Home!

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We began our trip home late Monday afternoon.  There was little traffic on I90 and we hoped to get as far as Presho, South Dakota, for the night -- an easy distance of 170 miles or so from Rapid City. Well,  as I searched for a hotel, I eventually realized that his for Presho were in fact 30-40 miles in from the freeway. As tempted as we were to visit Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, Monday night was not the time to do so.

Cattle near Quality Inn in Chamberlain, SD

We eventually decided on Chamberlain, only 40 miles farther down the road. There were three choices along the freeway but we were tired and settled on the Quality Inn, which didn't look too bad to weary travelers. And, in fact, our room seemed OK as darkness fell. We didn't have the energy to go out for dinner so we finished our Colby cheese (brought from home a week ago, still fresh in the cooler), served with crackers and chips. I wish I'd just had an apple, but common sense was lacking that day.

We couldn't wait to get on the road on Tuesday morning. I thought the cows in the field were a good omen. They grazed lazily a couple of hundred yard from the hotel parking lot. We moved along merrily for the first couple of hours under cloudy skies.

By the time I got behind the wheel, rain was starting. It got worse and worse, terrifying for me, a white knuckle driver unless conditions are close to perfect, which they definitely were not.  I drove about 100 exhausting miles, better at the end when the rain stopped for an hour or so.

No lunch stop. By the time we got to Lakeville -- perhaps 40 miles from home -- the rain was really coming down, almost flooding the freeway. When we got off at W7th Street in St. Paul, a couple of cars ahead of us mistook the shoulder for a lane. We picked up our mail at usually busy Elway Post Office, but there was no wait today.

Home at last before 3 in the afternoon. We needed a healthy dinner and salmon with broccoli did the trick. The rain continued all evening and through much of the night. Happy to wake up in my own bed this morning.

Mosaic at Blue Earth, Minnesota, rest stop

Labor Day in the Black Hills

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We hadn't planned much for Monday but the day was sunny and very warm -- what I think of as typical Labor Day weather.

 First stop: Crazy Horse Memorial. My first visit three years ago was magical; this was not. The location is wonderful and the art and exhibits are well curated. At the beginning of our visit,

 I got separated from Bob and we both walked around the large property looking for each other. Our cell phones did not work and we had not arranged for a time and place to meet in case of separation. By the time he saw me, I was hot and flustered. Crying jag/meltdown. Bob bought me a beautiful pair or earrings from Margie,Laughlin, one of the vendor artists from Page, Arizona. And yes, I did feel better almost right away.

Next, the Needles Highway and Custer State Park. The ride is winding, up and down the mountain, with spectacular needle-like rock formations and breathtaking views. On many summer days, it's impossible to park anywhere, but not yesterday. This is really a "biker's ride", but there were lots of other vehicles too. My favorite views were through tunnels in the rock, which can accommodate only one vehicle at a time. While warnings about dangerous wildlife make you feel excited about seeing herds of bison, we saw nothing, even in the distance.

After a late lunch in Keystone (a deliciously sinful cheeseburger and rootbeer float at the DQ), we hit Mount Rushmore. I love the walking under the state flags, mounted on pillars displaying the date of statehood. 1858 for Minnesota.

We were a little weary of sightseeing. Time to go home!

Dinner at the Prairie Winery

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Bob resisted this picture, as evidenced by his look

The pleasant and very competent receptionist at the front desk (Holiday Inn Express - Hill City) suggested dinner at the Prairie Berry Winery. As a wine lover, I was delighted though not particularly hungry. Turned out I was hungry enough to eat most of one of the lunch specials, still on the menu at about 7:15 in the evening.

I loved my Caesar salad and open-faced veggie sandwich on a slice of artisan bread. Bob had the same, but with a BLT. Well, both of these meals looked too good to eat, more like works of art than supper. You'd think I would have taken a picture but I didn't. Gourmet and wonderful.

The very knowledgeable and patient woman at the cash register suggested an off-the-menu wine for me, "similar to a Pinot Noir". sold only to wine club members, until it works itself to the wine store and the menu. I think it was called something like "Meritage". So good, either alone or "paired with food".

