Things were more routine these days. I was not driving long distances and had a chance to get a break from sightseeing.
On September 7th, I saw the Kansas State Fair with my friend. This is located in Hutchinson, which is around an hour from Wichita. I think this is the first time I've ever been to a state fair.
I had decided I would go up to the Kansas City area that evening so we took separate cars. Finding my car was a nightmare in the huge parking lot. I had remembered landmarks and was in the right area. Thankfully, since I did not have a KS plate, that made it a bit easier in a sea of Kansas-plated vehicles. Finally I found it by using the panic button to determine how close I was.
Monday, September 22, 2008
September 5, 2008 - Fairbury, NE to Wichita, KS
The main goals for today were seeing a cemetery in Fairbury where a gggg grandfather of mine is buried, Nebraska and then heading to Wichita, Kansas.
The cemetery was over two hours southeast of Kearney. As usual, it took a little longer than the prediction.
I wanted to see this cemetery on my trip through Nebraska last year. However, when I attemped to get there, a yogurt truck overturned on I-80 and closed the interstate down. The radio announcer was advising people to take alternate routes. I did not have a GPS at the time so I was nervous about that. In addition, tornadoes were spotted in the area. So, I decided this was a "must see" on this trip even though I was exhausted and waiting to get to Wichita, Kansas.
I remember speaking with a caretaker last year. He told me there was an "old section" in poor condition and that many graves either did not have headstones or the headstones were in disrepair. To further complicate things, the cemetery records burned in the 1920s. The individual I was looking for last appeared in the 1880 census. Very little remains of the 1890 census (also due to a fire) and this individual did not appear anywhere in the 1900 census.
When I arrived to the cemetery, at first I thought I would just walk through the old section and spot the surname. But, this is a huge cemetery. I drove around and found workers. One of them had access to the records. He located a plot with the right surname. He told me there was likely nothing there in terms of a headstone. But, when we got there, it was like striking gold. The headstone was completely intact and mentioned my gggg grandfather. My gggg grandmother also did not show up on the 1900 census, but she is not listed anywhere. The stone has room for her and has other names on it.
My gggg grandfather died in March 1888 according to the headstone. I would later learn that the blizzard of 1888 began in mid-March and killed hundreds of people in the areas of Nebraska and the Dakotas. It is likely that my gggg grandfather was one of the first to die from this. He was just under seventy. He had survived a journey from Pennsylvania to Nebraska at some point in the 1870s.
The rest of the trip involved heading south to Wichita. It was mostly along I-135 in Kansas. I had driven this road last year so it was kind of the same.
When I finally got to my friend's home, I was so happy to be done sightseeing for a while. It was great to be able to do something different.
The cemetery was over two hours southeast of Kearney. As usual, it took a little longer than the prediction.
I wanted to see this cemetery on my trip through Nebraska last year. However, when I attemped to get there, a yogurt truck overturned on I-80 and closed the interstate down. The radio announcer was advising people to take alternate routes. I did not have a GPS at the time so I was nervous about that. In addition, tornadoes were spotted in the area. So, I decided this was a "must see" on this trip even though I was exhausted and waiting to get to Wichita, Kansas.
I remember speaking with a caretaker last year. He told me there was an "old section" in poor condition and that many graves either did not have headstones or the headstones were in disrepair. To further complicate things, the cemetery records burned in the 1920s. The individual I was looking for last appeared in the 1880 census. Very little remains of the 1890 census (also due to a fire) and this individual did not appear anywhere in the 1900 census.
When I arrived to the cemetery, at first I thought I would just walk through the old section and spot the surname. But, this is a huge cemetery. I drove around and found workers. One of them had access to the records. He located a plot with the right surname. He told me there was likely nothing there in terms of a headstone. But, when we got there, it was like striking gold. The headstone was completely intact and mentioned my gggg grandfather. My gggg grandmother also did not show up on the 1900 census, but she is not listed anywhere. The stone has room for her and has other names on it.
My gggg grandfather died in March 1888 according to the headstone. I would later learn that the blizzard of 1888 began in mid-March and killed hundreds of people in the areas of Nebraska and the Dakotas. It is likely that my gggg grandfather was one of the first to die from this. He was just under seventy. He had survived a journey from Pennsylvania to Nebraska at some point in the 1870s.
The rest of the trip involved heading south to Wichita. It was mostly along I-135 in Kansas. I had driven this road last year so it was kind of the same.
When I finally got to my friend's home, I was so happy to be done sightseeing for a while. It was great to be able to do something different.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
September 4, 2008 - Wall Drugstore and the drive to Kearney, Nebraska
Today was going to be a VERY long day in terms of driving. My destination would be Kearney, Nebraska. This is in the south central part of Nebraska. I was currently in western South Dakota, over six hours away.
My plans for the day would be to see the famous (maybe infamous?) Wall Drugstore. Wall, South Dakota is about sixty miles from Rapid City. Then I would head southeast to Kearney, NE.
Rapid City
I went to a mall near the hotel. I think it was the Rushmore Mall. I stupidly had lunch there. I went to Fuddruckers, which is a fast food chain. But, they had a Keystone, SD burger which seemed like something local. It had chili and cheese on the burger. In the end, I was not thrilled with the chili. I didn't think about the fact that since Wall Drug has everything else, of course they would have one or more restaurants. I should have eaten there.
There was construction within the mall ring road. Although I-90 ran very close to the mall, getting back to I-90 was an adventure. I also needed gas. I got an unwanted tour of Rapid City. The GPS took me through a number of neighborhood streets. Many of them were open to local traffic only and had construction barriers at the end. The GPS frequently directed me to places with outright deadend streets. This is a major city and tourist area in South Dakota. The GPS has done better on dirt roads in Idaho and Nevada than Rapid City. Finally, I think I just gave up on the GPS and decided to wing it.
