We leave Chadron, Nebraska a little after 7am on our way to Wounded Knee.
We have a special request to stop there for our fellow biker Allen.
His first wife passed away 11 years ago and per her request she wanted her ashes scattered there.
The weather this morning is cool and sunny. Perfect riding weather.
There is a parking area with a sign explaining Wounded Knee and we park there.
No more had we gotten off the bikes and the local Indians pull up in cars and get out with their arms draped with jewelry and dream catchers and such.
I think most all of us at least bought one of the items they were selling.
I got a really cool necklace with an arrow carved from a horn.
We were all interested as the one guy was showing us where the massacre took place, and even gave us a little more history.
There was a cemetery on top of the hill, but we didn't go up there.
Allen gets his wife's ashes and we all follow he and Doreen to an area that he felt was the right location to release them.
We stay back on the road to give them them a private moment.
As he released the ashes, a soft wind took them to their final resting place.
As they make their way back to the road I am not sure if there was a dry eye amongst our group.
Hugs and words of comfort were given to Allen.
It was such a special moment and 11 yrs in the making.
So glad we were asked to share it with him.
We get back on the bikes and head towards Rapid City.
Concerned about Doreen having enough gas to get there, we stop at a little gas station to get her some fuel.
It was just a little place with a couple of pumps, and people were lined up to get gas.
There was an Indian selling sage out by the store.
One of the locals pulls up and tells us to just get in line and push our way through to get gas. LOL
I think he thought we were all getting gas, and was just trying to help!!!
We had it under control.
Our ride towards Rapid City takes us on the outskirts of the Badlands.
We will be touring it, and enter the park on our way back out on Friday.
Our next stop is to see vendors at the Harley dealership and drop Doreen's bike off.
They were very nice and put the bike in diagnostic, nothing like the "other
dealership from yesterday.
Her throttle sensor is the culprit.
They say it may be tomorrow before it will be fixed but that is fine.
We have plan "b".
Doreen will just ride on Allen's bike and we will pick hers back up when it is ready.
Everyone shops and eats and we meet back at the bikes at 1:15 to head on into Sturgis.
Doreen moves luggage to a couple of trailers and she hops on Allen's bike as a passenger and we are on the move once again.
Our gas stop was interesting when a guy bumps the back of Doug and Twanas trailer as we were filling up with gas.
Doug as not a happy camper to say the least.
Thank goodness there was no damage to his trailer.
Warming up and by the time we get to Sturgis and do the stop and go stuff I was glad we found parking and was able to get our helmets off.
First stop is at the Harley pin stop.
With that now off the list everyone scatters with a 5 pm meet up time back at the bikes.
The vendors are starting to pack things up and the t shirt prices are coming down.
There are still a lot of people milling around but nothing like it would have been a week ago.
We even got to see some bikes hauled off for parking in the "no parking zone"
Time to make our way to Deadwood and check into our rooms.
Doug and Twana aren't able to get rooms at First Gold for the first night but will be joining us on Sunday.
They are staying at Cadillac Jacks just down the hill from our hotel.
After figuring out where the heck our rooms were actually at we all get settled in.
We go back and forth for dinner plans after we walk to Doug and Twanas hotel to figure out our plan for the evening.
The clouds are moving in, and it looks like we are going to get wet!!!
Larry makes an executive decision and gets two taxis to take the 12 of us downtown.
The restaurant was a great idea but the 2 hour wait wasn't.
By the time we u turn and walk back out onto the street the incoming thunderstorm has started.
We run across the street to a bar that has a restaurant and they tell us it will only be about a 30 minute wait.
We make ourselves comfortable at the bar and proceed to belly up.
Belly up is just what we did.
I don't think any of us felt any pain that evening.
I should say we let our hair down!!!
The poor lady that served us deserved a bronze star, but she didn't complain.
I am sure she had had put up with a lot of rowdy bikers during the previous week.
You remember those rooms that I said we had trouble finding, well, we were even more lost going back. :)
As we got on our floor, Doreen tripped in front of their room, and of course I was able to get a picture to prove it.
We decided that her Mole name might just need to change to Roley Molly!!!!
I don't think you had to rock any of us to sleep this evening.
We had way too much fun.
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