TravelBlogue - July Road Trip (Part 1)

A few months ago my friend Stella agreed to come on summer vacation with me and head to a rather random destination: South Dakota. Many people asked me what was in South Dakota and when I enthusiastically replied “Mount Rushmore!” the majority of them were like, “Oh, yeah… that’s right… What else?” I initially planned to go to the Badlands National Park but Stella and I ended up eliminating it in our final planning process. On Friday, July 1^st I busily packed up every last thing I could think of and drove to Stella’s so we could get an early start the following morning. The week went something like this:

SATURDAY 7/2

Stella and I got up early so we could consolidate everything in her tightly-packed Civic and hit the road. We started off by driving to BEAR LAKE (http://www.utah.com/stateparks/bear_lake.htm) for Stella’s family gathering. It took us a couple of hours to get there but it was nice to have a break, eat some pancakes, and sit in the sun before getting in the car again.

Next up we hit MARTIN’S COVE (http://lds.org/placestovisit/eng/historical-sites/mormon-handcart-historic-site) near Alcova, WY. This was a pivotal place for several pioneer groups headed west, most notably the Martin Handcart Company. The displays in the visitor center detailed how members of the company traveled from Europe to New York City by ship and then traveled to Iowa City by train before assembling their handcarts and walking to Salt Lake City. The problem was they arrived several weeks behind schedule and as a result they became stranded in the Wyoming plains in late November. They decided to try to pass the winter in between a hill and a small mountain. That place is now called Martin’s Cove. Eventually the survivors were rescued by parties sent from Salt Lake City. When I say “rescued” I don’t mean they were carried to safety. Instead, they were given additional rations and supplies and then walked the rest of the way (200+ miles) to Salt Lake City under the watchful eye of stronger and healthier brethren.

After we toured the visitor center we rode a small jeep-like vehicle to a lookout point that was half a mile away from Martin’s Cove. The area is lovely during the summer but it would be horrible to spend a winter there with minimal food and shelter.

We left Martin’s Cove and drove to Casper, WY to spend the night at the COURTYARD CASPER (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cprcy-courtyard-casper/). It had been a long day in the car so we immediately changed our clothes and hit the hot tub. There were a bunch of loud and crazy kids in the pool but nothing could have been better. Actually, we went to Dairy Queen after and that might have topped it. It’s really a toss-up. (I just love chocolate-dipped cones!)

SUNDAY 7/3

On Sunday we did our best to take it easy so we caught up on sleep and went to church at 11:00. We got a little lost inside the building (embarrassing!) and had to ask the missionaries where the chapel was but we arrived on time nonetheless. The ward was extremely friendly and since it was the first Sunday of the month we knew it would be a Fast and Testimony meeting. Before the meeting even started about 10 ward members came and introduced themselves. They kept telling us we should have gone to the Singles branch which meets later (“I have a really cute son there”) but we had to hit the road if we wanted to get to South Dakota at a decent hour.

After church we set out for Custer, SD. The flat, pale green scenery of Wyoming quickly faded away once we crossed the SD border. All of a sudden there were dark green trees and rocky faces everywhere. It was really pretty. We finally arrived in Custer and checked into the CUSTER KOA (http://koa.com/campgrounds/custer/). I had never stayed at a KOA site before but I can tell you they are EVERYWHERE in Wyoming and South Dakota. We had reserved a “1 room Kabin” and we were delighted to see how cute and cozy it was. It had a double bed and two bunk beds and Stella opted for the top bunk in order to be as far away from the bugs as possible. (After all the trips we’ve taken together I was amazing to find out that she is scared of bugs!) The KOA site had a swimming pool and we were very eager to lay out a bit and get rid of our farmers’ tans. It was already pretty late in the day so the strong wasn’t very strong. Still, it was worth the effort.

Next up we drove to CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL (http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org/). This was something I’d never heard of until I started doing research for the trip. The Native Americans wanted a memorial for one of their heroes, similar to Mount Rushmore. Korczak Ziolkowski was commissioned to begin the work in 1948 and the site has never accepted federal funding at the behest of local tribe leaders. Korczak died in 1982 but his wife and the majority of his children have dedicated their lives to finishing what he started. The project is ongoing and at this point Crazy Horse’s face is completed. The face is much larger than the faces on Mount Rushmore but there is still much to be done. Whether or not they’ll be able to fund the rest of the work based on admission fees ($10/adult) and private donations is yet to be seen.