When I finally got gas, it was such a relief to be paying less than $4/gallon. I believe gas was around $3.69/gallon at that point.
Tacky and Humorous Signs
After finally getting on I-90, the tacky Wall Drug signs started appearing. I began seeing them along I-90 in Wyoming. But these were far more frequent and even tackier than the ones I saw in the previous days. In some cases there would be two or three signs next to each other. You would see statements like "Free ice water. Wall Drug." "5 cent coffee. Wall Drug." "New T-Rex. Wall Drug." (Yes, Wall Drug actually had a tacky electronic T-Rex head mounted on a wall. It would randomly move and open its mouth.) "Souvenirs. Wall Drug." "Take a load off. Wall Drug." "It's cool. Wall Drug." There were lots of tacky yet humorous signs. But my absolute favorite was "Kids bored? Wall Drug." This is a big tourist attraction. I have seen bumper stickers in the northeast indicating that the vehicle has been to Wall Drug. The sign implies desperation for business. In reality, it just creates artificial hype and people decide they absolutely must see the place.
Wall Drug
When I arrived at Wall, SD, I was a bit surprised. There is a huge parking lot for Wall Drug. The main parking lot does not allow RVs, trailers, etc. They have a special lot a long ways away. Wall Drug is basically like a small shopping mall. Supposedly, there is a pharmacy but I didn't actually see it. There are several stores with some of the tackiest things for sale. They have "jackalopes" which are mounted rabbit heads with deer antlers glued on them. (In many of these states, you can buy a postcard featuring a "jackalope" which is obviously photoshopped.) There were plenty of other silly things. See the photos.
The "mall" had a center hallway with cartoonish cowboy statues that people could sit next to for photos. There is even a nondenominational chapel that is very narrow. A restaurant is available. You can get the advertised free ice water and five cent coffee (on the honor system) there.
There is a "backyard" which includes another building. This is REALLY tacky, though funny. Inside the building are old west scenes such as a saloon, gunfight, etc. And, of course, the advertised "New T-Rex" is right next to these displays. This is an electronic dinosaur head in a jungle-like scene. Every so often it will move around and roar. There is also a "mining company" where you can pay to run stones through water.
Outside the "backyard" are a series of manholes which randomly spray water. My only guess is that these are done to make fun of the geysers and thermal vents at Yellowstone National Park.
Overall, it was definitely worth visiting. I would say that Wall Drug is western South Dakota's answer to the Corn Palace in eastern SD. However, I think Wall Drug is actually cornier than the Corn Palace!
Wall Drug is one building on a main street in Wall, SD. There are numerous other stores and vendors on the street.
Wounded Knee Museum
After visiting Wall Drug, I went to the Wounded Knee Museum. They have an impressive web site. I wanted to see this last year, assuming my trip would take me to western South Dakota (it didn't). Anyway, I had a hard time finding the museum. The web site gives no street address and just says it's off I-90. The building was SO small that I missed it. I called them and was given directions. When I got there, I was really underwhelmed. Basically there is a bookstore and a small museum with panels containing photos and text. There were a few artifacts. I was so exhausted and not looking forward to the five hour drive down to Nebraska. I quickly took a number of photos of the panels so I could read them later. The museum clerk was sad that I went through so fast. But, I explained that I was just overwhelmed with sightseeing and had a VERY long drive ahead of me. (I didn't tell her I was underwhelmed at the museum.) See the photos.
Badlands
I had originally planned to see the Badlands in South Dakota. But, by this time I was just too exhausted to bother with that. The clerk at the Wounded Knee Museum told me they're not much different from the ones in North Dakota, which I saw on August 6th.
Drive to Kearney, NE
The drive to south central Nebraska was very long. It was primarily through a lot of U.S. routes. Most of the trip was through unpopulated areas and much of the scenery was rolling hills. I passed through Valentine, NE. This is called the "Heart City."
Finally, I got to my hotel. So far, this is the only hotel I've stayed at twice on one of these trips. I stayed at this hotel in early August in 2007 on my way to Iowa.
My plans for the day would be to see the famous (maybe infamous?) Wall Drugstore. Wall, South Dakota is about sixty miles from Rapid City. Then I would head southeast to Kearney, NE.
Rapid City
I went to a mall near the hotel. I think it was the Rushmore Mall. I stupidly had lunch there. I went to Fuddruckers, which is a fast food chain. But, they had a Keystone, SD burger which seemed like something local. It had chili and cheese on the burger. In the end, I was not thrilled with the chili. I didn't think about the fact that since Wall Drug has everything else, of course they would have one or more restaurants. I should have eaten there.
There was construction within the mall ring road. Although I-90 ran very close to the mall, getting back to I-90 was an adventure. I also needed gas. I got an unwanted tour of Rapid City. The GPS took me through a number of neighborhood streets. Many of them were open to local traffic only and had construction barriers at the end. The GPS frequently directed me to places with outright deadend streets. This is a major city and tourist area in South Dakota. The GPS has done better on dirt roads in Idaho and Nevada than Rapid City. Finally, I think I just gave up on the GPS and decided to wing it.
When I finally got gas, it was such a relief to be paying less than $4/gallon. I believe gas was around $3.69/gallon at that point.
