Picking it up from where we left it last time! Kyria and I had just settled in Ten Sleep WY on our way to adventures unknown.
Day 10
Start: Ten Sleep WY
End: Horse Creek SD
States Traveled In: Wyoming, South Dakota (first time in SD for both of us)
Ohio License Plate Sightings: none
Things We Did: stopped in Buffalo WY for a walk, had dinner with Kyria's friend in nearby Hill City.
Eats: egg, sausage, and toast at the hotel breakfast (all home cooked, good stuff) and car cooler sandwich for lunch. After two straight days of hamburger dinners, my one nutritional goal for the day was to have anything that was not a hamburger for dinner. Achievement unlocked with a steak (we went to a restaurant with a two item menu: small steak dinner or large steak dinner. I got the small).
Media Consumed/Road Trip Activities: what are the odds that Elisabeth would be on not one but two podcasts during our trip! We listened to her episode of Best of Both Worlds and knocked back an episode of another podcast. We tried the audiobook for Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash but it didn't catch our attention so it was an easy DNF after the first chapter.
Best Thing: Meeting up with Kyria's friend
2nd Best Thing: our time in Buffalo WY! As a reminder, Kyria and I had our first IRL meeting in Buffalo NY so it was only fitting that another Buffalo would cross our path. We strolled around the cute downtown, walked on a hiking trail, went to the liquor store to buy beer as a present for Kyria's friend, and had lunch in the downtown park.
Worst Thing/2nd Worst Thing: Slim pickings today. Since I have to write something I'm going to say that it was the 10 minutes that we spent listening to Lost Lambs.
Day 11
Start: Horse Creek SD
End: Horse Creek SD (if you're keeping track, this is our one and only two night stay of the trip)
States Traveled In: South Dakota
Ohio License Plate Sightings: one in line in front of us at the entrance to Crazy Horse
Things We Did: Mount Rushmore, drove the Needles Highway (14 mile scenic drive), Crazy Horse.
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| Needles Highway |
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| Crazy Horse |
Here is a short video on Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse to give you some visuals and to explain the history better than I can.
Eats: yogurt, granola, and honey for breakfast. We ordered two pizzas and ate half of them for lunch and finished them off for dinner.
Media Consumed/Road Trip Activities: nothing in the car but we finally had time for a little TV. Kyria browsed on Roku and came up with some very old episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats which led us to the UK version of Traitors.
Best Thing: it was a day of Best Things, but if you're going to force me to choose, I'm going with Mount Rushmore. Part of the reason of course is that I am an Alfred Hitchcock fan, and Mount Rushmore is featured in the movie North by Northwest. The other part is that I had heard that the monument was underwhelming, so I had very low expectations going in but found the reality to be much better than the word on the street. There is a walkway with all of the state and territory flags, the monument is impressive, and there is a nice but short hike.
2nd Best Thing: Needles Highway. Big Rocks.
Worst Thing/2nd Worst Thing: I didn't sleep well the night before and had a low grade headache all day. We had a low key afternoon hanging around the resort where we were staying, which helped to fix things.
Day 12
Start: Horse Creek SD
End: Pierre SD (fun fact: it is pronounced "Peer" not "Pee-air")
States Traveled In: South Dakota
Ohio License Plate Sightings: one in the parking lot of Badlands NP
Things We Did: Badlands NP
Eats: the usual yogurt bowls for breakfast, car cooler sandwich, and BBQ out on the town in Pierre. We split a two meat platter that came with two sides (so 2x mac and cheese which was the only side that we wanted) plus an a la carte order of ribs.
Media Consumed/Road Trip Activities: we listened to the soundtrack of the Sound of Music, watched another episode of Traitors at night.
Best Thing: Badlands NP!
2nd Best Thing: the walk back from dinner along the riverfront.
Worst Thing: driving is starting to get a little monotonous.
2nd Worst Thing: it was a very hot day, so we had to cut our hike at Badlands short.
That's a wrap on our latest adventures! See you soon for the next round!
I am delighted that you were able to break the burger monotony! No shade to burgers; I love them.
ReplyDeleteHooray for the badlands and Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse! Brings back memories from my road trip with the fam a few years ago.
I am sad that Lost Lambs didn't do it for you, but obviously there's no reason to force yourself to read a book that isn't clicking.
Inquiring minds want to know: What speed have you two settled on for listening to books and podcasts???
I loved Mount Rushmore when I visited. All the tourists were very hushed and respectful (but that was in the days before cell phones and influencers, so I'm sure it's changed). Oddly, I don't recall much about the Badlands, but I know my mother insisted on us visiting. That and Crazy Horse, which also impressed me.
ReplyDeleteDid you see any cowboy boot specialty stores? I remember seeing a great deal of them in WY, MT, and SD. It didn't make me want a pair, but I appreciated the craftsmanship.
How far are you going West, and are you taking a different route home so that you can see more cool stuff?