Nice end to a great day. We returned to our hotel in the pitch darkness of the Black Hills. Though shortly after 8:00 p.m, night had really fallen, partly because of our closeness to the Central timezone.

Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota

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Bob at Bridal Falls

Whenever I ride through Spearfish Canyon, I think to myself that I would like to be there in winter -- surrounded by mountains, evergreens, bubbling stream along the winding road. I should keep my mouth shut, because when I make that observation, the reaction is one of near outrage. Bob loves to regale me with his motorcycle rides here, and of course, there are always a lot of riders who certainly are not thinking of winter.

There was a lot of traffic on Sunday, but it wasn't overwhelming. We loved the optical illusion of apparent downhill driving when, in fact, the elevation was rising almost the whole way from Spearfish to Lead.

We stopped to see Bridal Falls, but the waterfall is a mere trickle at this time of year. After Yellowstone, it would have been disappointing, except for the spectacular loveliness of the "total experience".

We didn't stop in Deadwood, a tourist trap full of people and cars, but instead rolled on to Hill City, our destination for the night.

Map of the Black Hills

Photos. More info on the Black Hills.

Black Hills, South Dakota

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

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 I'd been to Devil's Tower twice before: once, 20 years ago when a sulky teenager was resisting his parents' pressure to see the visitors' center ("ya seen one visitors' center, ya seen them all", and the second time three years ago during a Labor Day weekend visit to the Black Hills. That year, I wasn't feeling well and I sat on a bench, simply taking pictures.

We were within about 20 miles of this national monument in Sundance, so we thought a side trip was in order. We should have been tipped off when it took forever to get through the gate -- only one guy taking money and another walking along past the line of cars telling people the cost ($20, unless you have a National Parks pass, which we do) and handing out Devil's Tower information.

When we finally got through the gate, the ride up the mountain was fine, with wonderful views of the big rock. Once we got to the top, though, we realized the parking lot was not only full, but overflowing. After driving round a couple of times, Bob found a spot on the driveway, off to the side of the road. A grumpy park police officer came by, gave us a lecture on the inadequacies of the National Park Service ("we keep asking for more parking but they won't listen") and told Bob the spot was for RVs only. No RVs parked there -- all illegal parkers? -- but we really had to leave so we decided not to torture ourselves looking for a legal spot.Didn't really matter -- we have seen that visitors' center, after all.

 We stopped on the way down at Prairie Dog Town and Bob used his new binoculars to see climbers on the rocks. We had a nice break out of the vehicle and enjoyed the beautiful scenery all around us.

Mass at St. Paul's in Sundance

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One of my favorite experiences is attending Mass when we're on vacation. Today we went to 9:30 Mass at St. Paul's Church in Sundance, a mission church in the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The music was good and the readers were both excellent. The parish priest, Father Tim Martinson, also serves Corpus Christi in Newcastle. Today, a new priest, Father Hiep Nguyen, a native of Vietnam, introduced himself to the parish.

Today, Father Tim preached on the quote from St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach Jesus, and, if necessary, use words". This quote is disputed, but the message is essentially "let the actions of your life reflect your faith". He told a personal story that resonated with me: a prayer circle in a public park joined by a woman in obvious life distress. Her physical appearance and hygiene deficiencies would be a challenge to anyone, even though our Christian faith calls us to see Christ in all we meet.

Father Tim's honest story about this uncomfortable situation was disarming, as was his reaction to the latest scandals in the Catholic Church. Refreshing. Not what we're used to.

Dubois to Sundance

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Wind River

Yesterday morning we couldn't tear ourselves away from Senator John McCain's funeral at the National Cathedral. We finally got on the road after President Obama's eulogy. We felt sad but inspired driving off into the sunshine.
Our route led us along the Wind River, well known to Bob because of the movie by the same name. Soon we were in a canyon, surrounded by rocky cliffs. We got to an altitude of 9500 feet or so, and by the time we reached the summit, the temperature had dropped from the 80s to about 60F. The views were exhilarating.

