Day 34 - July 13th

Travelled from Plains, Montana to Custer, South Dakota
Once again we started our day in the most beautiful weather! Temperature was 24’C and the sun was shining! We got up around 8am and drove for about 1.5 hrs then stopped for breakfast at Perkins. A quick trip to Wal-mart and then we were on our way again. Wyoming seems to have more hills and greenery than Montana. Origin of name the name Wyoming comes from the Delaware Indian word, meaning “mountains and valleys alternating." The winds were really whipping around today and at times I had to hang on to my helmet for fear my head would pop off my shoulders!! We passed numerous large cargo trains carrying coal. Apparently Wyoming is known for it's use of coal in heaters etc.
After a few hours of riding we came to our destination, Devil’s Tower in the Black Hills of Wyoming. This was claimed as America’s first National Monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. This tower rises 1267 feet , and the top is about the size of a football field. It's slightly dome shaped and rocky, with native grasses, cacti, and sagebrush. American Indians consider the area sacred, a place for prayer and renewal. We could have paid $10/person and rode through the park, however we were short on time and decided to continue on our journey. We saw quite a few antelope in the fields but we were never close enough to get a picture. We were stopped for about 15mins for construction and the temp at that time was about 34'C. Talk about hot when not moving and wearing your riding gear!Needless to say, I decided to take some candid photos while sitting there bored! Our stop for tonight is in a cute place called Custer and we are in a nice “Stan Motel“. I had the best salad ever tonight for supper, then Pat and I went for a nice walk. Grant is outside right now with a beer and cigar chatting with someone who is also visiting the area. He loves doing this after a day of riding. I usually come into the room, check e-mails and blog. It has cooled down quite nicely now, the highest today was 35’C!! We have been wishing for warm weather and we sure have gotten it the last 3 days!