Larging It With The Lloyds....

Ha, ha.......Al's choice of title Ruth. What can I say....a little late blogging but time and internet are a bit of an issue.....not to worry. What I can say.... is that Chris and I have had a fabulous week with our two good friends Ruth and Al Lloyd who were out here on holiday. Earlier this year when we were still in the UK, Ruth had sent us their details and we managed to book into all of the same hotels as them....lucky, lucky, lucky.

Our week together began on Tuesday 22nd August, just one day after the Eclipse. We met up in Chadron and had tea together. The next day we visited Badlands Harley Davidson......oooh....shopping......lol..... and went on to ride the Badlands in South Dakota... a brilliant ride in great scenery.....stopping at 'Cowboy Corner' for petrol and an ice cream......interesting little man behind the counter.....prairie dogs amused us no end and little birds that managed to stand in the shade of a pole and oh yeah we had to keep an eye out for rattle snakes as well. Our hotel tonight had a pool....yey and a water chute......Al and Chris delighted us in flying down it, like two cheeky boys......highly amusing.

Thursday 24th August we went on a mountain toboggan not far from Mount Rushmore.....excellent fun.....much whooping and shrieking in delight at the rush of the descent. From there we called into Hill City.....and yes...the Harley Dealership there as well.......Ruth loves her t- shirts.......well we do a little bit as well....lol. After that we called in at Sturgis and the Harley shop there too.....and learned that according to 'Hellfighters Motorcycle Ministries' that 'Satan Sucks'.......err.....ok. On we went to the next hotel in Deadwood which was also a 24 hr casino and to our delight there was an old car rally going on that evening........most of them were staying at our hotel but exhibiting in Deadwood. There were some fab cars on display, bands playing in the main street and oh yes.....nearly forgot.....another Harley Dealership.....but it was closed.......hmmmn.....am shopping them !!!.....never mind....Ruth and I went gambling instead !!!!

Friday 25th August.........ha, ha....yep....morning shopping expedition to Deadwood, then onto the geographical center of the USA. From there we rode to the epic 'Devils Tower'......a film location for 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.....amazing rock formation and you can climb it. Our hotel tonight was a Lodge at a KOA site, just a few miles up the road from Mount Rushmore......yey....our Road Captain....Ruth has got it covered .....that's tomorrow.... Excellent !!! And so after tea and a few beers.....Virgin Pina Coladas for Ruth and I... we retired looking forwards to a fab days ride.

Saturday 26th August......no Harley Dealers today. The morning started off with a visit to Mount Rushmore and a bit of a giggle trying to attempt copy cat faces for the camera.....after that we rode....'Iron Mountain Road'.....(click on it for all the info to appreciate the riding) . From there we dropped into 'Custer State Park' where we rode past herds of buffalo and fed some wild donkeys, saw a few deer as well. Some of the old cars we'd seen in Deadwood were still knocking about as well, driving through in the wonderful sunshine. Again on we all rode....Ruth as Road Captain, Al and I in-between and Chris bringing up the rear. The weather took a slight turn for the worst and we thought we'd get soaked but luckily the road seemed to keep turning away from the storm.......towards.....'The Needles Highway'. (Don't forget to click on it for more info.) This was a cracking ride, we loved it, great scenery yet again.....Ruth and Chris did a bit of filming on this one, so look out for clips popping up on the 'You Tube channel'. The day ended returning to the hotel after a lovely meal in Hill City and 'us girls' Ruth and I challenging Al and Chris to a round of crazy golf.......after much giggling and ooh's and ah's......the match was declared a draw......a great end to a great day.

Sunday 27th August......our last days riding together.....just a blast down the Interstate to Laramie....though we did see some pelicans along the way.... another hotel, a dip in the pool, a meal out and bed.

Monday 28th August......breakfast together.....packed the bikes......and said our goodbyes.....boo hoo....it was a shame to leave....we'd had so much fun......but Ruth and Al's holiday had to continue as did our 'Where To Next Trip.......We were heading for the 'Salt Flats' in Utah and they were heading for the 'Rockies' in Colorado.......Enjoy the rest of your holiday you two.....xxxxx......our budget for two years can have a rest again now....lol......back to camping xxxx