May 22, 2025 (Thu.) - needles highway, dog boarding
Boarding Otis for the first time :
Started the day going back to Sturgis to pick up Kirk’s bike. Since it was done earlier than expected we planned to ride the Needles Highway on the bike. Since we’d be gone most of the day, Kirk found a place to board Otis for the day through the Rover app. We dropped Otis off at 0830 at this woman’s house in Rapid City about 10 minutes away. She was late to her house by 30 minutes due to car trouble (we think after dropping off kids at school). Otis was a little sketchy at first but warmed up to her other dog ‘Bananas’ (a corgi). Since it was Otis’ first time ever being boarded, we were worried. It felt like the first day of kindergarten when you drop off your kid at school and worry whether they’ll be ok or not. She continued to send us updates and pictures of Otis throughout the day. He looked comfy sitting on her couch with Bananas and then we worried he may not want to come home! 🙂 Cost was $32 from 0830-1630.
The Needles Highway :
Kirk has been wanting to ride the Needles Highway for years. It’s a spectacular ride, especially on a motorcycle with it’s twisties, beautiful forests, streams and unique rock formations. Thankfully the weather was great for a ride with sunny weather with highs in the 60*’s and most importantly no wind! Whether you’re in a car or motorcycle, it’s worth the drive. Riding through the “Needles Eye”, seeing the unique rock formations, riding the winding roads (twisties), and seeing the trees, lakes, streams, and wildlife is worth it. Saw more bison (or is it buffalo?) as we rode through the park. Apparently, they are not the same thing but I’m not sure what the difference is or what we’re looking at. There are many campgrounds, cabins and hikes throughout the park that we want to go back and do (weather permitting).
The Needles Highway is in Custer State Park so there is an entrance fee. For motorcycles, it was $20 for the week ($25 for cars).
