A relaxing day At the Hot Springs KOA

June 9, 2025

I awoke to the sounds of gobbling turkeys and Robins singing. It was 5:30 am. Breakfast at the campground wasn't until 7, so I got out the stove and made myself a cup of coffee. It wa 46 degrees with a light wind, so I had my jacket, hat and ear muffs on for warmth. My plan for after breakfast, was to visit the Mammoth museum and then have lunch in Hot Springs. At 7, I went up for breakfast. I sat outside, under the covered area provided as the dining area, next to the pool. The picnic tables were covered with red and white checkered table cloths and there were beautiful large hanging arrangements of petunias for added beauty. The cook was happy to have someone to serve. We chatted about travelling and the different places we have visited. He and his wife have a camper and work at various campgrounds all throughout the year. He used to live in Hawii. He said that they have few campers there. I had eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, and toast. A nice breakfast and great conversation.

After breakfast, I called the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary to see if I could book a tour. Unfortunately, they were all booked up for the next few days. Instead, I made an appointment to meet with Susan Watts, the director of the sanctuary tomorrow afternoon. I wanted to thank her personally for Takota and tell her how well he is doing.

I packed up the bike, happy to not have to carry the side cases today. Well the Universe had other plans for me today. Kim's battery was low and she wouldn't start. I checked with Rob and then asked if anyone at the campground could help. This was something that I wasn't ready for, but even Ichy Boots finds help in the most remote places. Luckily, the nice KOA handy man named Richard came to my rescue. ( He reminded me of my brother John.) He used to have the same type of motorcycle that I have (V-Strom 650) . He put Kim on a battery charger and it read 50%. We let the battery charge for a few hours to 100%. Once charged, Kim roared back to life, ready to go for a ride. Rob had set up a charger to charge my Cardo and battery packs from the bike. It has a readout on it. I learned that if the readout says 14 when the bike is running, then the battery is good. Another thing to check as I travel along.

I was very grateful that this happened at this campground. It would have been much harder to deal with if I had been at one of the many rest areas during yesterdays' ride. I made the decision to stay at the campground and have a rest day. I spent time reading, did a Golden Girls word find, and went for a dip in the pool. For dinner I ordered a pizza that they delivered to my site. I made a cup of Earl Grey tea to go with it and watched a Netflix movie called Nomas'. It was a nice relaxing day. I also oiled my chain again, successfully getting the bike up on the center stand. The sunset was after 9 pm being so far west. Now I hope I can get a good nights sleep, if the kids in the nearby campsite would quiet down. It was cooler today in the 70's. Tomorrow looks to be 90 degrees. I am not looking forward to that. At least in the am I will be in the Mammoth museum, which is air conditioned.