July 5th: Lovell, Bighorn, Cody (Day 13)

We got out of Lovell pretty quick this morning and decided to try to see the wild mustangs that were supposed to be wandering around the state park. Lovell is home to one of the first wild mustang refuges in the country and when I asked the hotel owner if there were going to be any city July 4th celebrations he said that Lovell didn’t really do July the 4th because they celebrate “mustang days” the weekend before and set of all the fireworks then. The mustangs are a really big deal here. We never saw any mustangs, but we did get to see some great views of Bighorn state park and the canyon. The oddest thing we saw today was some kind of outhouse floating on a platform in the river way down at the bottom of the canyon, out in the middle of nowhere. We left Bighorn and headed to Cody, WY. The upward/downward trip through the mountains and canyons were really rough on the breaks and we had to stop several times just to cool them down enough to drive on. We decided to see if we could get someone in Cody to take a look at them just in case. On our way to try to find a place that was open on the weekend, we found a thrift store and decided to stop to see if we could find any cold weather gear. We found a couple of things and when we asked to see the phone book a nice gentleman overheard us and offered some advice on where to find an honest mechanic. When he realized we didn’t know the town, he wasn’t sure how to give us directions – so he offered to escort us there. We lucked out and not only got the brakes checked for free, but also got some advice on how to keep the brakes from smelling and overheating when driving through the mountains. After that, we did a little shopping and found a hotel right downtown. It was a great room with the laundry room right next door. We left the dogs to watch Nascar and went out to find a late lunch. We had lunch at Maxwell’s, which was the first really good gourmet meal we’d had since Deadwood. After walking the dogs and a quick nap, we went out to catch the 6:00pm “gun fight” that was supposed to be in the street near one of the famous salons and visit the Wild Bill Cody Museum before it closed. First, we stopped back by an antique store that we had visited earlier and picked up a pair of really cool cowboy boots for Kevin (used, black, Nocona “roach-stompers” in great condition for 50 bucks!) . We didn’t get one of the Jackalopes that Kevin wanted, but we figured they might be cheaper somewhere else, or that we could catch one ourselves. We waited for the gunshow, but it never happened so we headed to the museum. They were kind enough to let us in free since we only had about an hour and half before they closed. We didn’t get to see everything, but the stuff that we did see was pretty cool. Afterwards we picked up a pizza and headed back to the hotel room. Squeak finally seemed to get the going to the bathroom while on the leash and got to sleep in the room instead of locked in the bathroom – so we all had a really good night’s sleep! Thank goodness!

Pictures for Day 13

No Wi-Fi, no time

Free Wi-Fi has been hard to come by and we haven't had much time to post. We are heading into the Canadian Rockies today so we will probably not be able to finish the blog until we arrive in Alaska. There's lots to tell and lots of pictures, but no time (or connection) to do so :(

Heading to Canada

We haven't had time to post lately. We are heading to Canada today and we hope to stay in Calgary a couple of days to rest and catch up on the blog. We've got some great pictures to post and a buffalo video too!

July 4th: Devils Tower and a Long Hike (Day 12)

Yesterday we left Deadwood and did a lot of driving. We detoured to Devils Tower where the aliens from Close Encounters landed and then found a place called Medicine Wheel, an Indian holy place built about 800 years ago. The various points around the circle line up perfectly with the sun's setting and rising during the summer solstice as well as with certain constellations that are important to Native American culture and religion. The site is only reachable for 2 months around summer solstice and since they had a snow storm 2 weeks ago here the road up was closed and we had to hike in about a mile and a half over 2 snow banks to get to it. Luckily they let dogs go on the hike as long as they don't approach the actual site so Oops and Squeek had their first tourist experience that wasn't just sitting in the car with the windows cracked. They loved it. It was worth the detour and the hike to see not only a very ancient ritual site but also some great views of the Bighorn mountains and the local flowers, birds and even some chipmunks and a fox.

We made it to Lovell pretty late and found most of the town lined up and down the main street patiently waiting in the half dark for prime fireworks shooting time or else already in for the evening. Since it was the 4th of July, the town’s 3 hotels had only one vacancy. Luckily the hotel in question allowed pets, and wasn’t across the street from the only bar in town (the other hotel with vacancies seemed to be problematically connected to the only bar in town by a wavering, stumbling line of bar patrons). After checking into the hotel and meeting the only nice and friendly person in the entire town, the owner of the motel, we went in search for food. Only one place was open in the entire town, Taco Johns – proudly serving “West-Mex”. We were the last people in the door and the teenagers running the place were extremely distracted trying to close up for the night. We finally got our food (YUCK!) ate, and went back to hotel and straight to bed.

