said pretty weak after 340 miles with temperatures hovering around 100 to 104 degrees. On the way to the Badlands NP we wanted to avoid an unforeseen 20 mile dirt road, just to drive a 60 mile detour on a paved highway that had, guess what, about 20 mile construction with gravel surface. Accordingly we looked like we had done the Paris-Dakar with dust in the mouth and everywhere else.

 

Badlands is spectacular, but given the circumstance we did not even stop at the vista points. I think they are better enjoyed later in the year or in a car with A/C.

 

Anyway, thanks to all who had to leave the tour already for coming along. It is just not the same driving alone. The 2-Dollar tap pint happy hour was a serious bonus, though :cheers:

 

P.S.: the other day we did not join the engine choir that Randall described. Not that my engine was singing out of tune but we wanted to sleep in and do the laundry. We did the "Wildlife Loop" of Custer State Park instead later but other tha a few aggressively beggig donkeys there was no wildlife whatsoever.

Edited July 17, 2011 by slomove

[soareyes]

Bet you wish you had a Cool Shirt about now! But of course the required ice chest would leave no room for a passenger.

[Automoda]

Guys, I made the pictures-thread we had discussed.

 

http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?p=56287#post56287

 

May the uploads begin... at least for the folks who are home. I know those hotel connections are slow and people tend to get tired after a long day....

 

http://herb.linkrealms.com/tour_for_web/Tetons_Wide.jpg

[lancylad]

Hi everyone, we are now in Buffalo WY, an easy drive from Custer apart from the heat.. Tomorrow we head on to Cody and then into Yellowstone. really looking forward to the drive thru the park. I want to take this oppertunity to thank Gert and Rosie for all their work in getting this adventure together. I look forward to doing this again. Let me echo here what has already been said by many others, that is simply that this week has been so much more than having a blast driving the cars that we all seem to have a love affair with. What has been so much more is the gathering of a terrific group of people who before this encounter were simply faceless Avatars. We all now have faces and personalities and for Linda and I a bunch of friends we would love to spend more time with. Thankyou all for making us feel so welcome. This week I have been Living The Dream, Amazing roads, Amazing cars, Amazing company. Thankyou..

[slomove]

I took a bunch off video clips and some of that looks like it came out well. I will try to get it sorted and edited in a reasonable time when I come home. Admittedly I never completed the PNW2007 video and did not start working on the 2009 video. But I will give the 2011 movie some priority ;-)

[Kitcat]

Trip sounds truly epic!

 

Any touring tips for the rest of us? Since the cockpit in my car runs around 110+ degrees in temperate weather, I cant imagine driving in 105 degrees. When cruising any distance, I tend to run w/my "high visibility" top up, doors and rear window out. That keeps wind buffeting way down and the hot sun off. The air flow helps draw out the heat (a little). Except for getting in and out, it seems ideal. I went blatting that way yesterday in 93 degree weather and it was quite tolerable.

 

What didn't you do that you wished you had?

 

Were there things in hindsight you shd have brought with you (spare parts, Jim Beam, etc.)?

 

Mike M.

[bsimon]

Home again. What a brilliant trip. :cheers:

 

Work Sucks! :ack:

[Hudson]

Well you do get the odd look at rest stops but one of the "advantages" to Tilletts they hold a bit of water and with 5lbs of crushed ice on your lap you end up looking like this...

Belts hold the ice away from... er... sensitive bits

[JohnCh]

When hot weather touring I keep a camel back attached to the back of the seats and fill it up with ice and water before leaving the motel each morning. Helps keep me cool, hydrated, and more presentable than Hudson's solution.

 

BTW My wife was really concerned for you when she saw this photo after I returned from the Monterey tour. She was relieved when I explained that it was just melted ice.

 

-John

[Z3 Stalker]

Well after travelling approx. 3400 klm (2100 ml) round trip I am back in Calgary and temperatures of upto 37C (90F) through South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana I am glad to be home. I just wish I had a bit more time to spend on the tour, as others have said the driving and people attending were great. Here are the photo's promised earlier.

 

Stewart

[Z3 Stalker]

And some more.

[rzempel]

You're probably getting tired of hearing this, but it was another red letter day.

 

Yesterday, after a few missed connections, we were briefly visited by Jack McCornack and his maximum mileage car "Max." It was after sunset but we stood around in the dark parking lot admiring Jack's ingenuity. That is a totally awesome effort. If you haven't, you may want to read about it over on http://www.kineticvehicles.com. Ultimately, Jack had to leave and we had to go to bed. Jack treated us to a 32 horsepower burning rubber shift change as he drove off...and we nearly fell down laughing.

