Day 8 -(Custer, SD) - First, we went to Custer State Park, since we had heard great things about their wildlife, including herds of thousands free-roaming bison. We went on a prairie hike where we heard a large animal just over the hill; we were to chicken to go exploring without the protection of a metal car frame, just in case it was a temperamental large animal. On the drive around the "Wildlife Loop" we saw a few bison, mule deer and pronghorn antelope, but not the herds of bison we had heard so much about. Then, we turned a corner on the main highway through the park, and there they were, bigger than life, so many of them, and not caring one whit about the traffic wanting to get through. In the afternoon, we drove out to Mt Rushmore and saw one of the most patriotic sculptures out there. We also spent a few hours in the quaint downtown of Custer soaking up the tourist trap vibes.
Day 9 - (Deadwood, SD) -We spent day 9 soaking in the wild history of Deadwood, beginning with it's illegal founding. We visited several local museums, including the Adams Museum, the Railroad museum, and the Adams House Museum. We learned the story behind the shooting of Wild Bill Hickok, why Calamity Jane was so calamitous, and the history of Deadwood's short-lived China-town. And, just so we could say we did it, Jen and I each put $2 in the Deadwood slot machines. I won $0.30 on a machine where the minimum bet was $0.40, and we both chalked it up to an interesting experience. On the way home through Black Hills National Forest, we stopped at a scenic overlook where the nearly tame chipmunks mobbed me while I tried to take their picture. I am glad they were nearly tame chipmunks and not grizzly bears. (Don't feed the wildlife, it's cute, but too often it ends badly for them!)
Day 10 - (Custer, SD) - We drove through Custer state park again to get one last look at the bison, and then we went on to the Badlands. As repetitive as it sounds, it was amazing - so different from what I'm used to in western PA. The most incredible thing about it was, as Jen put it, "it's just dirt!" While the other crazy formations we saw in the Black Hills and Yellowstone were made of solid rock, the Badlands were made of what seemed like ordinary soil in amazing formations; they could crumble and change when people walked on them. It was weird to see something that beautiful and large as fragile and changeable, too. After the Badlands, we visited the famous "Wall Drug Store" - that's a neat story about how giving something away for free can really change your life. (I'm sure you can look up the story online) They did have a jack-a-lope your could ride, but Jen wouldn't pose for pictures :) The last picture for today is one of the roads that our GPS wanted us to go down, even though we had "Paved roads only" option checked. I was convinced it was marked "No Outlet" but Jen swore it was a different road. The road our GPS recommended went from paved to gravel to dirt to two ruts down an empty field. I was ok with gravel and dirt, but I didn't want to get the rental car stuck in the middle of nowhere. I (while receiving much heckling) eventually decided to turn around and take the highway to our next destination.
Day 12 - (Wisconsin) - In another cultural and historical morning, we visited the SPAM museum, but Jen wouldn't partake in the deliciousness. We spent a few hours at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, and a few more at the Bily Clock Museum in Iowa. We weren't allowed to take pictures of the clock museum, but it included was a great story about two brothers who worked together in their free time to build intricate clocks with many moving pieces and details you wouldn't believe. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the area.
Day 13 - (Wisconsin, and Illinois) - Well, as the granddaughter of Dairy Farmers, I couldn't visit Wisconsin and not visit something having to do with cheese. So, this morning, I talked Jen into visiting the National Cheesmaking Museum. Unfortunately, they didn't offer free samples, or sell any cheese, so that was quickly followed by a visit to a local cheese factory where we got to taste the wares and picked up something that wasn't pb&j for lunch. A very small cheese tray and small package of Haavarti changed the pace nicely. We then went and walked around the Rotary Garden in Janesville, WI, where we seemed to take a tour of the world in a few short steps - there was an english cottage garden, formal french gardens, italian courtyard gardens, japanese moss gardens and more. We settled in for a long drive, and made it most of the way home before nightfall.
Day 14 - we made it home!
Wow, you made it all the way to the end! Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed sharing them. I don't know if I would have gone on this vacation if it hadn't been for the shock of a cancer diagnosis. I hope maybe, just maybe, it might inspire you to take a trip or do something extraordinary that you've been thinking about for a while.
"The journey not the arrival matters" - TS Elliot - Enjoy the journey!
1 comment:
It was a fabulous trip. I still think that dirt road would have gotten us where we wanted to go...and if not, it would have been fun getting wherever it took us!
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