Featured Touring 3,113 Miles Across The American West - With A Nip Of Sturgis Mixed In

Day #8: An evening on Deadwood's Main Street

Other artists' works are also displayed and on sale in the Scott Jacob's gallery such as these metal work guitars.



Russell had joined us by now and we found ourselves in another gallery that contained absolutely beautiful wildlife photos by an artist named Karen Mahoney whose specialty is none other than "buffalo portraiture". I kid you not! That's exactly what it says in her bio. Buffalo portraiture. Only in the American West...

Russell fell in love with this piece and wound up buying it and shipping it back to Tucson. We recently saw it in his house and it looks even better on his wall! There were so many of Karen't photos that we liked. Steve and I may wind up with one in our house eventually, too.



Our hotel from a different angle plus I loved the sign on the arch



For dinner this evening we met up with all five of our group. We'd not seen Patrick and Roseanne much since we arrived in Deadwood but we all agreed to have dinner together at the Deadwood Social Club which is on the 2nd floor of Old Saloon No. 10.



Steve, Russell, and I were a bit early for our reservation so headed up to the roof to see what there was to see. Lots!





This evening's dinner was the best dinner I had on the entire trip. I ordered the walleye pike. I always laugh being from Minnesota that the only kind of fish you can get in Minnesota is walleye--baked, fried, steamed, basted, smothered, you name it. I was being smug. But not anymore. This was outstanding and I'll get it again next time we dine here. That's my Old Fashioned at the top of my plate. Probably not the proper pairing but I'd do that again, too!





So, back to Wild Bill. Here's a bit about him from Wikipedia before I show you the photos of him I took.

James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 – August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself. Some contemporaneous reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious, but they remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation.

Hickok was born and raised on a farm in northern Illinois at a time when lawlessness and vigilante activity were rampant because of the influence of the "Banditti of the Prairie". Drawn to this criminal lifestyle, he headed west at age 18 as a fugitive from justice, working as a stagecoach driver and later as a lawman in the frontier territories of Kansas and Nebraska. He served in and spied for the Union army during the American Civil War and gained publicity after the war as a scout, marksman, actor, and professional gambler. He was involved in several notable shootouts during the course of his life.

In 1876, Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory (present-day South Dakota) by Jack McCall, an unsuccessful gambler. The hand of cards that he supposedly held at the time of his death has become known as the dead man's hand: two pairs; black aces and eights.

Russell and Steve had told me that there was a wax (?) statue of Bill in the window of one of the casinos at the top of Main Street and that I had to see it. They were right. It was uncanny...and even creepy! And from outside looking in the window you'd have sworn that Bill had come back to life.







Next up, Day #9: Deadwood, South Dakota to Laramie, Wyoming and a stay at The Mad Carpenter Inn

 

What the heck?! What's going on, @Bikerman? @learningtofly, are you still seeing all my photos??

 

Whew.......

 

Day #9: Deadwood, South Dakota to Laramie, Wyoming and a stay at The Mad Carpenter Inn
Total Miles: 299

The first storm of the trip hit last night, making us VERY happy that we were bedded down in a hotel with covered parking for our bikes. And a storm it was, with thunder and lightening and gobs of rain. No hail, though, thank goodness for all the other bikes in the Black Hills parked outdoors.

After a day off the bikes, I for one was ready to get "on the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again" as Willy Nelson said it. Today's route was what some might call "bleak". I call it the wide open spaces. We rode out of the beautiful Black Hills on twisty, hilly, wooded roads to the relatively straight roads of eastern and southern Wyoming with views as far as the eye could see to the horizon. This was definitely NOT the Wyoming of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.



The last couple of years we stayed at a chain hotel in Laramie called the Hilton Garden Inn. While researching this trip, Steve found a bed & breakfast online with a curious and unusual name, The Mad Carpenter Inn. We decided to give it a try and are glad we did! It was certainly unique as was the couple (Lawrence and his wife whose name I can't recall) who built it and have been the proprietors for the past 20 years. The property is only a block away from the University of Wyoming, the only state university in all of Wyoming. All three of Lawrence and his wife's kids went to college there, and those kids and their college buddies helped to build and rebuild on to the house to make it the marvel that it is today.



