Pantiless Wednesday to Nature's Beauty to Wild Bill

We had an early morning call today to hit the road for the 90 minute ride to Hulett, Wyoming. I had heard from our "guides" (Buford, Jeff, Bill, and Frank) that this was quite an experience . . . .a very small town (population 407) that really know how to celebrate Bike Week. We met Frank and Bill on the way there and roared down I-90 toward Hulett.

On the way there we spied Devil's Tower in the distance and gradually it became closer and closer until we passed it as we turned onto the highway to take us into Hulett.

Today - August 6 - was officially "Pantiless Wednesday" there. Apparently this is an annual tradition because lots of people were wearing t-shirts that proclaimed their attendance at the event in prior years. Now, this moniker doesn't really mean exactly what it sounds like, but something pretty similar as there were a number of women parading about wearing very skimpy bottoms visible under chaps. Of course those kinds of mindless pleasures don't interest me, but as a man - hey, you do notice that kind of thing.

Because this blog is a "family" kind of thing, I'll spare you the photos that someone - I don't know who it could've been - took with my camera of these shamless acts of indecency. I will say, however, that beside the scantily clad women, there were a lot of other unusual folks in Hulett on Pantiless Wendesday. But, that was of no concern to us because the biker crowd, with rare exception, is nothing but friendly, nice people. And Cheryl, being a very outgoing and extroverted person, had no trouble making friends with some of the more unusual ones.

What I really noticed was the sheer number of people that descended on Hulett. The roads in and out were simply packed with a nonstop flow of motorcycles. . . again, hearing that constant rumble and roar is simply indescribably delicious for a motorcycle lover. And, of course, there were vendors in Hulett eager to take our money so Cheryl and I obliged them for more t-shirts and biker belts. I'm not sure you'll see either of us wearing these at home for work, although my Harley Davidson belt might bring an interesting twist to a business suit or Cheryl's concho belt at the Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

From here, we rode back the way we came and stopped for some closeup viewing of Devil's Tower. To think of the kind of glacial activity that created this huge pylon of stone is simply amazing. . . a word I keep using, but it certainly applies to this and so many of the other sites here.


As we began our ride from Devil's Tower back toward Deadwood, we passed through Sundance, Wyoming where Robert Redford throws his shindig. Then, we rode on into Spearfish, South Dakota and through the absolutely gorgeous Spearfish Canyon. Let me say that BOTH Cheryl and I believe this was our favorite part of the journey so far because this canyon is absolutely beautiful country, and the loop of about 30 miles or so through it was one gorgeous view after another; the only thing separating them from each other were the curves in the road.






















The day drew to a close with a stop in Deadwood. It was here that Wild Bill Hickok met his untimley end playing poker. Holding what became known as the "dead man's hand", he was assassinated by a no-gooder named Jack McCall whom he had spared only moments before after being held hostage by Jack and his gang for several hours. Wild Bill allegedly took him to the Number 10 Saloon to buy him a drink to celebrate letting him live, but Jack McCall had a major axe to grind with Wild Bill and simply couldn't leave without taking care of business.

Even Wild Bill's "partner" - a woman named Calamity Jane who liked men, in general, and Wild Bill, in particular - was powerless to act quickly enough and Wild Bill was no more.

Although we didn't go there, both are buried, side-by-side, in Deadwood. Calamity Jane went on to become a minor star in her own right. Jeff Bridges starred as Wild Bill in a movie of a few years ago that tells the story, embellished a bit, pretty well.

Tomorrow is our first real visit to Sturgis, although we've ridden through it a few times. Better get it in tomorrow (Thursday) as we leave for home on Friday. More tomorrow.