Tacky and Humorous Signs
After finally getting on I-90, the tacky Wall Drug signs started appearing. I began seeing them along I-90 in Wyoming. But these were far more frequent and even tackier than the ones I saw in the previous days. In some cases there would be two or three signs next to each other. You would see statements like "Free ice water. Wall Drug." "5 cent coffee. Wall Drug." "New T-Rex. Wall Drug." (Yes, Wall Drug actually had a tacky electronic T-Rex head mounted on a wall. It would randomly move and open its mouth.) "Souvenirs. Wall Drug." "Take a load off. Wall Drug." "It's cool. Wall Drug." There were lots of tacky yet humorous signs. But my absolute favorite was "Kids bored? Wall Drug." This is a big tourist attraction. I have seen bumper stickers in the northeast indicating that the vehicle has been to Wall Drug. The sign implies desperation for business. In reality, it just creates artificial hype and people decide they absolutely must see the place.
Wall Drug
When I arrived at Wall, SD, I was a bit surprised. There is a huge parking lot for Wall Drug. The main parking lot does not allow RVs, trailers, etc. They have a special lot a long ways away. Wall Drug is basically like a small shopping mall. Supposedly, there is a pharmacy but I didn't actually see it. There are several stores with some of the tackiest things for sale. They have "jackalopes" which are mounted rabbit heads with deer antlers glued on them. (In many of these states, you can buy a postcard featuring a "jackalope" which is obviously photoshopped.) There were plenty of other silly things. See the photos.
The "mall" had a center hallway with cartoonish cowboy statues that people could sit next to for photos. There is even a nondenominational chapel that is very narrow. A restaurant is available. You can get the advertised free ice water and five cent coffee (on the honor system) there.
There is a "backyard" which includes another building. This is REALLY tacky, though funny. Inside the building are old west scenes such as a saloon, gunfight, etc. And, of course, the advertised "New T-Rex" is right next to these displays. This is an electronic dinosaur head in a jungle-like scene. Every so often it will move around and roar. There is also a "mining company" where you can pay to run stones through water.
Outside the "backyard" are a series of manholes which randomly spray water. My only guess is that these are done to make fun of the geysers and thermal vents at Yellowstone National Park.
Overall, it was definitely worth visiting. I would say that Wall Drug is western South Dakota's answer to the Corn Palace in eastern SD. However, I think Wall Drug is actually cornier than the Corn Palace!
Wall Drug is one building on a main street in Wall, SD. There are numerous other stores and vendors on the street.
Wounded Knee Museum
After visiting Wall Drug, I went to the Wounded Knee Museum. They have an impressive web site. I wanted to see this last year, assuming my trip would take me to western South Dakota (it didn't). Anyway, I had a hard time finding the museum. The web site gives no street address and just says it's off I-90. The building was SO small that I missed it. I called them and was given directions. When I got there, I was really underwhelmed. Basically there is a bookstore and a small museum with panels containing photos and text. There were a few artifacts. I was so exhausted and not looking forward to the five hour drive down to Nebraska. I quickly took a number of photos of the panels so I could read them later. The museum clerk was sad that I went through so fast. But, I explained that I was just overwhelmed with sightseeing and had a VERY long drive ahead of me. (I didn't tell her I was underwhelmed at the museum.) See the photos.
Badlands
I had originally planned to see the Badlands in South Dakota. But, by this time I was just too exhausted to bother with that. The clerk at the Wounded Knee Museum told me they're not much different from the ones in North Dakota, which I saw on August 6th.
Drive to Kearney, NE
The drive to south central Nebraska was very long. It was primarily through a lot of U.S. routes. Most of the trip was through unpopulated areas and much of the scenery was rolling hills. I passed through Valentine, NE. This is called the "Heart City."
Finally, I got to my hotel. So far, this is the only hotel I've stayed at twice on one of these trips. I stayed at this hotel in early August in 2007 on my way to Iowa.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Yellowstone Photos Posted
All photos from Yellowstone National Park have been posted. Here they are. The photos are not the best as the lighting was not great. I was also in "sightseeing overload" at this point.
August 30, 2008
August 31, 2008
August 30, 2008
- Forest/River Area as I first entered
- Buffalo Sighting
- Elk Sighting
- Sulfur on the ground
- Fountain Paint Pots (thermal vent area)
- Old Faithful area
- Black Sands Basin (thermal vent area)
- Biscuit Basin (thermal vent area)
- Buffalo Herd
August 31, 2008
- Misc. Area near entrance in West Yellowstone, MT
- Doe Sighting
- Gibbon Falls
- Artist Paint Pots (thermal vent area)
- Norris Geyser Basin (thermal vent area)
- Steamboat Geyser (thermal vent area)
- Fountain Paint Pots (thermal vent area)
- Midway Geyser Basin (thermal vent area)
- Continental Divide Sign
- Odd Evergreen Trees
Saturday, September 13, 2008
September 3, 2008 - South Dakota: Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial Mountain
See the complete collection of photos for this day
Drive to Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore was something I wanted to see since at least second grade. Today was the day. Although it was only about ten miles from the hotel, it seemed to take an awfully long time to get there through winding roads.
View Larger Map
As I got closer, I noticed there were some beautiful rock formations. But, I will say I've seen better ones elsewhere. I didn't bother to stop and take pictures because I was just overloaded with scenery at that point. Even my enthusiasm for Mount Rushmore itself was reduced by the overload.
Fees for Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is a national park. However, the only fee involved is to pay for parking. Therefore, the National Parks Annual Pass does not apply. In fact, they don't even take credit cards. It's cash only. I think that's kind of ridiculous. The $10 parking fee allows parking access for the rest of the calendar year, provided you use the exact same vehicle. Of course, since most people are visiting from out of the area, they're not going to get too many repeat visitors for very long.
