I’ve not got too much news for our travel days, as we mostly did just that. We got up bright and early on Thursday, said goodbye to the group, and headed west.

Thursday night was spent in Billings; we spent a night dry camping in a local breweries gravel overflow parking lot, using our Harvest Hosts membership. It was quiet and safe, and the beer was very good.

Today we headed for Idaho Falls, where we are now. I 90 from Billings to Bozeman was really pretty, and mostly road construction free.

At Bozeman we turned south towards West Yellowstone. The highway followed the Gallatin River most of the way. There were lots of fly fishermen, and even some rafters on what looked like really crazy rapids.

I’ll close with a picture I promised to post a few days ago, but have forgotten. Home in Nampa tomorrow…

Last day of the rally got off to a relaxed start. We didn’t have to be at the bus until 9:45. First stop was Hot Springs, SD where we saw an active mammoth bone dig. They have built an entire building over the site, so things were indoors on a very warm day.

It was great to see how the diggers work, and to get an idea of why these mammals ended up here. After our tour we went next door for lunch. The restaurant owner gave us some background information on the town and its surroundings.

Next on the agenda was a bus ride to a bear adventure. Our bus drove through the grounds, then we were able to walk around enclosures that had small animals and some that had baby bears and wolves.

Lastly we had a nice farewell dinner. The two of us had prime rib, cooked very nicely. There are leftovers, we will finish them off on our drive home.

I have no pictures, but for the third night in a row a series of lightning storms came through. At least tonight the storm did not bring along high winds, so the RV was not rocking to and fro as we tried to sleep.

We hit the road for home tomorrow, planning to drive as far as Billings, MT. See you then…

We’re on the downhill side of this trip. Today was a splendid day, if more than a little warm. It does make us thankful that the motorhome has AC.

We left this morning for Badlands National Park. It was a little more than an hour east of here, but well worth the trip. It’s no wonder the Native Americans named it a “bad land.” The park is a remarkable terrain that was created, so it’s said, when this part of South Dakota was on the sea bed. The land is dry and difficult to travel across, so the Indians went around it.

Next was a stop at Wall Drug for lunch. We’ve seen their signs for hundreds of miles on this trip, but got to experience it for ourselves. We had a pleasant lunch, then strolled around the grounds and made a small purchase. Then off to our next stop…

Last but not least we went to Ellsworth Air Force and their air and space museum. Sadly, we got there and discovered the museum was closed. Fortunately they have a large display outside, so we spent thirty minutes enjoying their jets.

One more day. We’ll see mammoth fossils tomorrow, along with a taste of Wind Cave National Park, Bear Country, and a farewell dinner. Details when I have them…

Today was a relaxing day that started as all days properly should, with a train ride. The group went into Keystone to ride the 1880 Train from Keystone to Hill City. The train had a nice steam tank engine leading the way, with enclosed observation cars behind.

The tracks are the remnants of a Burlington Line branch that served the mines of the Black Hills. It wound its way over and around those hills for about an hour, managing some four percent grades with quite a bit of effort.

After a bite of lunch the two of us stopped into the South Dakota Railroad Museum. They had some nice displays and we enjoyed our stay. Then, it was back to the campground.

We had felt like we wanted a little closer look at Mt Rushmore, so we used our afternoon free time to go back up there. We took a walk on the Presidential Trail, surviving in the process going up about 250 stairs. It was well worth the effort…you get remarkably close to the sculptures.

After dinner the group got together to swap RV suggestions. It’s always interesting to hear how people solve problems on the road. Tomorrow is an early morning; we visit the Badlands National Park, Wall Drug, and an air and space museum. More then…

It was a cooler day, unlike the temps back home. We started with a stop at a Black Hills gold jewelry factory. Since it was Sunday there was no tour of the factory floor, just a video and a stroll around the factory outlet store. We saw some nice things, but nothing caught Leila’s fancy.

Then it was on to really interesting Lutheran chapel. A local banker had it built as an exact replica of one in Norway, right down to the hand carved figures and roof tiles. We enjoyed the history, the architecture, and the prayer walk they had designed in the woods behind the chapel.

We then took a drive through Sturgis. We were told that between 500,000 and 550,000 riders show up here for the biker event in August; considering this is a small town and that the total population of SD is around 900,000 that is remarkable!

From there we went to Deadwood…lots of history, outlaws, and motorcycles. We had a nice lunch in an old saloon that, while it’s moved across the street, is one of the oldest in town and in its old location is where Wild Bill Hickcox was killed. No gun play during lunch, thankfully.

Finally, we had a cowboy chuckwagon dinner, complete with a show after dinner. The brisket was excellent, and the band was great…they were funny, and they were excellent musically. The dinner grounds also had some displays of old western life, including the property owner making rope (out of toilet paper, bringing new life to the thought that two or three cords are stronger together)

Tomorrow will be a shorter day; we’ll head into Keystone and take a steam train ride to Hill City. More then…

We got back to the RV late last night, about 11 PM or so, then the storms moving through the area kept us awake until sometime after 1 AM. The storms were strong enough that they were setting off car alarms in the park.

