Day 3

Let me start day 3's report with a disclaimer! There is way more stuff to write about than I have time! Because of this, we're planning to only write up the big highlights now and then do a remix and add all the extra pics and stories later. Right now it feels like doing college coursework and trying to cram. By the time we get to the hotel everyday we are both worn the heck out! We still have to map out the next day, plan stops, fill out our expense/log book, and do things like laundry. I keep thinking it would be great if we had a day when we weren't traveling to get caught up on things.
The day got off to a rough start! We planned to leave Sioux City, Iowa by 7am. We were woken at about 3am to severe thunder and lightning. Sometime before we got up to start the day the lightning left, only to return the instant we pulled out of the hotel lot. We were in downtown Sioux City without a gas station in sight, naturally, we were running on fumes too. As soon as we were out of the city propper we took the first available exit (which happened to be inside South Dakota), only to find out that of the three gas stations there 2 of them only sold full ethanol fuels. Fast forward a couple of hours and we found ourselves driving through Sioux Falls, South Dakota in a torrential downpour. It was so bad that I couldn't see a place to actually pull the car over!
Again, my lack of foresight got the better of me. We had started this day at a warm 74 degrees, so I was wearing Alabama attire consisting of flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt. We were in the car and it didn't occur to me that the weather outside after the storm might be a little different than when we left. So when we pulled into a gas station in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE I jumped out of the truck to find that it was only about 60 degrees, with a 20-some mph wind! I was freezing and instantly soaked to the bone. The awesome thing was that I had left my coat packed inside a vacuum bag, in the bed of the truck , and under a locked toneau cover! So I stood there shivering with my teeth chattering as I tried to unlock the cover while being poured on. Anyway, we eventually got things moving and headed on down the road.
The first few hundred miles of SD were completely flat. Iowa was flat too, but there were farms and houses. SD on the other hand seemed to beflat as far as I could see, with NOTHING in sight. No houses,...no barns...not even a Mickey D's (more on this in a minute!). Even when we stopped for gas later I felt completely out of place. I got the distinct impression that people from South Dakota take things a little more seriously than the lower states. We realized that after about 325 miles we had not seen a SINGLE McDonald's. We were looking for one to eat lunch at and couldn't find it. SweetPea insisted that she had seen one earlier in the day when we first entered SD but I refuse to believe it. Anyway, somewhere near the center of South Dakota we started seeing rolling hills, and then mountains in the distance. It was actually pretty spectacular. I found myself constantly oohing and ahhing and driving the wife crazy. The rock formations throughout the badlands were some of the most impressive things I've ever seen.

Anyway, we eventually made it into the Mount Rushmore area. Specifically, the Black Hills of South Dakota. I've always heard that Rushmore was smaller than you'd expect when you finally see it. I'd have to disagree. We experienced severe thunderstorms all day, leading up to arriving at Rushmore, so I was worried we wouldn't be able to see it. However, the view was spectacular and something I don't expect to ever forget:

The view really was awe-inspiring. I was shocked by the mass of people there. It was packed! The road leading up to the mountain goes from wide open interstate, to suddenly being deep in the mountains. It is an incredible ride, and some of the views and cliffs had my heart in my throat over my fear of heights. We looked at the sights for a little while and headed out. While on the way out, we noticed that the fog quickly settled in and completed obscured the presidents' faces. There were tour buses showing up when we left, and literally all they could see was the base of the mountain.

Nearby we drove through a 'safari-drive-thru'. It was actually quite interesting, we saw Elk, Deer, Rocky Mountain Goats, Big Horn Sheep, Dhal Sheep, bears (lots and lots and lots of bears!!!), Bison, mountain lions, mule deer, Arctic wolves, Timber wolves, peacocks and probably some I'm forgetting. The bears actually walked right up next to the car and terrified us both.

Next up was something I really looked forward to... Deadwood, South Dakota. For anyone that doesn't know, Deadwood was an overnight boom town that cropped up when gold was discovered in the Black Hills. It was known for incredible lawlessness, violence, and problems with the local indians. This was where "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot in the back while playing poker. The entire town has turned into a mini-Vegas full of casinos and saloons. But, they really play up the old west atmosphere:


But the highlight was when we caught a re-enactment of an old west shoot out. SweetPea didn't care for this, maybe because of the guns, noise, and smoke. I have to say, this might have been my favorite part of the day. The period pieces and acting on the part of the well, uhm, actors was just awesome.

This old boy relayed the story to a crowd of spectators as if he was there...


A gang of highwaymen come to town after robbing the local stagecoach...



Trouble brewing...

The sheriff deals out old west justice...



And the bad guy goes down...

Not sure why, but this was very memorable to me and easily one of the most interesting things I've seen. I loved it. Now it makes me really want to get to places like Tombstone and see the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Anyway, tommorow's plan is to head out early to Devil's Tower, WY. Then we'll head to the Battle of the Little Bighorn site, and probably wind up in Billings, Montana.

Well, as they say, happy trails and until we meet again...