Lighting ceremony
There is a lighting ceremony at 8pm every night. The parking pass will allow people to get into that for free. Due to timing I was unable to see that.
First impression
When I first saw the famous faces prior to paying the parking fee, I was a bit unimpressed. From that distance, they looked underwhelming. They almost looked "plastic" in a way. The colors were different from anything I've seen.
A better look
After parking in the parking garage, I was able to get a closer look. The faces began to look more along the lines of what I have seen in books and on the Internet. This was not a sunny, cloud-free day, so photos are not going to be the best. See the photos.
When first entering the viewing area, there is an "entry monument". Then you pass through columns with state flags. The states are in alphabetical order. The columns list the name and the date the state was admitted into the Union. After passing through all of that, you can see the giant carved faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Of course, along the way there are gift shops and restaurants.
Sculptor's Studio
Another attraction within the park is the Sculptor's Studio. This features a scale model which is a little different from what is actually there. See the photos.
According to the information in this building, there is a vault inside Mount Rushmore which was built to contain important documents about the country. It is not open to the public.
On the way back up to the Mount Rushmore viewing area, there was a goat feeding on grass. He had a collar with some sort of device.
The chipmunk
I bought an ice cream dessert which included broken M&Ms. I ate it while looking at Mount Rushmore. Evidently, a green M&M piece candies fell on the ground. A chipmunk showed up out of nowhere and began eating it. These parks tell people not to feed the animals. However, I cannot help it if I unknowingly drop something and out of the blue a rodent comes to clean it up.
After finishing the candy, the chipmunk hung around a bit just to see if anything else might accidently drop. In fact, the chipmunk ran around the area a bit, including crawling on me. I was a bit nervous about this, having had a relative who was once bitten by a chipmunk. Once I finished my dessert. I put the cup down and on the seat and stuffed a napkin in it. The chipmunk got inside the cup and started seeing if there was anything interesting to be found. I was amused by this for a while. But as time went on, I had to get going. As I moved, the chipmunk got the cue that it was time to leave.
Profile view
After leaving, signs pointed out the profile and there was a scenic pullover area along the road. I took a few photos.
Crazy Horse
My next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is another mountain sculpture. It's currently under development. It has been under development since 1948 and has a long way to go. It is a private memorial so there are limited resources to complete it. See the photos.
View Larger Map
There are no known pictures of Chief Crazy Horse. The model had to be constructed based on "oral pictures." See photos of the models.
There is an extensive museum and gift shop associated with the memorial. See the photos.
Hill City
After I was finished at Crazy Horse, I visited Hill City. This was where I stayed the night before. The main road has a strip including western-themed buildings. See the photos.
View Larger Map
Deadwood
I also wanted to quickly see Deadwood, SD. This is a big tourist attraction and an Old West themed area. I should have spent more time there but I wanted to get to the next hotel. Parking was very limited and in most cases required a fee. From what I did see, I can summarize it in one word: gambling. There are casinos everywhere. I was really not at all impressed.
View Larger Map
Sturgis
After Deadwood, I decided to visit Sturgis. The motorcycle rally takes place the first week of August. At this point, it was quiet. I did see a couple of motorcycle riders though. It's a very small city. There were some billboards advertising Sturgis 2009. In the "downtown" section, there was at least one building focused on motorcycles. See the photos.
View Larger Map
Rapid City
My next hotel was in Rapid City. That's the largest city in Western SD. It began to rain quite a bit so I was happy to get to the hotel.
View Larger Map
The hotel for the evening
I had read mixed reviews about this hotel. Many people said the staff were just downright rude. I did not see any warnings about unclean rooms. But there were a number of complaints about the pool, the breakfast, etc. Most of those things don't apply to me. I don't have time for the pool and I'm tired of the institutional hotel breakfasts to the point that I'd rather skip breakfast at these hotels. But, the rude staff part was close to accurate. I chose this hotel to save some money. There were others in the Choice Hotel brands that would have been more expensive.
"Additional Fees"
When I checked in, they made me sign for something I have never had to sign for in the future: "Additional Fees." The clerk explained that this is a signature in case I use the phone for long distance calls, rent movies, etc. This bothered me quite a bit. I wrote below that there would not be any. I was concerned based on the bad reviews that phantom "additional fees" would appear. I have no time for movies and I have a minimally operable cell phone for long distance calls. The clerk was not exactly pleased at what I had written below my signature.
It was raining hard when I got out. I began to try to pull my car to the building containing my room. The car seemed to lock up. Moving it to drive or reverse accomplished nothing. It began to act as if it was in neutral and was actually about to start rolling down a hill. I turned it off and turned it back on. It began working again. Had it rolled a bit more, it might have hit a parked vehicle.
When I got to the right building, I took a little while to get out of the car. Once I did, I had my hands full. Two customers were waiting on the inside of the door for me. They opened it so I didn't have to use my card. They indicated they were waiting because of the severe rain. That was nice of them.
The room was perfectly clean and acceptable. The Internet worked. So, I was done for the night.
Plans for the next evening
Originally, I planned to see the famous Wall Drugstore on September 4th and then go to Scott's Bluff in Nebraska. Scott's Bluff was something I had planned to see last year but just did not have time for when I was in the area. This time, I would spend the night there and then work my way east along I-80. I had a cemetery in Fairbury that I wanted to see. I like western Nebraska as it is very much like the rest of the West. However, I do NOT like I-80 in western Nebraska as the road is horrible. There is a bump every tenth of a mile.
