So, we have driven from our home to Iowa so many times that I think our Odyssey Adventure Vehicle would put Homer to sleep. Now, anything will put Homer Simpson to sleep, but I’m talking about the real Homer who had a real Odyssey. Yes, he had a real trip. However, did he have V-Tec? I don’t think so.
We can take our Odyssey on our own adventure. We can go on a trip off the beaten path and check out other options. For instance, we got to see really cool tunnels that were cut through the rock. Did the people in the Odyssey go through hollow rocks? I don’t think so.
When this road warns you about driving an RV up here…. Yeah, you want to take that serious! There are a ton of twists, turns, and tight squeezes. Your RV will probably end up on an unintended diet.
So, how did we end up here? Well, our plan blew up. Like, I almost threw a childish tantrum- blew up. Yes, that would have been very awkward, with me kicking and screaming while driving. It would have been really awkward when people noticed that it was not one of the kids throwing the tantrum in a minivan. You see, I wanted to go to the Murdo car museum. The Pioneer Auto Show has signs from about Sioux Falls to Murdo, SD, promising the General Lee. The museum sells itself as having the General Lee. I have seen the billboards, and I checked their webpage. When I saw their webpage, I was like, “You guys are selling yourselves short!” They have a lot of really nice cars.
I confess that I watched The Dukes of Hazzard as a kid. I was young enough that I was more interested in the car than Daisy. The museum has one of the actual cars used in the show. This is not a stunt car, but a car used for filming. I appreciate seeing movie cars because it is fun to find the hiding places for the microphones in the car, to see how they might be mounted, and the different production gear. No matter how cheesy a show might be, there is still an art to it. You have to mount the gear, use the gear, but then hide the gear off-camera. I like seeing how they did it and taking notes. As you can tell, my tension was building up, and I wanted to see the car show! I was excited to go.
I hope you get the picture that I had my heart set on going to the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo, SD. But then… we called only to discover that my hopes would be dashed. This is when I almost threw my tantrum. They have summer hours and winter hours. We were in the winter hours, and so the place closed early. I pouted a bit…. Yes, I did. No kicking and screaming, but a bit of a private pout. Then I suggested to Mrs. Paulie’s Pick to open ChatGPT. The angelic hosts were singing, the heavenly lights shone down upon us, and we searched, “Top 5 Motorcycle Roads near Sturgis, SD.” We read through them and chose…drumroll…. You know because you read the title, “Iron Mountain Road.” We had the wrong tool for the job, but the minivan did okay... well, it didn’t, but I have to keep writing, so I will just tell you that the minivan did okay. It just lacks that…. what’s the word…. um…. Oh yeah, FUN FACTOR. This road is so good that even a minivan can’t ruin it.
We dodged a couple of deer… watch out for those things, man! They will TAKE you out! Not on a fun date or anything. No, they are more like leaving you stranded on the side of the road with that green stuff leaking out of the front of your car. You know the sign of a very bad day. Not much of an adventure, to say the least!
However, please be assured that the road is worth the risk. The views and the scenery are outstanding!
You will drive along, going from curve to curve. Then, all of a sudden, you will see the presidents looking down on your juvenile behavior. Admit it, you broke the speed limit a couple of times in that spirited driving. I think if you look a little closer, you might see a smile form. Deep down, I think they wanted us to enjoy this road in the great US of A!
I got out of the car, walked down the field a bit, and snapped this picture. I think if we go back, we will budget some time to walk. There are places to pull off the road so you do not have to hold up traffic behind you. I also plan to come back with a better tool for the job. It would be cool if it was the two-wheeled variety. My second choice would be a vehicle other than a minivan. Nope, the V-TEC really does not provide all that much exhilaration despite the marketing attempts.
Well, we continued down the road, and then we found a parking area where you can pull off and really take in the views.
Look to the right… a little more… a little more… and you see… the very clear picture of the presidents. They might be hard-headed; we might take their leadership for granite, but they sure make a firm appearance. In fact, the view of this mountain prior to the carving was unpresidented. Yup, that is Mount Rushmore! It is funny that it is called Rushmore when the Presidents are just glaring out with a stone face. I had no idea they were so stoic.
I really want to come back here at night. I know the deer and other critters will cause some high alert status, but it would be worth it. It would be cool to put the camera on a tripod and so some longer-exposure pictures when they shine the lights on the mountain. We did not have the time to stick around, so we went back to Sturgis.
I also want to come back to check out the rock formations. The Black Hills have some real beauty and great roads. I can see why the motorcycle rally started there and continues to return. It is too bad that Sturgis has a bad rap because of the rally. This is a great town, and I love exploring this place when we come through it.
It was getting late, so we completed the road, which is a loop. Then we made our way back to Rapid City. I think in the future I would like to do the loop both ways, just to see if the views are different. If you want to read more about the road, check out their webpage. Yes, this road is certainly a Paulie’s Pick! Have you ridden it during the rally? Have you driven something fun on it? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
Thank you again for reading! Until we meet again, may the Lord’s blessing and peace be upon you.
(updated 9/24/2026)