Then…we needed to get on the bus at 7:45 AM. No problem, we are one of the younger couples on this trip. Our first stop was at the biggest sculpture in the world, honoring Crazy Horse. Well, it will be the biggest once complete. The work is proceeding, but slowly. It should be done sometime after we are no longer here to admire it.

Post-Crazy Horse we spent the rest of the day touring Custer State Park. It is absolutely huge, with an amazing array of different terrain and wildlife. We struck out on viewing bison, we had to settle for antelope and prairie dogs. Oh well.

The group stopped for a buffet lunch at the State Game Lodge. This is a building that Calvin Coolidge used as the Western White House for three months in the summer of 1927. We then went on a drive through a wildlife loop, but as said before we saw very little wildlife.

So tomorrow is Sunday, we go to a Black Hills gold factory, a chapel, an afternoon at Deadwood, then a chuckwagon dinner and show. More tomorrow!

We started the day slowly, did a load of laundry, took a walk around the RV park, then started to get to know our fellow travelers. One couple from Louisiana spent their morning making up a batch of jambalaya to share with the group; it was a tasty lunch.

The orientation meeting happened mid-afternoon. It’s interesting to hear folks introduce themselves and to hear where they are from. There are a few of us from west of the Mississippi, but the majority are from the east.

We then hopped onto a bus and went into Keystone for dinner. The restaurant was made up to look like an old time saloon. We sat with a couple from upstate Wisconsin, it was fun to swap stories. Once dinner was over it was time to head to Mt Rushmore.

Thunderstorms had been in the forecast for our time there, and they arrived right on schedule. Fortunately for us they were close enough to enjoy, but far enough away that the evening lighting ceremony wasn’t cancelled. We got a little damp, but we are Washingtonians at heart.

The ceremony was moving. A ranger gave a speech about the history of the American flag and a movie was shown telling the history of the monument and of the presidents depicted. We sang the national anthem and the big lights were turned on the sculpture. At the end the ranger asked any veterans in the crowd to join her on the stage to help in lowering and folding the flag.

We go to Crazy Horse and to Custer State Park tomorrow. More then…

We have arrived at the far end of our journey, and joined our group in Hermosa, SD. We have an orientation meeting tomorrow afternoon, then dinner and a trip to Mt Rushmore for their evening lighting ceremony. We’re told to take Kleenex along, as it’s very moving.

Today’s drive was uneventful, at least it was until we got to the last phase of the trip. Road construction at Hot Springs, SD forced us to change our route (our combined length was over the 40’ limit), which in turn caused us to drive through Custer State Park. That was the windiest road I’ve ever navigated in the motorhome…

We don’t have a picture of the “Welcome to South Dakota” sign, as the border snuck up on us as the navigator was working on our new route. Please enjoy instead a couple of pictures from the road, and we’ll have Mt Rushmore photos tomorrow.

Not too many pictures today, but a splendid drive and a nice afternoon and evening spent in Casper, WY.

We got an early start from Evanston and had some serious ups and downs…

I don’t have pictures, but we definitely found where the “deer and the antelope play.” There were more than a few grazing next to the road; the drivers were glad they stayed there.

We turned north at Rawlings on a two lane highway headed to Casper. The views were pretty, but the motorhome didn’t like the crosswinds too much. It was great to arrive at our campsite.

The campground was on the banks of the North Platte River; the water just rolled past us peacefully. Tomorrow we leave for the Black Hills, and our final destination.

We’re on the road, headed to Rapid City. We’ll get there Thursday afternoon, but first a drive through Utah and Wyoming. Our first night’s stop was in Evanston, Wyoming. It was a really pleasant evening, and brought several firsts for us:

First off, we joined Harvest Hosts last fall. They are a membership company that links campers with places that have a willingness for campers to use their parking lot overnight. So, first time campers, we spent the night in the parking lot of Evanston’s bowling alley, and because Harvest Host sites have no hookups…so, it was also our first time dry camping.

Then, since you’re not paying for your camping you are encouraged to make a purchase from your hosts. We did this happily, enjoying chicken wings and beverages in the alley’s restaurant. They said we’d chosen a great night to stay; Tuesdays are cornhole tournament and trivia contest nights, besides which Monday had seen a snow storm in Evanston (at roughly 6500 feet elevation).

So, we ducked back in for the trivia contest. We didn’t do terribly well at first, as none of the questions were in our wheelhouse (not well versed in modern culture). But…we had a chance to go for double or nothing on the final question in the category of “cats.” Well, we’ve had some of those, and Leila correctly said that cats sleep 15 hours per day, and presto chango we won the contest.

We leave for Casper, WY tomorrow. More then…

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