I decided I was really getting tired of sightseeing. At that point, if I saw Scott's Bluff I would not be able to appreciate it because of sightseeing overload. I decided my next hotel for the evening would be in Kearney, Nebraska. I stayed in the Comfort Inn at that location last year. So far, this has been the only hotel I've had in common with last year's trip. It would be a five hour drive from Wall, SD to Kearney, NE. I would go from the middle of South Dakota to the I-80 area of Nebraska, which was about an hour away from the Nebraska/Kansas border.
I would go from Kearney, NE to Fairbury, NE to see a cemetery where a direct ancestor was buried. After that, I would go to visit a friend in Wichia, Kansas. This would give me a chance to relax and get away from sightseeing for a while.
Drive to Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore was something I wanted to see since at least second grade. Today was the day. Although it was only about ten miles from the hotel, it seemed to take an awfully long time to get there through winding roads.
View Larger Map
As I got closer, I noticed there were some beautiful rock formations. But, I will say I've seen better ones elsewhere. I didn't bother to stop and take pictures because I was just overloaded with scenery at that point. Even my enthusiasm for Mount Rushmore itself was reduced by the overload.
Fees for Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is a national park. However, the only fee involved is to pay for parking. Therefore, the National Parks Annual Pass does not apply. In fact, they don't even take credit cards. It's cash only. I think that's kind of ridiculous. The $10 parking fee allows parking access for the rest of the calendar year, provided you use the exact same vehicle. Of course, since most people are visiting from out of the area, they're not going to get too many repeat visitors for very long.
Lighting ceremony
There is a lighting ceremony at 8pm every night. The parking pass will allow people to get into that for free. Due to timing I was unable to see that.
First impression
When I first saw the famous faces prior to paying the parking fee, I was a bit unimpressed. From that distance, they looked underwhelming. They almost looked "plastic" in a way. The colors were different from anything I've seen.
A better look
After parking in the parking garage, I was able to get a closer look. The faces began to look more along the lines of what I have seen in books and on the Internet. This was not a sunny, cloud-free day, so photos are not going to be the best. See the photos.
When first entering the viewing area, there is an "entry monument". Then you pass through columns with state flags. The states are in alphabetical order. The columns list the name and the date the state was admitted into the Union. After passing through all of that, you can see the giant carved faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Of course, along the way there are gift shops and restaurants.
Sculptor's Studio
Another attraction within the park is the Sculptor's Studio. This features a scale model which is a little different from what is actually there. See the photos.
According to the information in this building, there is a vault inside Mount Rushmore which was built to contain important documents about the country. It is not open to the public.
On the way back up to the Mount Rushmore viewing area, there was a goat feeding on grass. He had a collar with some sort of device.
The chipmunk
I bought an ice cream dessert which included broken M&Ms. I ate it while looking at Mount Rushmore. Evidently, a green M&M piece candies fell on the ground. A chipmunk showed up out of nowhere and began eating it. These parks tell people not to feed the animals. However, I cannot help it if I unknowingly drop something and out of the blue a rodent comes to clean it up.
After finishing the candy, the chipmunk hung around a bit just to see if anything else might accidently drop. In fact, the chipmunk ran around the area a bit, including crawling on me. I was a bit nervous about this, having had a relative who was once bitten by a chipmunk. Once I finished my dessert. I put the cup down and on the seat and stuffed a napkin in it. The chipmunk got inside the cup and started seeing if there was anything interesting to be found. I was amused by this for a while. But as time went on, I had to get going. As I moved, the chipmunk got the cue that it was time to leave.
Profile view
After leaving, signs pointed out the profile and there was a scenic pullover area along the road. I took a few photos.
Crazy Horse
My next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is another mountain sculpture. It's currently under development. It has been under development since 1948 and has a long way to go. It is a private memorial so there are limited resources to complete it. See the photos.
View Larger Map
There are no known pictures of Chief Crazy Horse. The model had to be constructed based on "oral pictures." See photos of the models.
There is an extensive museum and gift shop associated with the memorial. See the photos.
Hill City
After I was finished at Crazy Horse, I visited Hill City. This was where I stayed the night before. The main road has a strip including western-themed buildings. See the photos.
View Larger Map
Deadwood
I also wanted to quickly see Deadwood, SD. This is a big tourist attraction and an Old West themed area. I should have spent more time there but I wanted to get to the next hotel. Parking was very limited and in most cases required a fee. From what I did see, I can summarize it in one word: gambling. There are casinos everywhere. I was really not at all impressed.
View Larger Map
Sturgis
After Deadwood, I decided to visit Sturgis. The motorcycle rally takes place the first week of August. At this point, it was quiet. I did see a couple of motorcycle riders though. It's a very small city. There were some billboards advertising Sturgis 2009. In the "downtown" section, there was at least one building focused on motorcycles. See the photos.
View Larger Map
Rapid City
My next hotel was in Rapid City. That's the largest city in Western SD. It began to rain quite a bit so I was happy to get to the hotel.
View Larger Map
The hotel for the evening
I had read mixed reviews about this hotel. Many people said the staff were just downright rude. I did not see any warnings about unclean rooms. But there were a number of complaints about the pool, the breakfast, etc. Most of those things don't apply to me. I don't have time for the pool and I'm tired of the institutional hotel breakfasts to the point that I'd rather skip breakfast at these hotels. But, the rude staff part was close to accurate. I chose this hotel to save some money. There were others in the Choice Hotel brands that would have been more expensive.
