Biking in the Badlands

My poor motorcycle typically sits in a garage in Mandan for almost the entire year. It's tough to get it out for a ride when I'm 1,000 miles away in St. Louis or even 160 miles away in Beach, ND, where I'm working this summer.

When I'm working somewhere I need my pickup and I was always unsure if the motorcycle would fit in the back. And I was nervous about wrecking the bike or pickup trying to load the thing. But I finally got some ramps and some help to shove the bike up in the pickup box. It worked great! So, in case you were wondering, a 2001 Suzuki SV650S does fit nicely in the back of a 2005 Chevy Colorado.

After the Masses here in Beach today the sun finally came out after days of wind and rain. To take advantage of the beautiful weather I cruised on over to Medora and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit). While there I drove around the 36-mile park loop road. It's beautiful out there. I saw deer, rabbits, prairie dogs, and three or four bison. Along the way I did a little hiking around Buck Hill and in Wind Canyon. Check out the photos here:

Back in Medora after the ride I had some dinner, an ice cream cone, and did a bit of shopping (I picked up a biography of Theodore Roosevelt) before racing (yet another) thunderstorm. It's been stormy this summer. But at least I got out for a little while.

-Jason

P.S.: In one week, I will be a deacon. Wow.