Day 6 - August 3, 2017 - Wall, SD to Spearfish, SD

Day 6 - Thursday August 3, 2017 - Wall, SD to Spearfish, SD
Distance:  333km,  Time: 9:30hrs,
Sunny, Warm 27c to 12c
Overnight: Best Western, 540 E. Jackson Blvd, Spearfish, SD (***) Clean but needs some upgrading

 As I mentioned before this was the day to accomplish several things, primary being a visit to Badlands National Park.  The plan was to get an early start on the park loop road (SD#240) so a early departure of 7:30am and a quick drive over to the East Entrance at Philip, SD, plus the sun would be to my back once I entered the park, making for better photographs.

 View from the "road"






Lots of Big Horn Sheep in the park (lots!)
























Badlands NP
Badlands NP - There were other bikers heading to Sturgis via the Badlands
Badlands NP - Gold Mountain
After my tour of Badlands NP, which took about 3 hours to cover 50km, there was one more missile site to visit.  Delta-09 Facility
This is a non-functional launch silo with a Minuteman II Intercontinental ballistic missile.  At one time there were over 800 of these in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Minnesota, just South of the Canadian Border. You are look straight down the silo which is 100ft deep, this is a solid fuel missile (inactive), which has a glass cover for viewing purposes, again part of the National Park display.  The multi nuclear warheads are in the top cone part, destination of the missile is NOT controlled by the Delta-01 site, they are programmed in advance by a separate unit of the Air Force.  You can appreciate all the separation of duties.This is the "lid" over the silo, three feet thick of concrete and steel, moved out of the way by an explosive charge in about 10seconds, and 5seconds after that it is missile launch with NO recall or abort!






After this stop at Delta-09 it was time to head West to Rapid City, SD for a lunch stop and for a motorcycle oil change at Black Hills Powersport, this was a one hour job and I am off.

 Next up is a run up US#14A or Spearfish Canyon Highway (a motorcycle bucket-list road) anyway fantastic canyon of high cliffs and a stream at the bottom and lots of twists and turns and plenty of other motorcycles heading to and from Sturgis, which is only about 25km away.

 All these images are taken between Lead, SD and Spearfish, SD on the Canyon Highway (US#14A).






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