"Additional Fees"
When I checked in, they made me sign for something I have never had to sign for in the future: "Additional Fees." The clerk explained that this is a signature in case I use the phone for long distance calls, rent movies, etc. This bothered me quite a bit. I wrote below that there would not be any. I was concerned based on the bad reviews that phantom "additional fees" would appear. I have no time for movies and I have a minimally operable cell phone for long distance calls. The clerk was not exactly pleased at what I had written below my signature.
It was raining hard when I got out. I began to try to pull my car to the building containing my room. The car seemed to lock up. Moving it to drive or reverse accomplished nothing. It began to act as if it was in neutral and was actually about to start rolling down a hill. I turned it off and turned it back on. It began working again. Had it rolled a bit more, it might have hit a parked vehicle.
When I got to the right building, I took a little while to get out of the car. Once I did, I had my hands full. Two customers were waiting on the inside of the door for me. They opened it so I didn't have to use my card. They indicated they were waiting because of the severe rain. That was nice of them.
The room was perfectly clean and acceptable. The Internet worked. So, I was done for the night.
Plans for the next evening
Originally, I planned to see the famous Wall Drugstore on September 4th and then go to Scott's Bluff in Nebraska. Scott's Bluff was something I had planned to see last year but just did not have time for when I was in the area. This time, I would spend the night there and then work my way east along I-80. I had a cemetery in Fairbury that I wanted to see. I like western Nebraska as it is very much like the rest of the West. However, I do NOT like I-80 in western Nebraska as the road is horrible. There is a bump every tenth of a mile.
I decided I was really getting tired of sightseeing. At that point, if I saw Scott's Bluff I would not be able to appreciate it because of sightseeing overload. I decided my next hotel for the evening would be in Kearney, Nebraska. I stayed in the Comfort Inn at that location last year. So far, this has been the only hotel I've had in common with last year's trip. It would be a five hour drive from Wall, SD to Kearney, NE. I would go from the middle of South Dakota to the I-80 area of Nebraska, which was about an hour away from the Nebraska/Kansas border.
I would go from Kearney, NE to Fairbury, NE to see a cemetery where a direct ancestor was buried. After that, I would go to visit a friend in Wichia, Kansas. This would give me a chance to relax and get away from sightseeing for a while.
Friday, September 12, 2008
September 2, 2008 - Sheridan, WY and the Devils Tower
The planned attraction for the day was the Devils Tower in eastern WY. This is a national monument administered by the National Park Service.
Sheridan, WY
I decided to visit the city of Sheridan first. This is a western themed city along I-90. Technically, I was backtracking as I was heading west on I-90 when the intent is to go east, but it was not terribly far away. There were some scenic overlooks on both sides of I-90. See the photos on the westbound side.
View Larger Map
I spent a little bit of time in Sheridan. It had a nice downtown area with lots of interesting shops. It was sunny today so there wasn't the same gloomy feeling from the previous day. For lunch I had buffalo chicken (a fitting choice considering where I stayed the night before). Mexican food has nothing on that. I felt like my mouth was on fire! I took a few photos of historical buildings in Sheridan and then got on the way east. See the photos.
On the way back, I stopped at the other scenic rest area along I-90. Scenery overall on I-90 was nice but nothing like US-16.
View Larger Map
After passing Buffalo, WY, the Wall Drugstore ads began to appear along I-90. Wall Drug is located in Wall, SD. Ads are sometimes in the form of small signs and sometimes in regular billboards. They have silly ads like "It's Cool. Wall Drug" or "Free Ice Water - Wall Drug" or "5 cent coffee - Wall Drug." There are all sorts of tacky ads. But, the place is famous and will be a destination on my trip.
Devils Tower
Finally, I got to the Devils Tower. This is an area sacred to Native Americans. There is a two mile walking trail surrounding the tower. They ask that people stick to the trail unless they plan to climb the tower. Climbers must register with the National Park Service AND check in once they've come down. By the time I got there, the visitor center was closed. But, no problem as I had no desire to climb the tower!
In walking around, there was much more to see than just the tower, though that was beautiful in and of itself. Seeing the forest surrounding it was quite interesting. Wildfires left logs in interesting poses and new life grew around the remains of burned areas. See the photos.
After visiting the tower, I had dinner at a small restaurant. This was a nice time. The owners and workers chatted with me for a while. They were just common, every day people who were very friendly. I found they had recently acquired the business and were not at all prepared for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally a few weeks back. The motorcyclists make a run to the Devils Tower. This family brought in relatives from all over the country to handle the load. The waitress was from Florida and would be going back soon now that demand was lower.
Hill City, SD
My destination for the evening was Hill City, SD, which is about ten miles away from Mount Rushmore. When I entered into SD, it was not at all like eastern SD. Yes, there were some flat areas with farmland. But most of it consisted of mountains and hills. This was a very populated area with cities like Sturgis (as in the motorcycle rally), Rapid City, etc.
View Larger Map
I had to get off I-90 and head south for almost an hour. Hill City is a tourist area and a western-themed town. I arrived quite late. The Internet didn't work in my hotel room. But, after bugging the clerk a bit, I was able to persuade her to reset the system and make it work.
On various web sites, it was claimed that this area of SD was in the Central Time Zone. However, maps show the line between Central and Mountain being somewhere close to the middkle of South Dakota. The hotel assured me I was still in Mountain Time. It was good to not lose an extra hour. Of course, I would lose it fairly soon.
Sheridan, WY
I decided to visit the city of Sheridan first. This is a western themed city along I-90. Technically, I was backtracking as I was heading west on I-90 when the intent is to go east, but it was not terribly far away. There were some scenic overlooks on both sides of I-90. See the photos on the westbound side.
