Devils Tower & Spearfish Canyon ride map
Day 13 Leaving Gillette, WY early morning…
Today is day 13 of our national park motorcycle ride. Over the course of 16 days we will ride some of the best national parks, historic sites and national monuments in the U.S. and Canada (Pikes Peak National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Little Bighorn National Historic Site, Devils Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore National Memorial). Come follow along as we ride one of our dream rides on our bucket list.
We were up early and on the road. Another short day of just 200 miles. Our first stop is Devils Tower National Monument. We were here on a ride in 2008 and it’s nice to be back. It seems like it was last month… I was here with Larry T. and Larry C. Today it is just Larry T and me. Larry C. is missing a great ride… 🙁 I love riding this part Wyoming.
Day 13 Almost to Devils Tower
Devils Tower National Monument entrance
Situated in the rolling prairie of the Black Hills, Devils Tower towers over the surrounding area. Devils Tower is sacred to the Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Lakota, and Shoshone. The name Devil’s Tower originated in 1875 when Col. Richard Irving Dodge’s interpreter misinterpreted the Indian name to mean Bad God’s Tower. Maybe the tower should be called God’s Tower instead… It sounds good to me. Stupid white men…
In the shadow of Devils Tower National Monument
We arrived at Devils Tower early morning. The air was still cool and made for a nice hike around the base. Even without climbing the tower you have good views of the scenic surrounding area as you walk the perimeter. It is an impressive sight, with unique geologic history and Indian ties. We watch more adventurous visitors climbing the tower. You need a permit to do any climbing. In my younger days I would love to climb the tower. Today we will just be observers. There are many interesting stories of former climbers. The fastest climb was just over 18 minutes… An amazing feat because he didn’t use climbing equipment! Then there was the a guy who parachuted onto the top of Devils Tower and he was stuck there for four days until he was rescued! There was one big flaw in the plan.
Climber on Devils Tower National Monument
From Devils Tower we rode on to the town of Spearfish and rode through Spearfish Canyon. Butch Kay, an old school friend, suggest the canyon to be a must ride 5 years ago. It was a bit warmer this time, 80’s vs. 30’s.
Riding through Spearfish Canyon
The last ride we just rode through Deadwood, but this time we stopped to have a closer look. The street was blocked when we got to Deadwood. There was a parade… For what… We had no clue… We turned down a side street and parked so we could check it out. It was the ’76 Days parade.
’76 Days Parade in Deadwood, South Dakota
The official reason given for ’76 Days is… “The Days of ’76 began as a way to honor Deadwood’s first pioneers – the prospectors, miners, muleskinners and madams who poured into the Black Hills in 1876 to settle the gold-filled gulches of Dakota Territory. Since the first celebration in 1924, the Days of ‘76 has grown into a legendary annual event with a historic parade and an award-winning PRCA rodeo.”
The unofficial reason is… Wild Bill Hickok was killed in Deadwood on August 2, 1876…
’76 Days in Deadwood South Dakota
The parade ended just as we walked up the street to it. The streets were filled with people who were there for the parade and the ’76 Days events. We leisurely strolled up and down “Upper and Lower” Main street taking in all the sights of the day’s festivities.
Afterward we back tracked to Lead, SD. We rode Hwy 385 five years ago but this trip we are riding Nemo Road to Rapid City, our destination for today. I saw several posts on the web about Nemo Road being a good motorcycle road. They were right, it is a great ride with nice scenery.
Riding Nemo Road in South Dakota
Everything on our ride has gone as planned… until today… Because we have been riding during the peak tourist season I had made reservations at all the popular tourist areas. No problems until today… Wyndham Rewards lost our reservation at the Ramada… The Ramada was full and we could not get a room! We were not happy campers… And we weren’t prepared to be campers. After a hour or so of trying to resolve the issue with Wyndham to no avail, Ramada did help us find another motel near by. Apparently, the Wyndham reservation system did not send the information to the Ramada reservation system. Note to self: Call motels to verify the reservation well in advance of your arrival…
Today was another great riding day with more beautiful weather… 13 great days and counting. We are not wanting this ride to end… It is almost over… 🙁
For more pictures of our ride click here and don’t forget to like “The Texas Rambler” Facebook page. Look for the “Subscribe to Texas Rambler via Email” at the bottom right column to receive notifications of new posts by email. Also please take some time to leave us a comment. We always love hearing from y’all…
Tomorrow we will be riding to Mount Rushmore and riding Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road.
Ride safe and I hope we see you somewhere down the road.
This has been one amazing ride for Larry and me. Check out the other post from this ride using the links below…
National Park Motorcycle Ride – 5542 Miles in 16 Days 2013
Day 1 & 2 National Park Ride -Getting There
Day 3 National Park Ride – Dalhart, TX to Georgetown, CO
Day 4 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Georgetown, CO to Pinedale, WY
Day 5 National Park Motorcycle Ride: Grand Teton & Yellowstone
Day 6 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Yellowstone National Park
Day 7 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Gardiner to Kalispell
Day 8 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Glacier National Park
Day 9 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Troy, MT to Golden, AB Canada
Day 10 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Banff National Park Canada
Day 11 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Lethridge, AB to Billings, MT
Day 12 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Little Bighorn Battleground
Day 14 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Mount Rushmore