Pictures for Day 12

July 2nd & July 3rd: Gambling Kangaroos and Calamity Jane (Day 10 & Day 11)

We had breakfast at the diner next to the Lazy U motel and then headed back to Keystone to finish sight seeing and to tour "Beautiful Rushmore Cave". Rushmore Cave is a privately owned cavern that has been kept pretty much as it was found (apart from the lights and the stairs and the handrails). After the tour we spent some time at a cool rock shop in the old part of Keystone and an antique store while waiting out the rain. We had lunch at the Trail Drive Cafe (mmmm, BBQ Buffalo ribs!) and then headed on to Deadwood.
Deadwood doesn't like dogs. We weren't able to find a hotel that allowed pets unattended in the room, or in the room at all in most cases, so we headed out of town and landed at the best place we've stayed so far – Wild Bill's Campground (Saloon & Grill too!). No running water, no cell phone reception, but plenty of WiFi to go around. We got in late and were really tired from the hiking through the caves and Keystone (on a very steep incline) so we splurged and got the cutest cabin ever. It had everything that we needed and the dogs were able to hang out there while we headed back into town to check out the nightlife. The entire town of Deadwood has been declared a National Historic Monument but once you get beyond the restored facades it is pretty much one big gambling casino. Not being gamblers, the novelty wore off quickly, but not before we had a great meal of melt in your mouth 10 oz. filet mignon at the historic Mineral Palace Gem Steakhouse. Even Cheri had some to go with her salad and soup. The Mineral Palace stands on the site of the notorious Gem Theatre which was the naughtiest "entertainment" venue in 1800's Deadwood. It evidently consisted of numerous one room theatres for entertaining and in 1876 made $5,000 on a normal night and often pulled in $10,000 a night when things were hopping. We also went to the #10 saloon where Wild Bill Hickok was "assassinated by the murderer John McCall". We got back to the cabin and sat quietly on the porch for a while watching a doe graze near the creek behind our cabin (Strawberry Creek, which meets up with Bear Butte Creek at the other end of the campground). The doe froze because she spotted us and eventually won the staring contest when we went back due to the chilly weather.

Pictures from Day 10

After the best night's sleep so far (despite the dogs bathroom break before dawn), we discovered that the campgrounds are fully wireless and the signal was great! It's good to have internet since we haven't been able to get a phone signal for more than a few minutes since Rapid City. We took our time catching up, posting the blog, and cooking breakfast before checking out. Our first stop was in Deadwood at Woody's Wild West to get an old timey western picture made. We picked the bar scene with Kevin as a rough neck cowboy and Cheri as a saloon girl. It was pretty fun and the pictures turned out pretty funny. Our next stop was Roo Ranch right outside of town. What fun! Lots of kangaroos, wallabees, wallaroos, zeeboo's (zebra and burrow), sugarflyers, and several other interesting animals. We got to pet a cute wallabee named Gizmo who actually saved the life of one of the kangaroos there named Matilda. Kangaroos are rather serious about the whole survival-of-fittest thing, so if someone isn't ready to be out of the pouch when mama says its time they have pretty much had it. Matilda's mom put her out a little early but Gizmo the wallaby came to the rescue and kept her warm until she was ready.
After our animal adventure, we headed back to Deadwood to visit Mt. Moriah Cemetery Deadwood's "boot hill" which is located at the top of a ridge overlooking the city. Wild Bill and Calamity Jane are buried here. It was pretty interesting and it also provided a fantastic view of the city. Next we headed to Lead, SD which is just a few miles away and stopped at the Twin Cities Mall. It was really more of a general dollar and grocery store, but we found what we needed for our camp dinner of skillet cornbread, greens, and beans. Yum! Lead seems to be where the "nice folks" live. Whereas Deadwood has 24 hour gambling, Lead was having a community picnic.

Pictures from Day 11

Tomorrow we're breaking camp early and heading to Wyoming to see Devils Tower Monument (you know, from Close Encounters).