View Larger Map
I spent a little bit of time in Sheridan. It had a nice downtown area with lots of interesting shops. It was sunny today so there wasn't the same gloomy feeling from the previous day. For lunch I had buffalo chicken (a fitting choice considering where I stayed the night before). Mexican food has nothing on that. I felt like my mouth was on fire! I took a few photos of historical buildings in Sheridan and then got on the way east. See the photos.
On the way back, I stopped at the other scenic rest area along I-90. Scenery overall on I-90 was nice but nothing like US-16.
View Larger Map
After passing Buffalo, WY, the Wall Drugstore ads began to appear along I-90. Wall Drug is located in Wall, SD. Ads are sometimes in the form of small signs and sometimes in regular billboards. They have silly ads like "It's Cool. Wall Drug" or "Free Ice Water - Wall Drug" or "5 cent coffee - Wall Drug." There are all sorts of tacky ads. But, the place is famous and will be a destination on my trip.
Devils Tower
Finally, I got to the Devils Tower. This is an area sacred to Native Americans. There is a two mile walking trail surrounding the tower. They ask that people stick to the trail unless they plan to climb the tower. Climbers must register with the National Park Service AND check in once they've come down. By the time I got there, the visitor center was closed. But, no problem as I had no desire to climb the tower!
In walking around, there was much more to see than just the tower, though that was beautiful in and of itself. Seeing the forest surrounding it was quite interesting. Wildfires left logs in interesting poses and new life grew around the remains of burned areas. See the photos.
After visiting the tower, I had dinner at a small restaurant. This was a nice time. The owners and workers chatted with me for a while. They were just common, every day people who were very friendly. I found they had recently acquired the business and were not at all prepared for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally a few weeks back. The motorcyclists make a run to the Devils Tower. This family brought in relatives from all over the country to handle the load. The waitress was from Florida and would be going back soon now that demand was lower.
Hill City, SD
My destination for the evening was Hill City, SD, which is about ten miles away from Mount Rushmore. When I entered into SD, it was not at all like eastern SD. Yes, there were some flat areas with farmland. But most of it consisted of mountains and hills. This was a very populated area with cities like Sturgis (as in the motorcycle rally), Rapid City, etc.
View Larger Map
I had to get off I-90 and head south for almost an hour. Hill City is a tourist area and a western-themed town. I arrived quite late. The Internet didn't work in my hotel room. But, after bugging the clerk a bit, I was able to persuade her to reset the system and make it work.
On various web sites, it was claimed that this area of SD was in the Central Time Zone. However, maps show the line between Central and Mountain being somewhere close to the middkle of South Dakota. The hotel assured me I was still in Mountain Time. It was good to not lose an extra hour. Of course, I would lose it fairly soon.
September 1, 2008 - Cody, WY to Buffalo, WY
Cell phone woes
I had pulled the battery out of the cell phone and let it remain like that all night. I wasn't sure if it might randomly call people on my call history and I didn't think they'd appreciate a 3am phone call, particularly with nobody on the other line.
In checking with my cell phone provider, I was eligible for a new phone if I paid the cost and extended my contract by one year (if this could wait until next year, I could get $100 off a new phone). The only company-owned store for this provider was three hours away. However, there were a number of retail stores in Cody and surrounding towns.
I really didn't want to take the risk of driving around in the country's least populated state without any working cell phone. If I had a breakdown, it might be a while before anyone came by.
The fire department
Right outside my hotel, the fire department was out with the boot collecting for MDS. When the fire departments are out in the street collecting cash, I find this a bit annoying. It's a safety hazard and it slows traffic down. Basically, the streets should not be intentionally obstructed unless there is construction or some sort of emergency. Anyway, I dropped some change in the boot and got a sticker. When I came back later on, despite clearly showing the sticker, they expected me to give more money. Do they think they're in a tollbooth?
Closures for Labor Day
In driving around to the various cell phone stores, I found they were all closed for Labor Day. Even gas stations were closed for Labor Day. You could still pay at the pump but you could not pay cash to an attendant. I finally gave up the search. But, in checking out the phone, it was at least operable for making calls. It doesn't remember who called in the call log beyond September 1st (and that's the same to this day), but at least I can make phone calls.
Buffalo Bill Village
The rain was intense. I wanted to explore some of the "Buffalo Bill Village" shops but with the intense rain and limited parking, I was not in the mood. I had a three hour drive to get to Buffalo, WY for the next hotel.
Buffalo Bill Museum
I visited the huge Buffalo Bill Cody museum. They had a large parking lot but it was almost full. I spent a couple of hours there. They had a section containing historical firearms. Another section covered Native Americans. Another was focused on Buffalo Bill himself. They had an area containing western art, both cowboy related and Native American related. Finally, they had a natural history museum showing plant and animal life in the area. See the photos.
Visit to a Monastery
A group of monks had sent a fundraising letter to my home a few weeks ago. Their mailing address was in Cody, WY, but their physical address was in a city about twenty miles away. The street would not register on the GPS. I called them a couple of times to see if I could visit the monastery. But, they likely were not answering the phone due to Labor Day.
The drive to Buffalo, WY
I could not get the GPS to give me a route to the hotel in Buffalo. I called the attendant to find an alternative address. He said it could not be found in the GPS or Mapquest. He also strongly suggested going via US 16 rather than US 14. Either way would be the same distance, but US 14 had lots of switchbacks and went into the mountains. He said there could be snow on US 14. I was not exactly ready for snow on Labor Day! Of course, I took the option for US 16.