MONDAY 7/4

What could be more patriotic than going to Mount Rushmore on the 4^th of July? (I mean, besides going to Washington, D.C.) That’s why we went to MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL (http://www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm)! Before heading to the memorial we checked out of the Custer KOA and bid adieu to cute little Custer, SD. We had to drive about 45 minutes to get to KEYSTONE, SD. On the way we cut through CUSTER STATE PARK (http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/custer/default.aspx) via Route 16A. We dodged the $13 park admission fee by promising the ranger we wouldn’t stop and park our car anywhere. The drive was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I remember one straightaway in particular when I looked to my right and saw four tiny faces on a mountain that was several miles away. I was really excited and Stella turned around so we could take pictures of our first glimpse of the memorial.

As we got closer to Mount Rushmore we had to pass through a series of small tunnels and the last two tunnels we went through afforded a cool view of Mt. Rushmore in the distance. When we arrived we just had to pay for an $11 parking permit which is valid until the end of the year. Not a bad deal! Mt. Rushmore was not the rural, dustbowl environment I had imagined. Instead, the mountain stands tall above a beautiful green forest. There was plenty of shade which was a relief because it was pretty humid when we arrived. We decided to walk the Presidential Loop and it was neat to feel like I was right under the presidents’ noses. At the end of the loop there is a visitor center with a model of what Mt. Rushmore was intended to look like upon completion. I heard other visitors explaining to each other that the sculptors feared they would end up destroying the mountain if they continued to blast. Gutzon Borglum’s vision was truly grand and although the memorial was not completed to his specifications I am really glad that all of his work didn’t end up in a pile of rubble.

After we saw Mount Rushmore we had lunch at TEDDY’S DELI. We also bought fantastically terrible hats at a souvenir discount store. During this fun tour of the town of Keystone it began to rain but luckily the rain was brief. Since it wasn’t warm enough to swim we decided to venture to RAPID CITY to see fireworks at Memorial Park. (Turns out Memorial Park doesn’t really exist according to Google Maps – it’s just a nickname for the field by the Civic Center.) We needed to kill some daylight hours so we caught a matinee of CARS 2. The movie was pretty darn funny. When it was over we wandered through the assortment of food trucks at Memorial Park and claimed a spot of lawn on the waterfront. There was still a lot of time to burn but there was some choice people-watching to be had. To say the least, we stayed entertained. The only problem was the wretched cover band that was playing. By the time the fireworks began (at 10 pm!) the people behind us were basically calling for the lead singer to be beheaded. I’m happy to say there was no violence and after the fireworks we were able to drive home without incident.

TUESDAY 7/5

We were excited to drive to DEADWOOD, SD (http://www.deadwood.com/splash.cfm) on Tuesday morning and check out the old stomping grounds of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Our first stop was at the information center for a quick orientation and a visit from Calamity Jane herself. (Actually it was a teenaged actress that reminded me of one of my old roommates but I digress.) Next we went to the ADAMS MUSEUM and saw some cool artifacts from the Old West era. We got lunch at the MINER’S DEN STEAKHOUSE and caught a little rain as we strolled along Main Street. I kept an eye on my watch so we could catch the reenactment of Wild Bill Hickok’s murder at SALOON NO. 10 (http://www.saloon10.com/DiscoverSaloon10.aspx) – “a bar and a museum” according to its website. It was pretty hard to see what was going on but the guy who played Bill Hickok did a good job. I decided to never live in a town dependent on tourists, gamblers and drinkers for income. Sorry Vegas, you’ll have to live without me!

We learned that even though Bill Hickok was killed in the middle of the day in a busy saloon in plain sight of several witnesses, his murderer was acquitted. The timing of our trip to Deadwood eerily coincided with Casey Anthony’s acquittal. The good news for Cody is that his murderer’s trial was deemed illegal by the US Marshals (since Deadwood was Native American territory) and he was re-tried in Cheyenne, convicted, and hung. We’ll just have to see what happens with Miss Anthony (or is her name Mrs. Simpson?).

