After a quick shower, I gathered my things and drove to Custer to have breakfast. Options are limited in a small town so I decided on Subway, where I could sit down, open up my laptop and plan what to do for the day. When I walked in, I noticed a couple dressed in motorcycle attire and carefully studying maps. After I ordered my breakfast sandwich and coffee, I sat down at a table adjacent to them and asked where they were headed. We got to talking and it turns out that they were from British Columbia, Canada. Bob and Brenda Timbers had been on the road for almost two months, driving east through the Canadian Provinces, down through Maine and some of the New England States and then back across the Midwest where I met up with them at a Subway in downtown Custer, SD. They had accumulated a little over 12,000 miles so far on a BMW motorcycle and hope to get back home in about a week. Barbara writes articles for motorcycle magazines and is also writing a blog for friends and family. I would give her blog a plug here if it was public, but she was kind enough to add me to her route list so I am looking forward to reading about their trip. I can’t imagine how they are able to carry everything they need, for two people, for two months, on a single motorcycle. It makes me feel like I am going a bit overboard and bringing everything but the kitchen sink. It was a pleasure meeting and talking with Bob and Brenda and I wish them safe travels back to Canada, eh!
I decided to head south out of Custer on US-385 and visit Wind Cave National Park. On my way there I saw a few more Bison, some Pronghorn Antelope and a bunch of little Prairie Dogs. I got there just in time to catch a free cave tour starting at 12:30. As of now, Wind Cave is the fourth longest cave in the world at 134 miles. I say, as of now, because it is constantly being explored and is almost documented at 135 miles, which would put it tied at #3. 
Wind Cave got its name from a small, 10 inch opening in the earth where air is blown out or is sucked in depending on the atmospheric pressure changes. Supposedly, wind has been clocked blowing out at over 100+mph. It is 630 ft deep and stays a constant 53F all year round. Based on air and volume calculations (I’m simplifying of course), several scientists estimate that only 5-10% of the cave has been discovered. The tour lasted about 1 ½ hours and was excellent!
From Custer I headed further south to Hot Springs where I visited the “Mammoth Site”. This is an active archeological dig site where excavators uncovered Mammoth bones in 1974 while trying to build a housing development. New bones are constantly being discovered thus increasing the total number of animals found. These animals were dated back approximately 26,000 years ago to the Ice Age. So far, 59 Mammoths (both Columbian and Wooly), along with camels, wolves, giant short-faced bears and some 50+ other species have been identified here in Hot Springs, SD. Admission was $8.00 and the tour was about 25 minutes, so if old bones is your thing, go check it out.
After spending several fantastic days in South Dakota, I figured it was time to move on. My two choices were to go south through Nebraska or west into Wyoming and then head south from there. I didn’t recognize any towns or cities in Nebraska that sounded familiar but I’ve heard of Cheyenne, WY so with a few touches of the GPS buttons to set my coordinates I was off in the direction of Cheyenne. The GPS estimated that it was about a 4.5 hour drive, getting me there around 9:30. Everywhere I have went, the scenery has been amazing. 
A few minutes out of Hot Springs, it seemed like the houses disappeared, obviously there were a few here and there, but for the most part there were none that were visible from the road. It was mainly grassland where herds of cattle would graze or just wide open, unattended fields. I came to the crest of a hill and it was like looking over WY from the sky and getting a preview of what was in store. I think after 30-40 minutes after leaving Hot Springs, SD I crossed over into Wyoming. 
I drove with my binoculars on my lap, video camera and digital camera on the passenger seat and my phone/camera charging on the center console. I found myself stopping every 10-15 minutes to try to take pictures of all of the Pronghorn Antelope. They were everywhere, several hundred of them easily along the way, but it was difficult to get them on film because they spook easily. Just as I pulled over and was ready to take a picture, off they went.
Determined to see as much of this country as I can, I decided to pick a spot to sleep here in Lusk, WY, and continue on tomorrow when there is daylight again. It is a full moon tonight with perfectly clear, starry bright skies. Low for this evening is 37 degrees so it should be good sleeping weather again. My fingers are already frozen.
Buenos noches.
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