View Larger Map
Gorgeous Scenery
To get to US 16, I had to go to Greybull and then to Worland. The scenery in these areas was beautiful. I wish it wasn't raining so much or I would have stopped to take pictures. It looked like a lot of this was public land which could be explored. There were dirt roads leading off the main road with tourist signs. The scenery was diverse from badlands-style formations to beautiful mountains and rock formations. Sometimes land was flat. Other times, there were mountains covered in trees. There were evergreens as we are used to seeing and then the northwest scrawny trees. I would say that northern Wyoming gets the grand prize for the most beautiful scenery and the most diverse scenery on my whole trip. I would definitely come back here again.
There were some switchbacks and a number of areas where people could pull off to enjoy the view. It wasn't raining so hard, so I got a few photos. I tried to make a phone call from this area. There was no service. Therefore, whether or not my phone had water damage, it would not matter.
Snow on Labor Day!
US 16 did go into the mountains and went uphill so gradually that I did not even realize it. But then I started to notice the ground on either side of the road was white. What I thought was rain in the area was very clearly becoming snow. As I drove along further, the trees were all getting white. Nothing ever accumulated on the road, but I was getting a little nervous. I don't think I've ever seen snow on Labor Day. But, just as gradually, the road started to go downhill. The white on the ground and trees disappeared. What was falling through the air was clearly rain again.
Finally, I arrived in Buffalo, WY. This was a city of just over 3,000. It's near I-25. It seemed very small. But, it was nice to be at the hotel and done with traveling for the night.
I had pulled the battery out of the cell phone and let it remain like that all night. I wasn't sure if it might randomly call people on my call history and I didn't think they'd appreciate a 3am phone call, particularly with nobody on the other line.
In checking with my cell phone provider, I was eligible for a new phone if I paid the cost and extended my contract by one year (if this could wait until next year, I could get $100 off a new phone). The only company-owned store for this provider was three hours away. However, there were a number of retail stores in Cody and surrounding towns.
I really didn't want to take the risk of driving around in the country's least populated state without any working cell phone. If I had a breakdown, it might be a while before anyone came by.
The fire department
Right outside my hotel, the fire department was out with the boot collecting for MDS. When the fire departments are out in the street collecting cash, I find this a bit annoying. It's a safety hazard and it slows traffic down. Basically, the streets should not be intentionally obstructed unless there is construction or some sort of emergency. Anyway, I dropped some change in the boot and got a sticker. When I came back later on, despite clearly showing the sticker, they expected me to give more money. Do they think they're in a tollbooth?
Closures for Labor Day
In driving around to the various cell phone stores, I found they were all closed for Labor Day. Even gas stations were closed for Labor Day. You could still pay at the pump but you could not pay cash to an attendant. I finally gave up the search. But, in checking out the phone, it was at least operable for making calls. It doesn't remember who called in the call log beyond September 1st (and that's the same to this day), but at least I can make phone calls.
Buffalo Bill Village
The rain was intense. I wanted to explore some of the "Buffalo Bill Village" shops but with the intense rain and limited parking, I was not in the mood. I had a three hour drive to get to Buffalo, WY for the next hotel.
Buffalo Bill Museum
I visited the huge Buffalo Bill Cody museum. They had a large parking lot but it was almost full. I spent a couple of hours there. They had a section containing historical firearms. Another section covered Native Americans. Another was focused on Buffalo Bill himself. They had an area containing western art, both cowboy related and Native American related. Finally, they had a natural history museum showing plant and animal life in the area. See the photos.
Visit to a Monastery
A group of monks had sent a fundraising letter to my home a few weeks ago. Their mailing address was in Cody, WY, but their physical address was in a city about twenty miles away. The street would not register on the GPS. I called them a couple of times to see if I could visit the monastery. But, they likely were not answering the phone due to Labor Day.
The drive to Buffalo, WY
I could not get the GPS to give me a route to the hotel in Buffalo. I called the attendant to find an alternative address. He said it could not be found in the GPS or Mapquest. He also strongly suggested going via US 16 rather than US 14. Either way would be the same distance, but US 14 had lots of switchbacks and went into the mountains. He said there could be snow on US 14. I was not exactly ready for snow on Labor Day! Of course, I took the option for US 16.
View Larger Map
Gorgeous Scenery
To get to US 16, I had to go to Greybull and then to Worland. The scenery in these areas was beautiful. I wish it wasn't raining so much or I would have stopped to take pictures. It looked like a lot of this was public land which could be explored. There were dirt roads leading off the main road with tourist signs. The scenery was diverse from badlands-style formations to beautiful mountains and rock formations. Sometimes land was flat. Other times, there were mountains covered in trees. There were evergreens as we are used to seeing and then the northwest scrawny trees. I would say that northern Wyoming gets the grand prize for the most beautiful scenery and the most diverse scenery on my whole trip. I would definitely come back here again.
There were some switchbacks and a number of areas where people could pull off to enjoy the view. It wasn't raining so hard, so I got a few photos. I tried to make a phone call from this area. There was no service. Therefore, whether or not my phone had water damage, it would not matter.
Snow on Labor Day!
US 16 did go into the mountains and went uphill so gradually that I did not even realize it. But then I started to notice the ground on either side of the road was white. What I thought was rain in the area was very clearly becoming snow. As I drove along further, the trees were all getting white. Nothing ever accumulated on the road, but I was getting a little nervous. I don't think I've ever seen snow on Labor Day. But, just as gradually, the road started to go downhill. The white on the ground and trees disappeared. What was falling through the air was clearly rain again.
Finally, I arrived in Buffalo, WY. This was a city of just over 3,000. It's near I-25. It seemed very small. But, it was nice to be at the hotel and done with traveling for the night.
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