Day 46

The Rains of Rushmore

September 19, 2018 - Roubaix Lake to Hillcrest Motel

The DR650 soaked wet an entire day of rain in Gregory, South Dekota, USA

Roubaix Lake Campground to Hillcrest Motel, Burke

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Day 46 - Cold. Hard. Wet. I headed straight to Mt. Rushmore. The misty rain hanging in the air. When I arrived I was shocked, “we drove all that way!”, I heard, as the low hanging cloud obscured the entire view. The small museum was nice consolation but I needed to head to Rapid City for my overdue laundry and front tire. My exhaust began to make noises before failing completely. Both bolts were lost and I farted loudly down the main streets of Rapid City in the rain, heads turning to find the source of the awful noise. I got my laundry done and got to Black Hills Powerspots for a front tire and replace the missing bolts. Dripping wet I ducked into a Starbucks and met Jinx and his friend Jim. Jinx (pictured) is a true gorilla rider. Walking casually into the Holiday Inn, sitting down, eating breakfast, taking 6 bagels and walking out. We shared details and he headed south to New Mexico and I headed for the Hillcrest Motel in the rain. The first 70 miles were okay. The 2nd hard as I lost feeling in two fingers. The strong headwind pushing the helmet into my skull. The final 70 miles was hell. I came off the interstate and went South and made a wrong turn. The bike failed to start. The water messing with the electrics. Somehow I got it started and I set down a mud road. The bike slipped on the slick road and I prayed it wouldn’t get worse. I made it to tarmac. As I hit 70mph a deer leaped across the road ahead and straight into an on-coming truck. It was flung to the other side of the road. Worried it could’ve been me, I hid behind a truck for 50 miles. The spay off it was wet but he cleared the path for me all the way to the hotel. The rain pounding all the way. I checked into to the cheap motel and met Robert, a lovely guy with 19 grandkids. We shared a smoke and chatted into the night as I hung up my wet clothes, ate Mac and cheese from a coffee pot and watched Seinfeld. I took an hour long shower and am pretty sure I had mild hypothermia. It was the best god damn motel ever.

A post shared by Adventure Rider | Melbourne 🇦🇺 (@dylan_george_field) on Sep 23, 2018 at 11:15am PDT

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Day 45

Day 47