We went through a lot of small towns, including Thermopolis, a place I've seen on a map but never visited. As we left town, I saw a group of people lolling  -- a bit like cattle, it seemed -- in a pair of square hot pools, located to our right, not too far from the highway. The steam rose from turquoise pools. Quite a sight, but I was so mesmerized that I missed the shot.

It took a long time to reach I90 in Buffalo and it was damn hot by the time we stopped at our last rest stop. I drove the final 100 miles or so in very light traffic.

We stopped for the night in Sundance, made famous by the Robert Redford/Paul Newman movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It's a small western town, friendly and quiet. I had talked to Toni at the front desk of Best Western (the only property recommended by AAA) earlier in the afternoon when I reserved a room for the night. She greeted me like an old friend when we checked in. The hotel is under renovation, the carpeting and other furnishings are fresh and new.

Later on, we had dinner the Longhorn Saloon & Grill recommended by Toni. The establishment was full of locals and visitors. The drinks were cheap (scotch for Bob, pretty good merlot for me) and so was the food: pulled pork sandwich for Bob, steak tip salad for me. The steak tips were rare, as ordered, and so good that I almost wished I had ordered a steak.

Slept quite well in our large room. This morning the sun is shining in a marian blue sky.

Mourning Senator John McCain

In this busy week, we've made time to watch the tributes to the late Senator John McCain, R-Arizona. He died on August 25, a week ago today.

This morning, his casket left the US Capitol and stopped at the Vietnam War Memorial where his widow, Cindy McCain, laid a wreath. The procession continued to the National Cathedral, where the funeral began at about 9:00 a.m. ET.

The tributes to the late Senator are numerous and eloquent. The world needs a hero right now and Senator McCain has once again risen to the occasion. RIP.

Overnight in Dubois, Wyoming

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View from our deck

Yesterday morning we decided that we should have our night's stay reserved before heading out. It is Labor Day Weekend, after all, and we would be without cell service most of the day. Expedia and AAA led us to the Longhorn Ranch a few miles outside of Dubois.

The balcony runs the length of the building

Wonderful surprise! Our building is a new bunkhouse-like series of beautiful rooms with individual parking outside each door.  The room is decorated with mostly tasteful western art. Always a bonus: good plumbing. We opened the back door and stepped out onto a balcony that runs the length of the building, facing south. We had our cocktail hour there, watching the hills change color as the sun set.

Five or six elk appeared during the evening. Bob saw them first -- heads peeking through the western fence keeping them out of the motel area. The elk responded to his low whistles and cooing sounds. They stayed quite a while, finally heading west toward the woods. Magical.

A Grueling Day

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The idea of a road trip is always so exciting to me. A comfortable vehicle; good company; interesting people; lots of time on the open road. However, after a couple of days, I run out of stamina. Yesterday was that day.

After a poor night of tossing, turning and getting up to go to the bathroom, I felt tired and had trouble remembering the day of the day and where I was. I felt quite a bit better after another good breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee. Out we went. My traveling companion was his usual cheerful self and his good mood energized me. A little.

Sulphur Cauldron

It was a  chilly, grey morning, 33F. We were two of the few tourists in shorts -- lunatics from Minnesota. Most were bundled up, some for a frigid day: winter jackets, warm hats, gloves. What? In August? We did feel the chill a little at our first stops, but mostly I felt the pungent odor of hydrogen sulfide fill my sinuses. Sulphur Cauldron was impressive, but mostly because of the smell. I kept my comments to myself.

On past a couple of gawker slowdowns, including stops for two non-existent grizzly bears. "Just went into the woods, I think", said one observer. Smart bear. "Who needs this crap", said the bear. Missed a photo or two of bison walking along the road. The only birds I saw were huge crows and some ducks in Yellowstone Lake, but I did hear some bird noises. Wouldn't call it "singing", but definitely came from birds.

Bison in the cool grasses

Finally, a thrill. We saw a herd of bison in the grasslands, or maybe they were grassy wetlands. The little parking lot above the grasslands was full but my miracle driver found a spot. I have seen bison before, but never so many grazing so closely, but far from the crowd. Lots of babies. A wonderful, peaceful space.

