Hot Springs Sd to Buffalo WY

I am really beat so this is quick and dirty tonight. I'll fix it tomorrow...
The cabin was great and everybody slept well. We woke up at 5 and were on the road early. We rode to Custer and stopped for breakfast at place with floor to ceiling, front to back knotty pine with a billion layers of polyurethane, so it looked just great. Th waitress called us boys, which made our day (and her tip) and we re-mounted and continued north. We took the scenic route (there is nothing but scenic routes) to Sturgis where Jeff got a new footpeg (his old one broke). They did not have one in stock so they "made" something which Jeff says works fine. From Sturgis we headed back southwest and then north to Spearfish for lunch. At lunch we decided to split up and the turbo brothers (Jeff and Dave) would go north to see Devils Tower and pokey John went south through the park, out the west entrance which dumps you on the flats, then northwest through the grasslands back to the interstate. Dave and Jeff did just that. They hit Devils Tower (and got ice cream I later found out), then did the interstate (90) all the way to Buffalo. Reports are that Dave went 110mph just to try it out!! Even Jeff thought that was excessive. I got a text at 5:30 that they had arrived in Buffalo. Meanwhile, I went south to NewCastle WY which is coal and oil energy central. I saw 3 trainloads of coal in no more than 30 minutes go by. There were also tractor trailer loads of pipe, I assume for drilling. Small (and old) oil dereks were all over and I also saw a new horizontal drilling rig setup. The road back northwest was pretty empty and the towns were tiny and run down for the most part. When I got back to the interstate (groan), I saw 3 guys chatting next to their Harleys and decided to ask for alternate routes to Buffalo (other than I90). Two of them were just leaving but the third was a nice guy from Sturgis who gave me his life story (which I always actually enjoy (Vietnam Vet, Uncle got him hooked on motorcycles in the 50s, etc)), so I asked him if there were any interesting ways to get to Buffalo other than the interstate. First he said no and then he smiled and said there was a great way to get there, but it might be a little out of the way (I like this guy). So I had an amazingly great ride through the back roads of Wyoming where town populations ranged from 24 to 1000. It was basically a semi circular loop from Gillette to Buffalo that went way up north of the interstate. It started with coal plants and pit mines (yuck), then turned to a few oil derricks and really dry, sparce ranches. There were antelope and mule deer everywhere. Also beef cattle on small ranches and the odd horse ranches here and there. Got back to Buffalo around 7pm. We went out for dinner and back to the room. Dave and Jeff did 470 miles and I did about 550miles. Long day with beautiful weather. The boys got their fast ride and I got my slow ride. Everybody happy and tired.