5 days, 9 states, 3480 miles, 7 Park stamps, 1 elk, 1 Hella 160, 1 mirror, and 1 rear tire.

The search for National Park stamps can be quite an addiction. My wife was headed out of town to visit with friends, which left me with a weekend and no plans. Looking at the weather channel, it seemed the weather would be reasonable in North and South Dakota for the next few days and I went for the bait. I figure I'd never get another chance for North and South Dakota until next spring, so I start to plan a "quick" trip. A look at the route to ND and find a few parks to pick up on the way and a couple on the return. So the stage is set....get Nancy on her plane, pack a few items, check air in the tires and we're off.

I left San Jose on Saturday (10/12), and headed thru Nevada and into Idaho where I stopped at the Craters of the Moon (which is a large volcanic lava flow, very interesting). Off to the Yellowstone before it gets really cold.

I decided to ride thru the park at dusk to get to the north side so I could get my stamp first thing in the morning. Speed limit is a mild 45mph thru the park and the wild life is every where. As I rounded a blind corner, the glare of a long line of oncoming traffic caught me quickly and an instant later I realized they were stopped. The very next thing I saw was an elk standing at the center line completely across my lane. It had left about 2 feet gap behind it to the edge of the road and I knew my K12 was going to have a tough fit. I had just enough time to think "oh shit", hauled on the brakes, and shifted my weight for the collision, Wham, into its back hind quarter, my lights went out, the bike wobbled and my left hand hurt like hell. Hanging on to the bars, I started hitting switches to get some light ahead of me. The high beam came on and then the RH driving light. My hand still hurt, but I could see the road. Looking down, I was missing my LH mirror, and driving light. The dash had shifted, and the speaker grill and trip computer had popped out. I was still upright, and moving. I kept moving as I didn't want to deal with a pissed-off elk.

By the way, elk are big and I never realized how big until I saw the biggest set of legs with a tail. This tail was a couple of feet above my head, I'd have to reach up to hit it in the ass. They are big! and I was hoping this one would move quickly (it didn't). So my plan to ricochet off its rear legs worked, sort of... I didn't go down, but I lost some parts to the bike, and my hand hurt. I kept riding until I got to the north entrance and reported my "encounter". I then found the first hotel and called it a night!

The next morning my hand still hurt and was swollen to the point I couldn't get my heavy glove on. My best guess is that my hand was in between the handlebar and the elk's quarter and took quite a hit. All the fingers moved and there was no sign of a break, it was just very sore and swollen  I got a look at the damage to the K12 in the day light and saw the nose support frame was tweaked. The bike was rideable and I had Parks to visit. A little duct tape here and there, and I was off. My Left hand was ok as long as I just kept it on the handlebar, and pulling in the clutch was a touchy affair. The cold morning air also seemed to numb the pain.

I got my stamp at Yellowstone, then headed to Little Big Horn in Montana. The "big Sky" state is aptly named, every time I'm in Montana, I marvel at the deep blue sky and the wide perspectives one gets riding thru the state. Of course after moving to San Jose, the sky is much bluer everywhere I go.... At the Park, the museum has lots of interesting detail about the men and daily life of the 7th Calvary. The Indian perspective was well portrayed and described.

Next stop was Theodore Roosevelt Park in North Dakota. The wind was behind me and it made the ride easier and helped the gas mileage. I rode into the small town of Medora and discovered the whole town had closed a few weeks ago. One hotel was open just that night for a tour bus, and they found me a room. There was only one place open (the local bar) for dinner where I had a great Rib eye for cheap money. It was a real treat as I had expected a typical bar burger.

The next morning I waited for the owner to open up the only breakfast place in town, enjoyed some great pancakes then off to the park a few blocks away. The wind was still from the west and today I had to head south to Mount Rushmore. The roads were great and very scenic but the cross wind was quite strong and gusty. I stopped for gas near the I-90 and noticed my rear tire  was badly worn and there were a couple of unusual wear patches. I found the Sturgis BMW dealer, and no tire in stock. There was a well worn tire in the scrap heap but there was another on a trade-in K12. Dick, the owner was very accommodating and offered to sell me that tire to get me on my way. I left at 2pm and had enough time to stop at Mount Rushmore. My Park pass was not accepted here as the Park Service had made some deal with a private parking company (that built quite an extensive set of parking garages. In the visitor's center was a display on the actual construction and carving of the monument. I had always seen the monument in pictures and wanted to see it in person. This made my trip.

I continued to the Wind Cave NP a few miles south, but could only stay a few minutes as they were closing for the day. I continued on the Crawford, Nebraska for the night. The cold front had moved thru and it was 26 in the morning as I headed for Agate Fossil Beds NP 60 miles away. Even with the Gerbings on full tilt, I was glad to reach the park and stop just to warm-up. Although the Dinosaur fossils were interesting, it was the Cook collection display of the Lakota's and Chief Red Cloud that I spent the most time.

Back on the road, I stopped in Lusk Wyoming for gas and a late breakfast. The little dinner is south of town and opposite the truck stop. For $3.85, I got the best meal of my trip and the cheapest. I made it to Wendover, NV for the night and was back into San Jose on Wed afternoon. It was great 5 day trip! The clear weather held, and I got to ride on many new roads. I even had the opportunity to stop at a number of those road-side historic markers.  Now to pluck elk fur from the bike.