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.

 

Day #10: Laramie, Wyoming to Salida, Colorado
Total Miles: 257

After a wonderful--and filling!--breakfast with Lawrence and Danny, we finished packing up and prepared to head out. Patrick and Roseanne pulled up next to the Mad Carpenter Inn, ready to fall in to the back of the pack as they'd done numerous days previously. I was very excited for today's ride for two main reasons. First, I really love the route which we did last year, too. And second, Salida is one of my favorite little towns, rivaling Red Lodge for charm.

Our ride route took us through some beautiful countryside, including Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest which we'd also ridden through yesterday on our way to Laramie. The bulk of today's miles were in Colorado with a "warm-up" in Wyoming for only 45 miles or so.



Our first stop of the day was in the small Colorado town of Kremling. Steve started teasing Patrick unmercifully a couple of days ago because each morning Patrick would ask "Do we go through Kremling today?" Of course, each day--until today--the answer was "No, Patrick, look at the route itinerary I gave you." Even funnier, Patrick spent a number of years living in Colorado and always told us that one of his favorite riding routes included Kremling. It's h*ll getting old..... That's the tail end of Patrick's bike and Roseanne's Prius on the right.



The view from near the gas pump.



You can tell from the offerings in the general store that fishing and camping are popular in these parts!



Our next stop was to be Leadville, Colorado which was only about 75 miles away. However, the route would take us over Fremont Pass and is a favorite route of mine. Hmmm, seems like I have a lot of "favorite" routes! Today's weather was rather cloudy and we rode with the feeling that we'd get wet at some point today.

From "Uncover Colorado"
Fremont Pass is one of the highest, most scenic roads in Colorado, and is named after famed American west explorer John C. Frémont. With an elevation of 11,319 feet, this route winds high up along the Continental divide separating the Summit and Lake counties.

It connects the upper valley of the Blue River to the headwaters of the Arkansas River to the south, as well as the towns of Copper Mountain and Leadville. Paved, hugely scenic, and surprisingly straight for being such an elevated road, Fremont Pass is a solid option for casual drivers seeking to take in some spectacular mountain views.




The town of Leadville is the highest incorporated town in the United States at an altitude of 10,154 feet. It was a gold and silver mining town with a boom that peaked in the 19th century. Today, Leadville is known for its outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, skiing, and snowshoeing. We've ridden through Leadville four times now since 2019 and each time it seems to have more lodging, houses and apartments, and shops that the time before. It was quite busy when we arrived but Steve found us a primo parking spot for the bikes. Roseanne was on her own with the Prius.



Our destination for lunch was the Golden Burro Cafe, a place that Steve ate at numerous times when he lived in Aspen, Colorado years ago.



The Golden Burro is family-owned and serves pretty good Mexican food. Being from Tucson, we're a bit spoiled when it comes to terrific Mexican food. But I certainly enjoyed my meal!



It was still threatening rain and I debated about putting on my rain gear. Everyone seemed to think we didn't need it so we made a collective decision to leave Leadville without donning our rain suits. Oops! That sealed the deal and we rode through rain off and on nearly all the way to Salida. But the good news is that it wasn't a cold rain and we'd get enough of a reprieve between showers that we'd nearly be dry by the time the next shower hit us.

Our destination for the evening was the town of Salida, Colorado. Salida means "exit" in Spanish and it was named that because the town is where the Arkansas River exits the valley in which Salida sits. The Arkansas River headwaters begin not too far from Leadville and most of our ride between Leadville and Salida was along that beautiful river.

Salida is a beautiful little town of about 5,600 people and it sits right on the Arkansas River. It would be a place to consider living other than the fact that home prices have soared. We saw houses that looked like nothing special and very small listed for sale at exhorbitant prices--around a million dollars and on up! Steve and I have taken to called that pattern with Colorado small towns as "Coloradoization". Cute little towns that have been "found" and now are great to visit only since many (including us!) could never afford to live there.

Internet image




Day #10 continued in my next post

 

Day #10 continued: Salida, Colorado

This was our hotel which owned and run by a delightful family of five. We stayed here last year, too, and will every time we spend the night in Salida. Those are Steve's and my bikes, parked DIRECTLY in front of our room. Sweet!



Steve and Russell strolling Salida



More buffalo art! This was the trip of the buffalo.



Candy!! This place was particularly fun because it had tons of "nostalgic" candy (aka candy that we old folks remember from childhood). Fortunately they had some "modern" jelly bellies--my favorite! I could eat jelly bellies until I get sick, which I've nearly done in the past. And no doubt will in the future, too.



This display had candy by decade! Lots of "blasts from the past".



Of course, we had to make a stop here. What's not to like about whiskey and cigars?! Oh, apparel, too. Steve did purchase a great plaid flannel shirt. Which got us some free whiskey samples! We only learned that AFTER he bought the shirt.



This bike was displayed right inside the door to Rock Mountain Mercantile. A bonus!





I'm always happy when I'm with good friends...and a spot of whiskey.



Continued in my next post

 

Day #10: an evening in Salida

Russell and another stroller looking into the river at a trout that was swimming behind a rock looking for lunch (or dinner based on the time of day) We ate dinner this evening at the restaurant in the photo, the Boathouse. We ate there last year, too, and didn't even have to look around for another option, we liked it that much. Plus it's right on the Arkansas River. Another bonus!





