Day 6 - Keystone

Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Tourists for a day.

Started the day per usual at around 9am after having the hotel continental breakfast. As we drove through Rapid City downtown on our way to see some sights we found an unusual sight crossing the street. A man was carrying a wooden cross which had the engraving - Jesus loves you. Now, the kicker is that the cross was on wheels! So, if he was true he should have been bearing the full weight of it. ahem.

First stop was the House of Scandinavia - imported gifts of distinction. This themed gift shop was neat to browse through. I picked up an old fashioned advent calendar for a December activity for Syd. Keith managed to leave with some European chocolate which quickly disappeared by our next stop.

Next up, Reptiles Gardens. We caught the snake and bird shows. Crocodiles, snakes, frogs, turtles, tortoises, lizards, etc. What a wonderful place for reptile lovers! Keith, corvid lover that he is, got to see a cage full of rooks and a crow named Zorro.

Keith and I also tried our first Indian Tacos (replace the taco shell with fry bread - yum) at the cafe.

Syd petting 10 yr old Fluffy.


The Majestic Bald Eagle


Out of all the caves to visit in the area, we chose Rushmore Caves for its stalactites and stalagmites. Uh-mazing!





We made it to Mt. Rushmore and of course tried the infamous Rushmore Ice Cream. Yes, both are as good as touted.





Last stop, Crazy Horse Memorial. This work in progress was quite a site! Still much more to go to complete this sculpture.



Viewfinder made in Norwalk, CT!



"My lands are where my dead lie buried," supposedly said by Crazy Horse, is the intended interpretation of the monument's expansive gesture.

Day 5 - Rapid City

Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Driving start: 9:00 am CDT, Mitchell, SD
Driving stop: 3:00 pm MDT, Rapid City, SD *new time zone*
State(s): SD
Crash pad: Days Inn, RM205 (no pets)
Total road time: 5 hrs

The morning started earlier with spitting rain which stopped by lunch time.

Passed through the Badlands whose land is mostly flat with grassy fields speckled with cows and hay wheels.

We stopped in Kadoka to walk through the Badlands Petrified Gardens. This outdoor park features petrified trees and logs found in the area. Rock hounds would love this place!



"These stumps are completely agatized." --Badlands Petrified Gardens display blurb



Largest Petrified Log Ever Found In the Badlands Area



We had lunch and homemade ice cream at the popular pitstop Wall Drug Store in Wall, SD. Western paintings and historical pictures of the town and its people cover all the walls. Lots of shopping and browsing to do in this Free Ice Water Store.



Syd and Keith sat atop a 6-foot Jackalope.



We ended the day in Rapid City. With the fireworks display at Mt. Rushmore, the many hotels were booked. Fortunately, we found a home in the second hotel we visited. We found another Veterinary place for Willy to reside.



After setting up house and dipping in the pool, we had supper at the Mongolian Grill, authentic stir-fry. Then, we treated Syd to a movie - Ratatouille.

We experienced technical difficulties with getting the Mac to access the internet at this location. Thus, the late blog.

"Vet's Whoa 'n Go" --Billboard advertisement

Day 4 - Mitchell

Monday, July 2, 2007
Driving start: 10:00 am CDT, Blue Earth, MN
Driving stop: 2:30 pm CDT, Mitchell, SD
States: MN, SD
Crash pad: Americinn, RM109 (no pets)
Total road time: 4.5 hrs

We have made it into Western Minnesota as of this morning. The weather gods predict some wind, possible scattered T-storms and a slight chance for tornados. Taking I-90 through Chicago was an incredible headache. Construction and tolls everywhere. It was some of the most stressful driving I have ever done. Now it is the opposite. No construction and hardly anyone on the road. The biggest potential for stressful driving is the weather, so I have promised V and myself to pull off if the rain gets too intense. Today it is onward into South Dakota. We'll probably layover in Rapid City and see the sights. We'll find a kennel for Willy and have them groom him. He finally used the litter box after missing it with pisses and poops which relegated him to the back of my van. He had to stay in the van last night because the hotel doesn't allow pets. The first two nights he stayed with us in the room.

I am bringing my Dad's Schefflera (his only house plant when we arrived in 1992) since I am kind of attached to it. It is tippy, so I tie it up for a few hours of light every day.

We are also finding that the cost of a hotel has absolutly no bearing on what I consider good qualities. We stayed in a Super 8 that cost nearly $100 and smelled and was run by rude people. The one we are in now is very nice, with an indoor swimming pool which Syd loved and cost $60. Go figure.

Well, untill next update, Ciao. --K

<< break here to drive >>

The morning started with a bit of scrambling. Keith called our lawyer to touch base about the house closing. We found out that the payment could have been made on Saturday, but the buyer's lawyer did not want to give up her weekend to deal with it. Too bad for the buyers.