This is the pond on the side of the house and is fully stocked with koi and dappled with lilly pads.



Steve and I stayed in the "room" known as The Dollhouse. It is a two-story stand alone room with some of the most amazing woodwork I've ever seen. All done by none other than Lawrence. Russell had a room in the interior of the house. He joked that he'd never had to make sure he had clothes on in order to get up and pee in the middle of the night.





There was incredible attention to detail wherever you looked including a crocheted mint cozy.



The beautiful curved stairway from the 1st story sitting room and kitchenette up to the bedroom.



I took this shot lying on my back at the foot of the bed. This is the 2nd story ceiling. I should have taken a photo during daylight hours with the sun lighting up the stained glass.



Roseanne and Patrick were staying (for those hotel points) at the Hilton Garden Inn and we didn't see them the rest of the day. Russell, Steve, and I walked in to the older downtown area of Wyoming which is quite charming. There were several public art pieces that caught our eyes including

this alligator. In Wyoming?! Go figure..... Well, it is chrome plated! I love chrome.



and this buffalo. There seems to be a definite bison theme to our trip this year.




Day #9: Laramie, Wyoming continued in my next post

 

Day #9 continued

I loved this antelope mural because in addition to all the bison we saw, we saw many, many antelope. Well, Steve and I did anyway. Every time we'd stop for gas or lunch and comment on the antelope, Russell responded "What antelope?" On today's ride from Deadwood to Laramie we actually saw an antelope running full blast up a hillside. Usually we'd see them grazing in a meadow or trying to stealthily blend in with a herd of cattle. Like we wouldn't notice.



A couple more public art pieces...

More antelope!



Not sure what this one was all about but it certainly brought a smile to my face!



When Russell, Steve, and I walked into town we were all hungry so stopped in at the only place that seemed to be serving lunch at 2:30pm. The boys both had big (mediocre) lunches but I was holding out for dinner at Altitude, the place we'd eaten (and loved) the last two trips through Laramie. They accompanied me to dinner but just nibbled while I had a great IPA and an even better salmon dinner. Good things come to those who wait.



We ate in the bar and this was my delightful "view".



More artwork in the bar, too



Day #9 -- well technically the start of Day #10 -- in my next post

 

Laramie, Wyoming and the Mad Carpenter Inn: A great start to Day #10!

When we signed in to the Mad Carpenter Inn yesterday we were asked to note what time we'd like to have breakfast. We chose 7:00 am as that had been our usual breakfast time so far the entire trip. We arrived to a warm welcome and a huge breakfast! And even better, lovely conversation with Lawrence and....Danny! I finally remembered her name when I saw this photo.





I noticed the brown globe you see at the bottom left in the picture above and asked about the pins. Lawrence and Danny have their guests put a pin on the globe showing where they live. When I found Arizona on the globe, there weren't any pins at all and was told that we were the very first guests from Arizona to stay at the Mad Carpenter Inn! Russell got to place another "first" pin, this one on Saudi Arabia! Yes, Russell was born in and spent his younger years in Saudi Arabia where his dad worked for HR at Aramco.



This fresh hot peach cobbler came out of the oven just as we arrived for breakfast.





The dining room floor sits above the level below it with a spiral staircase leading down. On the window sill on that level, there were beds of fresh sprouts waiting to be harvested. Lawrence said he had planned for shelving in that spot but realized with the way the sun and light hit the house, it would be a perfect spot for plant life. Next time we're there I'd like to explore the main house more fully. There are nooks and crannies everywhere...and probably stories to go with them!





One last shot of the Mad Carpenter Inn. This is the main living room area.



Sturgis 2025 to be continued in my next post.
Next up, Day #10 Laramie, Wyoming to Salida, Colorado.
Stay tuned! And patient... I'm off to work for the next several days.