A fly fisherman right next to the Boathouse



We met up with Patrick and Roseanne and the five of us had a delightful dinner on the deck of the Boathouse right at the rivers edge.



Last year we saw a lot of deer right in town but prior to dinner we hadn't spotted even one. Well, on our walk back to the Woodland Motel, we didn't see a lot of deer. But we did see this one that hadn't an ounce of fear. I was able to get within about 10 feet of him and he just looked me in the eye.





The evening wind down--Steve and Russell with some cigars that Steve packed for the trip. I don't smoke but, somewhat bizarrely, I LOVE second hand cigar smoke. I'll always elect to sit downwind from Steve to get maximum impact and have been know to change seats if the wind shifts.





Stay under for Day #11, Salida, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I'll try to get another day posted tomorrow but I have work to do before I go back to "the grindstone" on Tuesday. So most likely it'll be a week's gap again. I've gotta retire!

 

Day #11: Salida, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Total Miles: 222

To those of you who are still managing to hang in there with this v-e-r-y, v-e-r-y slow trip report , thanks for tuning in again. Yikes.....

Anyhoo, here I am again to report on Day #11. We awoke to a lovely chilly (55ºF) morning. I don't know why I'm always surprised at the cool temps when we're in Colorado because most every place we stay we're over 6,000 ft in altitude, many times much more than that. We all knew we were nearing the last days of this trip, though, and that we were heading back into the furnace that is Tucson in the summer...so we soaked in the coolness. This was today's route. Pretty much straight south and mostly on route 285 which is one of Steve's favorite roads.



Our first stop was in a little Colorado town called Alamosa. Alamosa is home to Adams State which is where my doctoral program advisor and dissertation chair went to college. (many years ago!) We easily found great parking right on the main drag and about 100 feet from a great breakfast joint.



Well, I can't seem to load photos. Sheesh... I'm going to hit Post Reply on this shortie post and try again.

 

We started looking for a gas station about 45 minutes outside of Santa Fe. I remembered this place from last summer in the town in the town of Ojo Caliente (pronounced O' ho cal ee en' tay) .I use that term town loosely as it's composed of about four buildings! The name of the town was painted right on the brick building. There are lots of great murals in Sant Fe and the surrounding area.



Steve and I stayed at our favorite and "usual" Santa Fe hotel, the Santa Fe Motel and Inn. Patrick and Roseanne stayed in a (you guessed it) Hilton property to accure those all-important points and Russell stayed at a place near to the Plaza so he didn't have to walk as much. He left knee was bad on this trip. In fact, he had a total knee replacement about five days after we returned to Tucson! The surgery was quite successful, BTW.





Steve and I agreed to meet up with Russell at the Plaza for lunch after we'd freshened up a bit. This was the sky as we walked from our hotel into the main part of Old Santa Fe. I love the skies in New Mexico!



We met up at the Plaza Cafe which is famous in Santa Fe and has been around for decades and decades. Here's Russell with one of his favorite things--milk shakes. This one was raspberry. He'd kill me if he knew I posted this particular photo but it really does capture what he looks like when he sits down to a mile shake.



On the Plaza square

The bicycle guy was a delight and was happy to let me take his photo as long as I texted it to him. Which I gladly did.


Day #11 continued in my next post

Hmmm, I switched from Safari to Chrome and now I seem to be able to post. Go figure.....

 

Day #11 continued: Hanging out in Santa Fe

A few photos from our wanderings



The old Santa Fe Cathedral





This was painted right on the side of a building




The couple from whom we rent the Cozumel condo we stay in on dive trips live in Santa Fe. I had emailed Marcie after our last dive trip to say thank you but also to say that we'd been told that she wasn't diving due to a health problem. Well, she shared with me the shocking news that she's been diagnosed with ALS. It's truly tragic. Marcie and I agreed that it would be good to get together the next time we were in Santa Fe so we planned just that. They suggested that we meet them at the weekly summer concert series that the city of Santa Fe holds in The Santa Fe Railyard. The Santa Fe Railyard is a really neat area right along the tracks (which are quite busy!) with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. This evening's concert theme was "Women of Rock and Roll" with lots of cover bands playing songs from 80's (primarily) rock stars. Mostly it was just good to see the two of them and to give Marcie a big hug.


An interesting vendor "booth"



A flying saucer...from Rosewell, New Mexico down the road I guess. This was still in the Railyard.

Google:
The main "place for aliens" in New Mexico is Roswell, a city known for the 1947 Roswell UFO incident and its strong alien-themed tourism. Key attractions include the International UFO Museum and Research Center, alien-themed shops, and the "Alien Zone"



We met up with Dave and Marcie and ate at a place called Knuchols had a a cool vibe and a terrific beer selection.



The concert stage with one of the many trains that went by off to the left



The turnout was great even though the weather looked a bit threatening and there had been a huge storm the night before. Marcie said the concert series has been wildly successful.



Continued in my next post

 

Day #11: Santa Fe

That's Marcie in the black and white striped top. She's doing her best to keep on keeping on. But she's always been super active and adventurous so is really struggling with her diagnosis and what's happening with her body. She shared a lot with me about her what has transpired and how she's feeling about all of it.



Marcie and Dave





The concert was still in full swing but Dave told us Marcie had hit her limit and they needed to head home. So Steve and I meandered back to our hotel, very sad for Marcie and Dave but really glad that we were able to connect and spend time with them.

On our walk back






Next up, Day #12: Santa Fe, New Mexico to Show Low, Arizona