Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Threading the Needle





TOP: Needles spires...thousands of them throughout the park
2nd: Tunnel I couldn't fit through on my bike...time to diet...
3rd: Bus (YES, A BUS!) sliding through the top of the needle. All you heard was screaming japanese tourists
4th: Major fire/blowdown was evident throughout the entire park. Whole hillsides destroyed. But it still looked better than a coal strip mine.
x
Today we drove the Needles highway, a thin, rambling mountainous road that winds through custer state park and nearby. The oh, 20 miles drive took about 3 hours, but it was well worth it. The views were incredible, with spires everywhere, and abundant wildlife. At the top was the "eye of the needle", a very thin tunnel that went from one side of the range to the other. Cars were tight through the eye, and SUV's were insanely tight. Then, as we're getting ready to leave, a tour bus filled with japanese tourists pulls up. We figure it is going to turn around in the small parking lot, but nooooo, the driver gets out, pulls his mirrors into the bus, and proceeds to drive through the eye. I swear, he did not have more than about 4 inches total in slack, with a tight left turn coming out the far side. But, apparently he made it...although it would have been tough to hear scraping metal over the screams of the tourists.
x
"Needle me this" Lumpy out

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