The Adventure Continues!

Man, did I sleep well last night. I think that may have been the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I didn't even sleep that long and I woke up feeling completely rested. It turns out that there were in fact vacancies in the hotel I was staying at for anotehr night, so I cancelled with the Super 8 I had reservations for, and booked another night with this one, the Ramada in Black Hawk. I did have to change rooms, but it's all good. I recommend this place.

After getting in the swim I promised myself this morning, I set out for Mt. Rushmore in the middle of the Black Hills. There is some really pretty country in there, but it is really hard to get a good picture of it. Also, the air is fresh and clean and actually have a nice pine scent from all the trees.

Mount Rushmore is about what you would expect, which should be something awesome. I don't really know what to say about it that you wouldn't already know. I'm sure you've seen pictures (and if you haven't, look below). I spent a lot of time there, though. There is a trail that kind of goes into the woods closer to the monument, and museums, and all kinds of stuff around the site. It was also only $8 to get an annual pass to get in, which makes it a real bargain. I didn't feel it was overly crowded either. Definitely a highlight of this trip (which is good, because it's kind of reason I came out here).

After Rushmore, I made the short hop down to the Crazy Horse memorial. This one was started in 1948 and is still a work in progress. It was started when Lakota elders asked a man named Korczak, who had worked on Rushmore, to make a monument to the famous chief. He started working on it all by himself, and later with his sons. The size of the monument dwarfs Rushmore, but it is completely funded by private donation, as the artists (following Korczak's lead) will not except any kind of govenrment funding. It is slow going and no one knows when it will be done, but their goal is to only continue making progress for however long it takes.

It was getting late in theday by this point, but I still wanted to see Devil's Tower in Wyoming, about an hour and a half from Rapid City. My plan was to head directly north through the Hills from Crazy Horse, and pass through Deadwood and Sturgis, but somehow I made a wrong turn and ended up back in Rapis City. It was a setback, but I pressed on and made it to Devil's Tower about 7:30, just in time to see it at sunset. It's a pretty cool effect to see it at that time, but it did mean I didn't get to spend much time there. I really didn't want to be hanging around the park after dark. But I did get some pictures, which is what I really wanted.

Ok, seeing Devil's Tower at sunset: GOOD. Making your way back to I-90 after the sun has set: NOT SO GOOD. Well, it could have been better. See, Devil's Tower is a bit off the beaten track and about a 40 minute drive from I-90 through some winding roads through the hills. Really pretty stuff, even in twilight. But those roads can be a little nerve-racking, especially if you just want to get out of there before it gets completely dark. Strangely, on the way there and the way back, I hardly saw any other cars, so I was feeling kind of lonesome. Oh yeah, and when it gets harder to see the wildlife in the dark, that can be kind of harrowing. Two occassions on the way back I had deer trying to cross the road right in front of me. And I didn't know when another might jump out; maybe too close for me to stop in time. Not fun.

But I did make it back to my hotel in one piece, just in time for me to get in a swim of about 3 minutes before they closed the pool at 10:00. It felt good just to get a dip in though. I had dinner at the Sonic drive-in I passed on the way down to Rushmore. The food there is pretty good and there aren't too many drive-ins anymore. They either need to put on in Minnesota, or stop showing us their commercials. It looked like it was a hang out for all the teenager hot rodders in town, though. I saw quite a few muscle/sport cars around, including someone with a real classic-style hot rod (open engine, big tires in the back, you know what I'm talking about).

On the way back I took a moment to look at the sky. They have a lot more stars out here! I didn't even manage to find a particularly dark spot and could immediately see the Milky Way. Also, the moment I looked up I immediately saw a shooting star and a satellite making its way across the sky. That was special.

Tomorrow, I hit up Wall Drug and make a second pass at the Badlands. The I head home, probably getting in pretty late.

Anyway, this is getting long and I need to get to bed. Here are some pictures:

Mt. Rushmore:





















Crazy Horse Memorial:





















Devil's Tower:




















Q. How can you tell a car is happy?
A. You can see the bugs in its grill.

Adventure in the Hills

The odometer says I drove 671.8 miles today. I guess it was kind of a spontaneous decision that put me here. I only made arrangements last night, though I had been kicking the idea around for a couple days. Nonetheless, here I am in Rapid City, South Dakota, gateway to the West.

I started out at about 8:30 AM this morning. That's important, because I found out that Rapid City is a really frickin' long way away from Minneapolis. I made good time though, stopping in Owatonna for breakfast, then in Blue Earth for gas. I intended to stop in Souix Falls for lunch, but somehow I missed the exit. You'd think the exits for a town like Soiux Falls would be more obvious, but you would be wrong (there was also road construction going on all over the place). Instead I got off at a small town called Salem, SD. The road side promised food, and it looked like a fairly large town (I've seen smaller towns with a Subway), but there were no grab-and-go type places anywhere to be found. I found a "Farmer's Market", which was really just a grocery store and managed to put together the implements to make some peanut butter sandwiches. The local car dealership did have a Shelby GT 500 sitting in its lot, though. No fast food, but some amazing fast cars. Strange town.

After eating my makeshift lunch at a nearby rest stop, I continued on to Mitchell. No trip out this way is complete without a visit to Mitchell's Corn Palace. Yes, they use real corn on the outside and it is redecorated every year.

It was a logn way yet to the Badlands. I pulled into the park at about 6:00 PM local time (Mountain Time) when the sun was just starting to get low. Now if you've never seen the Badlands, you really need to. Amazing landscapes. And they are even more amazing at dusk. The only problem is there is a lot to see, and that dusky sunlight does not last long. It took me almost 3 hours to get through and I still felt rushed. I will probably have to hit again on my way back.

I did make a quick stop in Wall Drug for dinner, just before they closed down the grill in their cafe. I had a buffalo hot dog and a side of some of the best fries I've ever tasted. I also had several cups of their famous ice water, which I desperately needed. It looked like they were shutting down though (it was about 9:30 at this point) and I was anxious to get to my hotel, so I didn't stay long. I will also have to hit that on my way back.

I am currently staying at a Ramada in Black Hawk, which is just outside Rapid City. All I wanted was to get to my hotel and go for a swim, but they close the pool at 10:00. I didn't get in until about 10:20. The scally wags. I guess I'll have to go in the morning. They do have sort of a casino/bar (read: small room with some video machines and they serve bottled beer), and that Budwesier Select tasted damn good!

That's pretty much sums up the day. It was a lot of driving and I'm kind of tired. Tomorrow: Mt. Rushmore, the Black Hills, and maybe Devil's Tower.

Here are some pictures from the day, though I don't know how to do captions on this (I have a lot more):