If you ride a motorcycle as part of a group, it really helps to be able to communicate with the other riders. Our crazy bunch has selected some Cardo units and they are working well for us. There is usually a good bit of chatter going on as we tease each other, point out road hazards, or talk about the need for bio-breaks. Today was a little bit different. We said goodbye to our running mate as he hauled his wounded bike back towards Indiana in a truck. It indeed cast a little bit of a gray cloud over the start of the day.

Unsure of how long it would take to assist (supervise?) the loading of the bike on the truck we chose to be conservative about planning our travelling mileage. Our total mileage for the day was under 250 miles.

Mike left the hotel in an Uber and went to pick up the box truck after we sat in the hotel lobby trying to appreciate another brown bag breakfast. Hotels are doing what they can but breakfast of a honey bun, a Nutrigrain bar, a small fruit cup, and a bottle of water leaves something to be desired.

At the appointed time we fired up the bikes and rode the 5 miles or so to the Harley dealer and found Mike assembling the wheel chock that would help support the bike. I’m not sure how Mike made any progress on this before we got there and “supervised” the entire process.

The bike was successfully loaded and secured.

With the bike properly tied down, it was time to say goodbye to our friend until we are back home riding together. Mike said his goodbye with a proper wave in this time of “social distancing”.

The three of us left Rapid City still in search of some food. After all, a Nutrigrain bar only goes so far. We were looking for a mom-and-pop type diner for breakfast but all we could find was a Perkin’s restaurant in Livingston, WY. Our server, Brooke, took good care of us – the food was pretty standard fare for a chain restaurant.

After breakfast it was time to jump back on I-90 West and finish out the day. It’s hard to take pictures running at interstate speeds so there aren’t any of the rain we drove in for over an hour. (Have I mentioned I really hate wearing the rubber suit?). The temperature dropped from upper 80’s to lower 60’s then began to creep back up as we progressed.

There just wasn’t a lot of chatter on the intercom. We did manage to find the Days Inn at Sheridan Wyoming after the GPS decided we needed to circle the place once by directing us to ride completely around the block just to pull in the lot.

We ate dinner at Killy’s Smokehouse which was 2 doors down from our hotel. Do you sense a pattern here? We’re pretty good at settling for food that’s within walking distance of our hotel once the bikes are shut off. We were able to have some great conversation over some smoked brisket and ribs.

Tomorrow is another day where we plan to get all lined up to attack Old Faithful on Sunday. We will be checking to see what we can learn about conditions within the park. Mask requirements are getting more and more focus around the U.S. and there are signs everywhere to stay 6 feet apart. We have not encountered anything that would threaten the trip yet. Fingers crossed.

We’re waiting anxiously to hear that Mike is doing well on his solo trip home.