After visiting MOUNT MORIAH CEMETERY, the final resting place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and hundreds of other Deadwood residents, we drove to STURGIS, SD (http://www.sturgis-sd.gov/). Sturgis is famous for a huge annual motorcycle rally every August but despite our best efforts we only spotted a group of motorcycles in front of the Harley Davidson store. That town was D-E-A-D. Maybe the towns of Deadwood and Sturgis should switch names.

WEDNESDAY 7/6

Wednesday was a big driving day. We calculated it would take about eight and a half hours to get to Yellowstone. I was sad to leave cute little Keystone. We said goodbye to South Dakota and before we knew it we were following signs to DEVIL’S TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT (http://www.nps.gov/deto/index.htm). It was a quick, fun stop and we continued on to Cody. When we finally made it to the Wal-Mart in Cody to buy last minute camping supplies I had just about lost my marbles. (It was a long drive.) If you’re trying to imagine what I’m like after being in the driver’s seat for several hours just think “David after Dentist,” 0:54 to be exact. Luckily we remembered to get everything on our list and Stella drove the next leg – straight into Yellowstone!

I had been to YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm) when I was really young but this time I entered the park on the east side. The drive through SHOSHONE NATIONAL FOREST was incredible! I really loved it. When we finally reached the east entrance of Yellowstone we still had several miles to go before we arrived in West Thumb and checked into our campsite in Grant Village. We knew that Wednesday would be a taxing day and the final test would be whether or not we had the wherewithal to set up our tent and make some food. We managed to pull it off and we even had time to enjoy an evening campfire program by one of the rangers.

THURSDAY 7/7

On Thursday we took our best shot at seeing “everything” in Yellowstone. Our first stop was OLD FAITHFUL. We waited for about 40 minutes before it went off. Unfortunately we didn’t put on sunscreen and to this day we are cursed with permanent farmers’ tans. Everything else that day went off without a hitch. Every parking lot we pulled into was packed but we managed to find a spot every time. We stopped at MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN and absolutely loved the GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING. Over the next several hours we hit FOUNTAIN PAINT POT, GIBBON FALLS, MONUMENT GEYSER BASIN, ARTISTS PAINT POTS, STEAMBOAT GEYSER, UPPER/LOWER FALLS, SULPHUR CAULDRON, and MUD VOLCANO, to name a few. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone I highly recommend it. There will be times when you’ll feel like you’re standing on the surface of another planet, or maybe catching a glimpse of what Earth looked like when Dinosaurs roamed. There is something other-worldly about seeing bizarre geysers and paint pots mixed in with classically beautiful waterfalls, lakes and mountains. And let’s not forget the animals!

The first time I was in Yellowstone my family and I saw a huge herd of buffalo. This time Stella and I were driving along the road and spotted a few here and there. I was busy hoping for a big herd when we got a big surprise – we looked ahead and saw a huge buffalo walking on the side of the road! I got some crazy up-close pictures of him (or her). It was so cool. We also saw a silver fox and a few random elk. Yellowstone is alive and thriving!

When we got back to camp one of our neighbors came over and informed us that a hiker had been killed by a bear the previous day. I felt like finding the nearest ranger and shouting, “That information really would have been useful yesterday!” a la Wedding Singer. We were glad we had already planned to check out on Friday instead of Saturday.

FRIDAY 7/8

Friday was our final driving test. Luckily we both had a kind of “second wind” and the miles flew by. We wove in and out of Idaho a few times and finally saw the “Welcome to Utah” sign. We arrived at Stella’s place about six and a half hours after we left our campsite in Yellowstone. I just had to drive 37 more miles to P-town. By the time I got home I had already agreed to go on a trip to Disneyland with my mom, dad an oldest sister. I guess my travel wheel will just keep on turnin’. While I look forward to traveling to Disneyland by plane, I can never deny the awesomeness of going on a summer road trip with a great friend. Thanks for everything, Stella!