 

This morning, after the best sleep we've had so far, Jack joined us for breakfast adn regaled us with just a few of his amazing experiences. These tours really are all about the people you meet, and Jack is an amazing guy that I'm glad I met (along with all the rest of you guys on the tour, so leave me alone--you know what I mean).

 

After breakfast, we said farewell to Jack and set off ourselves. We drove through more superlative mountain roads. We briefly stopped in Sturgis, where preparations are already underway for "The Rally"--the only way everyone within 50 miles refers to the mass immigration of motorcycles to Sturgis in August. The vendor tents and beer stands were being built, but nothing compelled us to stay, so we didn't.

 

We returned to the Black Hills scenic byways. I struggled with the decision whether to concentrate on driving or look at the spectacular scenery in Spearfish Canyon. All too soon, we left the hills and canyons, and entered the gently rolling grasslands. They have a stark beauty of their own. Miles rolled by until, a few miles outside of Sundance, Gert noticed that yesterday's Baja 1000 off-road race had broken his front fender bracket. We all stopped, and Gert designed a brilliant repair using a box of hose clamps.

 

In Sundance, we had lunch and unsuccessfully attempted to find a welder. From there, we quickly closed the distance to Devils Tower National Monument--the nation's first, according to the propaganda in the visitor's center. Gert and Rosie hiked around the monument in the heat (and discovered that there isn't any water anywhere), while Kelly and I went to the junk store to get ice cream.

 

Once we had completed our individual quests, we drove the short distance to Hulett, where I sit now. This evening, the plan is to grab some beer at the local biker bar and then pizza at one of the two local pizza places.

 

Until next time....

[slomove]

My photo of the day, first aid with bandages for the broken wing stay tube.

(note to myself: don't build parts with high fatigue stress from stainless tubing)

 

[lancylad]

After another day of driving in extreme heat, we are staying put in Cody, Wyoming, until we find a welding shop that can fabricate a bracket to reattach my alternator to the engine. Oh, the joys of 7 driving! Could be worse ...there could be no beer in this town! Will update you when we are mobile again.

[lancylad]

Update....our motel owner took me to a local small garage this morning, they were working on a hot rod and found the seven quite amusing. There easy going response to the problem was comforting, they will remove the engine mount which The alternator bracket is part of, grind down the remains of the mount and weld new support pieces to hold the alternator. Should be ready to go by 4.30 today..we are going to the Cowboy museum for the day, the motel owner is taking us, what a great guy he is. Updates to follow..

[Croc]

Great thread of interesting posts. Good to see all you guys having fun out west with no major casualties!

[rzempel]

OK. I was a bit smug about how great yesterday was, and today Karma bit me in the behind, big time.

 

We left Hulett early since we had a long day ahead of us. It isn't like there was anything to do in Hulett, anyway--if you ever find yourself there, I suggest you find someplace else to be. Otherwise, eat at the deli, not the cafe. I never really figured out if they actually use the same kitchen, but the deli is cheaper and has really good soft serve ice cream. Also, visit the antique shop/museum. They have some very rare and interesting artifacts in the back room, and the admission is free.

 

Anyway, back the road. The Hulett area is sun-burnt red soil with rocky outcroppings and trees. It's very beautiful, but the town is not much more than two motels, two bars, two pizza places, and a bank named "Bank." The road, on the other hand was pretty nice. It rolled over and around gentle hills. The hills gradually gave way to somewhat flatter grassland with somewhat straighter roads. It was still very nice driving.

 

At one point, in the middle of rolling grassland, we came across a 15 mile section of "road repair." We stopped and waited for the pilot car, and followed it to the end of the "repair." The trouble was, there was no repair. That road was as nice as any we've driven, it just didn't have a middle stripe on it. Dion proposed that it was pilot car driver training. I think that it's more likely a make work program. There were six pilot cars plus two flag people at either end. Eight jobs funded by the Feds in the middle of nowhere will buy at least eight votes.

 

Immediately after we were released from the "road repair" convoy, Dion's alternator quit making enough electrons. We stopped, and despite everyone standing around with concerned looks, Dion couldn't convince it to make more voltons. Into the trailer of shhame it went.

 

We continued on to the Little Bighorn Custer's last stand monument, where we spent an hour or two looking at exhibits and listening to the Ranger talks. At the end of our visit, my car wouldn't start. Symptoms seemed to indicate that the starter solinoid had packed it in, so a push start was tried. The car started, so I left ahead of everyone, and headed independently for the nearest town that might have a starter--Sheridan, WY.

 

As I write this, my car sits in Sheridan awaiting a starter that I now know is not compatible with my Birkin. I'm in the mountains at our scheduled stop (I rented a car, that's how.) and will return to Sheridan in the morning. While the remaining members of the tour continue to Red Lodge, I'll be working to get back on the road.

 

Until next time....