I really had to go to the bathroom and I'm afraid I have to be really desperate to use an outhouse, so I waited until we got to a "good" rest stop and visitor center. Which one? No idea, but the restroom was great. Nice picture windows too. A better day already.

Grand Tetons

We were getting a little hungry by then, but we were too late for the park restaurant near us. We drove south and moved seamlessly into Grand Tetons National Park. We saw a grocery/convenience store and bought a delicious turkey and smoked turkey and cheese artisan sandwich. Bag of Fritos (bad but delicious).

We had a picnic lunch at what I think was the Coulter Bay Marina. Old picnic table; the best view. That sandwich and the last of the celery from home were great. Time for the last leg to Dubois, Wyoming.

Sunshine and Beauty

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I hadn't expected so much beauty during our two days on the "open road", so I wondered if our time in Yellowstone would be anticlimactic. It isn't.

We passed the famous Cody Rodeo as we rode out of town and almost immediately headed up the mountain. Our first stop was unexpected: either Buffalo Bill Dam was not in our travel books or we just didn't notice it. The Korean War veteran on a gulf cart cajoled us into taking the short shuttle over to the visitor center and, as promised, we didn't regret the little detour.

The views are spectacular, and the two women staffing the desk provided great information on our park visit, as well as the valuable suggestion that we make a hotel reservation before our phones we out of signal range. I really hadn't anticipated losing connectivity in this era of ubiquitous cell service, so this information was helpful. I booked a hotel in West Yellowstone right away and, sure enough, we were without cell service except intermittently throughout our time in the park.

As if on demand, two deer a large (to me at least) bison appeared on the highway soon after our arrival. The deer scampered up a hill so I was convinced that they were bighorn sheep until I looked at the photos later on in the day. Bob, of course, thought right away that they were either elk or deer, and, as is so often the case, he was right.

The bison was walking slowly up a hill near Yellowstone Lake, oblivious to the traffic stopped in both directions. We moved slowly away after the sighting, and saw another large animal in a large grassy field that looks like bison habitat "as seen on TV".

We stopped to see the geyser pools at West Thumb and I walked most of the boardwalk, taking a lot of pictures until I encountered a large tour group. I headed back up the hill and found myself thinking that the high altitude (elevation 7795 feet) really does affect breathing until one gets used to it. A smell of hydrogen sulfide from the thermal pools fills  the air in that area of the park. I really don't mind that odor, but I think it has irritated my nose and sinuses.

On to Old Faithful, where we saw our first real crowds of the trip. People were sitting on benches waiting for the geyser's famous eruption. Bob brought his bag chair and I sat on a log, but I'm far too restless to wait patiently so I got up and took some pictures until the eruption. We were experiencing some wind, so the eruption looked more like a water main break than the straight up geyser shower I remembered from my first visit. The crowd cheered wildly and then dispersed.

We drove out of the park at the end of the afternoon and stopped at the Brandin' Iron Inn for the night. It's a clean and comfortable 50s style motel, where our vehicle is parked near the door so it's easy to move stuff in and out of the room. We had dinner at the Slipper Otter Pub -- a great house salad with chicken, shared by the two of us. The short rainfall did not last and we saw a lovely sunset behind the clouds.

Revisiting the Irma Hotel

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Bar at the Irma Hotel

We decided to have dinner out instead of the cheese and crackers we had enjoyed on Tuesday evening.

Deciding against a full meal, we stopped in at the Irma Hotel for appetizers and drinks. The famous gunfight re-enactment was going on, so it wasn't hard to find a seat at the bar. Sidebar: a few years ago, a spectator was shot at this gunfight with real ammunition.

I was amazed that my $5 Pinot Noir (Han's -- never heard of it) was delicious. We chose the appetizer plate to share and I almost immediately regretted succumbing to greasy bar food. There was far too much food for us to eat but it seemed like the easiest choice at the time.

Our server/bartender was a young woman with two children, originally from southern California. She lives in Cody because of the rodeo. She is a professional roper -- not quite sure what that means. "As seen on TV?", I asked. "No", she said. "They make $500K a year and don't tend bar to make ends meet." Anyway, she loves Cody because she and do the Rodeo thing 90 days a year.