"It's officially an ordeal." --K



Before leaving Blue Earth, we had to take a trip to Wells Fargo bank to transfer money to cover July automatic debits. Thus, our late start. Meanwhile, Syd and I hung out at the park across the street from the bank.





Recognize this car? Herbie was a treat to see in downtown Blue Earth (5th and Main St).

We had our first weigh station stop when entering South Dakota. The trailer is 7500 lbs. After Keith presented all the necessary paperwork, we were on our way.

Pretty windy driving with views of more corn and soybean fields. Horses and cows joined the view.

Passed the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder - De Smet, SD.

We stopped for the day in Mitchell, SD. We could not resist the constant signs to turn off and check out the world's only Corn Palace. The outside of the Corn Palace is entirely covered with thousands of bushels of various naturally colored grains and corn (12 types). Every year the palace is completely stripped and redone. neat-o





Also went to Cabela's World's Foremost Outfitter. Keith was in search of a hat. He had purchased one via online and had lost it last year. The inside decor was amazing. The showrooms features lots of mounts from around the world. The back wall had this huge diorama display of different animals.



No luck, no hat. But, Syd scored a new pair of crocs and I got a new pair of comfy shoes for driving.

An early dinner was had at The Depot which happened to be the city's original train station. As we munched on our comfort food, we watched the tennis match between Serena Williams and Daniela Hantuchova.



We found another Americinn with pool. Willy was at the Lakeview Veterinary for the evening because cats were not allowed.

"This vehicles makes RIDICULOUSLY wide turns." --on the back of a passing truck

Day 3 - Blue Earth

Sunday, July 1, 2007
Driving start: 9:30 am CDT, Hampshire, IL
Driving stop: 6:00 pm CDT, Blue Earth, MN
States: IL, WI, MN
Crash pad: Americinn, RM109 (no pets)
Total road time: 8.5 hrs

We made it out of Illinois hitting all the toll booths along i90. Make sure to have lots of small change when driving this route! Hey! EZ-pass works most of the time so far.

We passed a HUGE indoor water park (Gray Wolf Lodge) in Wisconsin which also had an outside water slide feature. I think I spotted an elephant??? We also saw huge signs for cheese. Although K and S are cheese lovers (must be the dutch-ness in them), we zipped through this state.

At the start of Minnesota we stopped to see some of the Mississippi River.



Syd in the playground area of a rest stop in Albert Lea.





We ended the day at Blue Earth, MN, home of the Ho Ho Ho Jolly Green Giant. Current home is Americinn which includes a pool. ahhhh.





We had dinner at the Pizza Hut across from the motel. Not much in the way of restaurants in this town. One of the waitresses was a sweetie. She told us to beware of aliens in the corn and soybean fields.

"Look at that big mirage (one clap) give it a big applause (three claps)" -- Syd

Day 2 - Hampshire

Saturday, June 30, 2007
Driving start: 9:30 am EST, Clarion, PA
Driving stop: 9:30 pm CDT, Hampshire, IL *new time zone*
States: PA, OH, IN, IL
Crash pad: Super 8, RM124 (pets allowed)
Total road time: 11 hrs

We made it across the rest of Pennsylvania. We didn't see much from the highway. Crossed Ohio and Indiana and saw lots of corn fields. We made it part way through Illinois. It was mighty painful to go through Chicago. We came across lots of toll booths to slow things down. More details to follow as we're gearing up to get into zombie driving mode for the start of Day 3.

<< break here, to drive >>

OK, getting back to this post. We had technical difficulties as well as major traffic when we hit Chicago. Let's just say a GPS works 99% of the time. After battling through the thick of Chicago's skyline, we were on our way to lighter driving until we took a wrong turn. Keith's voice was hoarse when we pulled off to get our bearings.

Please note: make sure walkie talkies are fully charged for the day so that they don't konk out on you when you need them the most!

After getting through Chicago we were in desperate need for gas and food around 7:30pm. Finding a gas station with diesel was a challenge. Because of this challenge we went to the most convenient restaurant we could find across the street from the station -- Bellacorina's Pizza. Turns out at 9pm the place turns into a Hookah Lounge. A-ha, that is why the decor included lots of hookahs for sale and there was a weird non-pizza smell to the place. Despite that bit, the pizza was delish.

Along with a cat, we are traveling with a plant. Keith got sentimental and decided to take his Dad's schefflera along for the ride. Check out Syd rolling her eyes next to the plant. Speaking of, K's Dad was born in Gary, IN which we passed on our route.



"Do one thing that makes you happy today." -- Microtel lobby, Clarion, PA