Still Wrights on a Mission

The alarm went off at 7:30 this morning, and after sixty days on the road, a little extra sleep felt pretty good. I headed to the bathhouse for a shower, started a load of laundry, and then made us some coffee. Breakfast was leftovers, because after two months of camping, you learn not to waste good food!

We decided to move into a cabin for the night. Tomorrow would be another big riding day, with more than 400 miles ahead of us, so we wanted to get an early start. Since we couldn’t get into the cabin until after 11:00, we took our time breaking down camp and packing everything up.

Once we were settled into our little home for the night, we decided there was one thing we had to do before leaving South Dakota.

One last ride.

I decided to ride on the back of Melvin’s bike and give Gracie a much-needed break. I really need her to make it all the way back to New York, so I don’t want to push her any harder than necessary. After carrying me thousands of miles on this journey, she deserves a little rest!

We pulled out of the KOA and took our first right onto Stage Road, a beautiful gravel road heading south out of Custer. It brought us to Pringle, South Dakota, where we headed southeast on Highway 385 toward Wind Cave National Park.

The scenery had changed again. The Black Hills gave way to wide-open rolling hills and prairie. Along the roadside, prairie dogs popped up and chirped before darting back into their little burrows.

We missed our turn onto Highway 87 North and ended up in Hot Springs, so we turned around and found our way back to 87.

And 87 did not disappoint!

The road started with switchbacks and pigtails almost immediately. Then Melvin spotted a gravel road—and a herd of bison.

Of course, we had to take the detour.

That single-lane gravel road opened up to endless rolling hills beneath enormous blue skies. It was one of those moments when you realize just how small you are and how incredibly BIG God’s creation is.

Psalm 19:1 came to mind:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

And today, the South Dakota skies were certainly proclaiming His glory.

The gravel road eventually put us onto the Wildlife Loop Road, and riding a motorcycle through the rolling mixed-grass prairies and pine-covered ridges made us feel like we had ridden right into the middle of God’s wild creation.

The low rumble of the motorcycle blended with the wind, and there was nothing between us and the horizon.

Then came the buffalo.

Massive, shaggy American bison dotted the green meadows, some in small groups and others gathered in herds that seemed to stretch forever. We rode alongside mothers and their calves, watching them graze peacefully on both sides of the road. Every now and then, one would casually cross right in front of us, completely unconcerned about our schedule.

They were in no hurry.

And maybe there was a lesson in that for us.

After sixty-one days of schedules, routes, reservations, miles, weather, breakdowns, delays, and constantly moving toward the next destination, perhaps God was reminding us that not every moment needs to be rushed.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

Sometimes the best thing we can do is slow down long enough to notice what He has placed right in front of us.

I kept taking as much video as I could while Melvin carefully navigated around the buffalo. We moved slowly and respectfully, not wanting to disturb them. It was an incredible experience.

Then we turned onto North Lame Johnny Road toward Blue Bell Lodge, which is actually part of the Black Hills BDR-X route. That’s another route we had hoped to ride someday, so it was pretty exciting to find ourselves on part of it!

Along the way, we spotted elk grazing peacefully in the beautiful green landscape.

At this point, it honestly felt like we were on a safari.

Every turn seemed to reveal another animal, another breathtaking view, or another reminder of just how creative our God is.

Once we came out of the Wildlife Loop, we picked up Highway 87 North again and managed to catch a few more pigtails and switchbacks before heading toward Custer on 16A.

By then it was close to 4:30 in the afternoon.

And we suddenly realized something very important.

We had never eaten lunch!

So naturally, we had to make one last stop at the Custer Wolf Food & Drink restaurant for their amazing bread pudding. We had eaten there before, and that bread pudding was hands down the best we’ve ever had. Their coffee is pretty amazing too!

Melvin had a burger, and I had fish and chips. Our waitress, Megan, was wonderful and even blessed us with a dish of cowboy caviar—which was absolutely delicious!

If you’re ever in Custer, we definitely recommend stopping at the Custer Wolf.

After dinner, we had one more stop to make before heading back to the cabin.

The Claw, Antler & Hide store.

Melvin loves looking at fur, and they had plenty of it—from wolf to buffalo and everything in between. Thankfully, there isn’t much room on a motorcycle for unnecessary purchases, which definitely helped save us some money! 😂

We headed back to our cabin, and it felt so good to have a front porch and a wooden swing. I sat there rocking gently as the South Dakota sun began to set, writing today’s blog and thinking about everything God has allowed us to experience over these past sixty-one days.

Today we didn’t see a lot of people. We stayed mostly on the back roads and traveled through the national park, but God reminded us that even when the road seems quiet, He is still working.

Yesterday, we had met a couple in town who stopped to talk to us. They noticed my BMW and told us they were good friends with Max, who owns the BMW store back home in New York.

We gave them a Wrights On A Mission sticker, and later Christina sent me a message that encouraged my heart:

“It was great to meet you yesterday! Keep spreading the word ❤️ Be safe 😇.”

Such simple words.

But sometimes God uses the simplest things to speak directly to our hearts.

Those words felt like a little nudge from Him.

Keep spreading the word.

Our trip may be winding down, but the mission isn’t.

In fact, perhaps that’s the greatest reminder of all. The miles may eventually come to an end. The bikes will make their way back into the garage. The camping gear will be unpacked and put away. The pictures and videos will become memories.

But the calling to share Christ doesn’t end when the journey does.

Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” — Mark 16:15

That’s what this journey has been about from the beginning.

Not simply seeing Alaska.

Not simply riding 12,000 miles.

Not simply crossing mountain passes, riding gravel roads, camping in the rain, watching wildlife, or chasing the next beautiful view.

It has been about being willing to go where God leads and being ready for the people He places along the way.

And after sixty-one days, we’re still trusting Him to direct every mile.

The journey isn’t over yet.

There are still roads to ride.

People to meet.

Prayers to pray.

Stories to tell.

Encouragement to give.

And divine appointments waiting around the next curve.

So we keep riding.

We keep trusting.

We keep praying.

And most importantly…

We keep following where He leads.

Because this isn’t just a motorcycle adventure from New York to Alaska and back.

It’s a mission.

And we’re still…

Wrights On A Mission.