American Adventure

South Dakota

Thank you to Fred & Ivy Gali of Spearfish, SD

Starting on August 02, 2002, 10:00:00 PM

First of all let me just say that I was not prepared for what was going to happen next.

Or was I?

Check out;
"I Was Not Prepared for This"
then read on....

After quite a night I awoke and wandered around a bird refuge that I stopped in for a while hoping to get some really neat shots.

Most of the birds made themselves pretty scarce after I started walking around. The ducks jumped into the water and headed towards the other shore. A large crane of some kind jumped up and flew away before I could get a picture and the rest just kept their didstance.

I did however, spend some time trying to get some shots of the tiny blue dragonflies. These things were all over in the grass next to the pond that I was exploring. Quite radical in flight, these things were very difficult to get a picture of. Even trying to get close enough to them after they landed was a chore. I did however, find a few that let me get in real close and one even let me touch it and climbed onto my finger.

As I love watching things fly I tried so many times to get a picture of one in flight with its wings all spread out but they were just much to quick. This was the best I got.

I finally came into some landscape that wasn't all totally flat. Gradual slopes started to appear along the horizon. This always makes for an interesting ride when you drive down a long highway, with nothing around, and you're sure that there's got to be something right over that next hill. Then you get there and the road just keeps going on the the next hill with nothing in sight. However, the wide open places like these give a totally different perspective about things. The feeling of freedom comes to me from time to time. Even with the freedom that we already have, these places just make you feel that much more.

I came across more and more sunflowers and more and more fields of sunflowers.

Watching a small bee as it scrambles across the massive surface of this huge flower. Pollen accumulating all over it it worked its way all over the flower as it collected its nectar.

The closer to the surface of the plant the more you can see its beauty. Like some alien landscape these things are a work of art. Its amazing to me how some of these things can grow and all the different stages of their development.

I ran up into the field and turned my head. Wow, all of the sunflowers were looking right at me. At me, as if I were something special. I had all their attention. Yes, a captive audience!

I quickly ran back to the bike and grabbed my guitar from my gear. I ran back up and into the middle of all the sunflowers, I turned and began to play. I played and started to sing. I started to sing louder and as I pulled my head up to look at my audience.................

they had all turned around and were facing the other direction. I lowered my head and my guitar and walked away. Surely somewhere in this world I will find an audience.

I've seen several crop dusters flying around the fields. I stopped and watched this one for a while until he ran out fuel or dust and headed off again.

Some of the small towns along the way catch my eye, like downtown Onida here I always look around and wonder what these people's lives are like. As some of them work every day in the fields. While others may work in the local restaurant down the street. Or some might work in the Post Office. Then there's sure to be, as in any small town, those ones that dream of other places and want to go there. Then there's those other ones, looking at me, wondering what is this Bozo taking pictures of?

I quickly pulled off the highway when I saw this huge bird sitting on a fence post. An eagle of some kind, I took a few sohts from a distance, not wanting to scare it off. Then I started to pull off the highway to get a closer picture when it took off and flew away.

More open places, I stopped at a gas station right off of interstate 90 just before making the trip across to Rapid City, Sturgis, and Spearfish where my uncle lives. It was there at the station that I started seeing a whole lot more of them. Yes them, the bikers. My plans and my schedule had, by fate, put me right dab in the middle of bike week and the huge bike rally in Sturgis, SD. On down the freeway I could feel some of the comradery between the riders as they passed. All different shapes and sizes but almost all Harley Davidson motorcycles. I felt a little out of place as they all rumbled past my little Yamaha bike. All dressed in their leathers they were all pretty tough looking. Many more were in their vehicles, with their bikes safely stowed on and inside trailers and trucks. Some were chase cars as they followed their partners on their way to the world's largest bike rally. Thousands of bikes and bikers and friends and family, they were all headed to this annual event that is said to attract over one million this year.