We didn't go in the old section to see the famous cherrywood bar from Queen Victoria. We were happy to walk along the main street in the bright evening sunlight.

Crossing the Bighorns

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We chose US 14 to cross the mountains to Cody. The alternate route on Hwy 16 but it is, in theory, longer. We should have checked for road construction before heading up the mountain, as we always do when we're traveling to Florida, or even on shorter junkets at home.

The glorious vistas were immediate. Red rocks, evergreen forests, cattle grazing in the valleys and on the hills. We soon ran into road crews too, rebuilding the highway. The driver of a tour bus ahead of us was an expert at navigating the steep mountains, shifting expertly and earning even Bob's admiration. Bob prides himself on avoiding the use of brakes on mountain passes, and the bus driver passed the "brake light test" with high grades.

The dust was terrible in the construction zone. For part of it, we were at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet and the workers were dressed warmly. A full fleet of heavy machinery was parked in a few locations spread across the construction area.

Finally, we reached pavement and moved out of the zone. The drive into Cody in mid-afternoon was on a straight, low traffic road. We checked into Comfort Inn in the Buffalo Bill Village complex and were happy to pour ourselves a drink.

This is an older building but the bed is very comfortable and the shower is great.

Sunny Skies

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Into Wyoming

We woke to clear blue skies on Wednesday and were surprised by an excellent full breakfast at Country Inn and Suites. That $104 Priceline deal got us a huge, comfortable room plenty of seating, fridge and microwave. Breakfast was served on real plates with stainless steel silverware. Homemade scrambled eggs and sausages and the usual fruit, juice, rolls, cereal and waffles. Coffee was delicious too.

We were on the road by 8:25 and rolled easily on I90, past all the Black Hills attractions and we were in Wyoming early in the morning, We decided against stopping anywhere to visit, knowing that we had almost 400 miles ahead of us.

I drove about 150 miles myself, some of it through road construction. I was starting to feel quite cocky and competent, which I was on the mostly wide open freeway. Not so in road construction, with narrow lanes and poor pavement.

By the time we got to Sheridan, I was ready to turn over the driving to Bob, who is unflappable under even the worst circumstances. We missed our rest stop so had lunch in a broiling parking lot, sitting in our air conditioned vehicle. A day old ham sandwich never tasted so good.

Rapid City: the first day

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South Dakota rest stop

This has been a very hot summer. Yesterday, the weather was oppressively hot -- so much so that I had no interest in cutting the grass before our journey. It was a good day to pack and simply make sure we got a good night's rest The evening rain broke the heat and we slept with an open window. Fitfully for me, soundly for Bob.

Jumped out of bed  at 6:00 a.m., made ham & swiss sandwiches for lunch, and were on the road by 8:00 a.m. There was a lot of traffic between St. Paul and the I90 turnoff. Rain was intermittent until we got onto I90 and then we got a few big dumps, one of the worst when I was driving. Fortunately, I have finally gotten comfortable in Bob's Chevy Traverse and so was able to adjust both the front and rear wipers fairly well, with the expert advice of my passenger, of course.

The ham & swiss sandwiches (Boarshead deluxe ham and whatever swiss was on special at Lund's & Byerly's) were absolutely delicious, accompanied by fresh carrots and celery. We  had only a half sandwich each so we have tomorrow's lunch prepared too. It will be far better than fast food on the road, as I discovered some time ago when I just couldn't stomach the idea of a Big Mac or whatever.

As the afternoon wore on, we saw the hope of sunny skies and the promise of better weather tomorrow. We stopped for the night at Country Inn & Suites on Lacrosse Road in Rapid City, a Priceline bargain at $104. The room is very big, with plenty of seating and a good Internet connection.

We've been in the Mountain timezone since mid-afternoon, so the challenge will be to stay up long enough to get to bed at a decently late hour.

Looking at the Map

It's a long journey for not very many square miles -- all the way to southern Minnesota, across all of South Dakota, and then a jagged route to Yellowstone National Park.

It's a great adventure through the American Midwest, where people are kind and upright and polite.

We have been this way before but the thrill remains undiminished.

From Minnesota to Yellowstone