July 1st : Canine and Car Calamity (Day 9)

Last night, Oops had an allergic reaction to most likely the pine pollen that painted the ground, the table, our shoes, and just about everything in the campsite with yellow powder. We showered quickly at the campgrounds shower (surprisingly comfortable and clean) and then headed into the town to look for coffee and a vet. We had coffee and tried to catch some wi-fi at a local coffeeshop which resides in the old bank building
(built in 188?). The wi-fi was a little too slow to use for finding a vet, but one of the locals called up the neighborhood vet to let her know that we were on our way. We stepped across the street to the Baker’s Bakery for a hot meal - we split a monstrous breakfast burrito with a spicy, yummy green chili sauce. After that we high-tailed it to the vet’s office where they were really busy, but took pity on Mr. Oops and squeezed us in for a visit. The vet had to shave even more hair off from his tail (he had to have some spots shaved before we left Austin), clean him up, dust him with some anti bacterial powder, and take his temperature. Poor guy, he also gets to take prednisone andantibiotic. To add insult to injury, he also left with a cone on to keep from scratching and biting. We hope to get him healed up before we try to cross the Canadian Border so he doesn’t wind up in quarantine. A big thank you to Dr. Sharon Seneczko for taking care of Mr. Oops in between a full schedule of surgeries (we saw a husky being wheeled through half sedated) and office visits.
After the trip to the vet, we drove through Custer Park and stopped several times to take pictures and enjoy the serene lakes throughout the park. Next, we took the Needles Highway through the park, which was just amazing. There were waterfalls and deer along the way and we even stopped to soak our feet in a refreshingly crystal clear creek. Needles Hwy is so named because of the needlelike spires that you drive through at the top of the hills. When we got to the highest point of the drive and got out of the car to view the “needles”, it started to rain so we got up under an outcropping to wait it out. Suddenly we hear a child screaming in terror. A family, everyone from Grandpa and Grandma down to the little girl we heard screaming, of ardent rock climbers decided today would be a good day to introduce 8 year old Suzy to climbing up and rappelling down a pretty much flat faced cliff. When the rain started she really lost it but was finally talked down. She looked like a disaster survivor as they led her to the car. Shame on you Grandma and Grandpa! Our drive up and down the Black Hills caused a terrible smell to come out from under the hood of the car so we stopped in Keystone to let it cool down. We had buffalo sandwiches at Ruby’s Saloon and then strolled through a couple of the gift shops.
Even though the car seemed alright after awhile, the smell had been really awful and we have many, many miles left to go so we decided to go back to Rapid City for the night (about 30 miles off) and take the car in for an oil change a couple hundred miles early and have everything checked out before heading to Deadwood on Wednesday. The car checked out fine, evidently brakes will make that smell sometimes when over taxed but it is not a problem if they are allowed to cool down. The car must be alright because the mechanic didn’t even want to get any money for fixing anything. We checked into a cute little local motel called the Lazy U. Even though they advertise wi-fi, we weren’t able to keep a connection. Kevin talked the owner into letting him work on the router and repeater setup he had so we could get connected. He got the system up and running but unfortunately we still had to pay for our room.

More pictures for Day 9

June 30th: The Badlands and POTUS (Day 8)

June 30th
After a night of rest, we shipped our boxes at the local post office and hit the road. As we traveled through the countryside of South Dakota, the rolling hills of grass began to reveal more and more of the massive rock and clay formations that lay beneath. We saw plenty of prairie dogs and chipmunks in an area that really looked unlivable. We reached Badlands National Park and made our way through the scenic drive stopping along the way to do some rock climbing and to take pictures. The badlands is the place in all the westerns where there is no water and Trigger has to be either set free because he can't traverse the terrain or shot because he broke his leg trying to traverse the terrain. Our hero then wanders thirsty through the winding rock formations until he passes out under an outcropping and is later revived and nursed back to health by a kind Indian wiseman. Luckily, we brought water and left our trusty steed Mazda on the paved road when we ventured of the trail to climb rocks and use the port-a-potties. On the way out of the Badlands we saw a pair of black horned antelope (mom and baby) before continuing our ascent into the Black Hills and stopping in Rapid City, SD for lunch downtown and a little bit of shopping.

