Saturday, June 19 to Worland

Towards the Yellowstone

I left Sturgis at 11 am after checking a minor electrical problem of the start button. Brandon at Sturgis Motorsports was very helpful.

I started west on the 90 in sunny weather and got off the freeway at Sundance.

Here the Sundance Kid (remember butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?) spent some time in prison and named himself after the town.

Here is a picture of a sculpture of the Kid in prison.

Devil’s tower is an imposing mountain, made famous by the Spielberg movie “Close encounters of the third kind”.

It is well worth a visit. A walking path around the base offers stunning views of the tower and the landscape. It is also a sacred place for the Sioux Indians.

Climbers were active on the mountain, some near the top and hardly visible.

Back on the freeway I rode fast to make up for the hours spent at the tower.

At Buffalo I took highway 16, which is a safer route across the Bighorn mountains, because the higher route still had snow on it.

The ride across the mountain range was beautiful. On the east side, they are covered in dense pine forests that looks quite dark and forbidding.

At the top of the pass, the temperature dropped to the low 60s and I put my sweater and winter gloves on. The air was cold and invigorating like a good winter day.

Once across the pass, I entered Tensleep canyon and came down the other side into a sparse landscape not unlike Patagonia in South America, low shrubs and a desert-like landscape.

Around Worland, my destination, it changed again. Now it resembled an ugly desert where almost nothing grows. The plain is occupied with oil derricks and some chemical facilities. It smells badly of sulphur and so does Worland.

It is a small town of 6,000 in habitants and has the air of a small oil town with lots of big, very loud pickups but hardly any motorcycles.

I checked into a local Best Western, bad and expensive and had a big dinner at a Mexican restaurant accompanied by a Negra Modelo.

About the trip:

By now I have ridden 2,700 miles or 4,300 km and there are 2,800 miles more to go until Los Angeles. The total trip will be 5,500 miles or 8,800 km.

I average 60 miles per hour with top speeds of 90 mph. My riding time per day is 5 to 7 hours, sometimes longer. It is more than I had planned but it is OK. I am not tired, even after 15 days of riding.

The bike gets between 44 and 50 miles per gallon premium gasoline. Except for the broken throttle cable, the bike performs efficiently and without problems.

My health is excellent. I have ridden through hot and humid weather, rainstorms, cold and fog, I have eaten all kinds of food, not drank enough water, had no exercise but I feel fine and have a lot of energy.

I only take some vitamins and an occasional Aspirin or ALKA SELZER.

Best of all, I am enjoying the ride and the wonderful places I visit.

America is incredibly well organized for tourism. When entering another state I always stop at Welcome Centers and Information Centers and get all the info and maps I need. I always find a hotel, even in the most remote places, sometimes very simple but always friendly. Food is abundant, although most places serve fast food or prepared meals that have little character.

People are helpful and considerate.

However, I am not able to make contact with Rotary clubs. My emails have not been answered and I am never in a particular spot when they meet.

I hope that some donations are still coming in, because I have not met any club after Chicago.

So tomorrow I enter the Yellowstone, another highlight of my trip.

The Trans America ride
is a small effort to help transform the lives of poor Maya children. During my trip I will speak about the importance of educational projects like Ak Tenamit, and especially girl´s education, and its connection to illegal immigration in the United States.


YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE TRANS AMERICA RIDE!!

The target of the ride is to raise $10.00 for each mile of the ride.

I you decide to support this ride, you may:

1. Buy miles: Buy one or more miles at $10.00 per mile. There are 3,500 miles to be sold.
2. Sponsor a local event when I am in your area (a ride, a barbecue) for a $200.00 minimum.
3. Become a Student Sponsor at Ak´Tenamit for $30.00 (one month) or $360.00 per year
4. Become a Health Care Partner for $10.00 or $120.00 per year.

All funds should end up in the GUATEMALA TOMORROW FUND in the United States.

If you would like to sponsor a child, become a Health Care partner or simply want to buy one of the 3500 miles of the ride , just go to http://guatfund.org/

Tick the box ¨Trans America ride¨and authorize a charge to your credit card.

If you prefer to not to use a credit card, just see Chapter 5 of this Blog on how to donate.

JEAN , THE RIDING DUTCHMAN

transamerica.tenamit@gmail.com