In keeping with the Mount Rushmore theme of the area, Rapid City commissioned bronze statues of every US President and placed them on street corners throughout the town. This is a really cool idea and makes for a fun game of "who is that guy" as you go through town. After awhile though, you start to wonder what it is that seems odd about these brown men on the corners and it finally sinks in that it is their diminutive size. Except for the founding fathers, Washington, Jefferson, etc., the presidents are kind of hobbit sized and top out at maybe 5' tall.

Continuing our patronage of roadside attractions, we went to Bear Country on the way to Rushmore. It’s a drive through wildlife park where you can see wolves, rams, antelope, coyotes, wildcats of all kinds and, of course, lots and lots ‘o bears. The dogs growled and made generally aggressive noises during most of the drive, but remained strangely silent and attentive in the big bear area. The drive concludes in a walk through zoo like area containing all of the baby animals and, most importantly, a huge play area full of baby bears. It looks like a playground at recess sans the adults with all the bears fighting, swimming and climbing trees. Cheri took a few hundred pictures and tried to sneak a baby bear out of the park in her backpack. :)

Afterwards, we headed to Mount Rushmore. We spent a couple of hours walking the trails and stopping for a presentation about the artist and the workers that sculpted the mountain. It was truly awe inspiring to see an artistic vision realized on such a large scale.
There is a great quote at the site by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore:
"A monument's dimensions should be determined by the importance to civilization of the events commemorated."
It reminded me that most of our presidents are just normal guys, clocking in every day and doing the best job they can. Just like the rest of us, precious few of them truly make an impact that lasts more than a decade beyond their term in office. We even saw a picture taken at the beginning of the process that shows the beginnings of a head to the left of Washington. I haven't had time to find out which of the four it was or if it fell off or what.
From there, we headed to Custer State Park to make camp for the evening. After getting settled, Kevin made a delicious veggie stew which we had to eat out of the pan because of a mix-up with our bowls and the dog’s bowls. Even though our night owl neighbors were a little loud and we didn’t have access to water at the site, it was still a good night.

More photos for Day 8

June 29th: Another Roadside Attraction (Day 7)

Today we woke up and made a breakfast before breaking camp. After breakfast, we took the dogs for a walk along the beach at the western end of the camp. We were up early so we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. It was very peaceful. By the time we broke camp and headed to the showers the other campers were waking up and the park was starting to come alive. We met a man named Quinton who is a professor of history at Dordt College, a small private school in Iowa. He seemed to know the area pretty well so we asked him if he had any suggestions for things to see and do on our route. He told us to drive Needles Highway in Custer state park and it turned out to be one of the highlights so far. We left Lewis and Clark Park (I just love saying "Lewis and Clark Park") and were bombarded with billboards for tourist traps all along the highway, so we finally gave up and decided to make today a roadside attraction day. The first stop was the Pioneer Auto Show ("It's as much fun as a circus!")
in Murdo, SD. They have the original General Lee from The Dukes of Hazard, Elvis' motorcycle, and a cornucopia of trash and treasure from the last 150 years . We didn’t make it through all of the 42 buildings that the show boasts, but we did make it through quite a few before heading to our next roadside attraction, Wall Drug.
The town of Wall, SD (just outside of Badlands National Park) has a huge “drug store” that has room after room of western art, gift shops, camping gear, cafes, and cowboy/Indian/giant-jackrabbit statues to pose for pictures with. Evidently the original owner built the business up from its humble beginnings in 1931 by advertising "Free Ice Water" all along the South Dakota highways. It had been a long day of driving so after a couple of buffalo burgers we decided to get a room at the Sunshine Motel instead of heading on to Rushmore. The Sunshine is owned and operated by a Vietnam veteran who is about to head back to Vietnam for a reunion with not only his fellow soldiers but also a contingent of Vietcong soldiers that they fought against. He said he has mixed feelings about this but has heard from others who have done the same that it turns out to be a pretty amazing experience. Before bed, we did some laundry and gathered up 3 boxes worth of unnecessary stuff to ship to Soldotna (70 bucks well spent on more space in the van).
We also took the dogs for a nighttime walk through the streets of Wall where we saw the strangest display of wildlife sculpture. The front and side yards of one of the houses were filled with life sized representations of every kind of animal you are likely to find in SD. It was kind of funny, not funny ha-ha but the other kind, and Squeak started barking at the animals.

More pictures for Day 7