We are at the point on our road trip where we frequently ask each other "Where are we anyway?" and "What day is today?" In fact, I just asked that question! To answer that question, we are in Newcastle, Wyoming. I'll apologize in advance if this post is disjointed and weird, but I am exhausted after a very spectacular day of driving and sight seeing.
Our day began at the Best Western Lee's Motor Inn in Chamberlain, SD. We immediately crossed the Missouri River and continued on our way. Our first stop was in Wall, SD, to visit the famous tourist attraction of Wall Drug. This place is awesome, and if you are in the area, or even if you aren't-go here! It's kitchy and cute and has a great history. If you are afraid of missing it on your journey, don't worry. We counted around 75 highway signs, which is part of the charm. Lunch, donuts and picture taking later, and off we went to, yet again, find a letterbox. This time we had success! Go us! (We also passed around 300 signs for other Wild West and Olde Tyme attractions, but didn't stop. From Wall, we opted for the scenic route through the Badlands before heading to Mt. Rushmore. If you haven't been to the Badlands-go. It's so spectacular that I can't even imagine how to describe it. Words and photos alone do not do it justice. It's majestic, awe inspiring and a bit overwhelming all at once.
Though we had seen cows and horses galore on our journey today, DJ insisted that he needed to see some much more exciting animals. Luckily for him, the second we crossed into Badlands National Forest, we found some big horned sheep! We continued through the Badlands, stopping and taking pictures all the way, and decided to continue onto Mt. Rushmore since time was in our favor. We had forgotten all about the switch into Mountain Time, so that was a pleasant surprise when it popped up. Note: Unless you want to backtrack through the Badlands and go back to I-90 in Wall, you go through the park and through some very rugged areas. One of the major roads we took wasn't paved, but a highlight were the cows less than 2 feet away from us. We paused in the car and had a meaningful conversation with them. Most weren't talkative, but a few mooed back.
We avoided the tourist trap of Rapid City and ventured onward to Mt. Rushmore. We found it! We didn't find Cebula, but we can't all be Nicholas Cage. The village of Keystone is 100% touristy, but really cute. Mt. Rushmore is smaller than it seems, but is still amazing. Our hike around the monument was a much needed stretch break, and the little museum that explained how it was constructed was super interesting. To be honest, if we had taken a trip just to see Mt. Rushmore, it might have been disappointing. However, because it was on our way, it was well worth it. We left Rushmore, found another letterbox, and took off, destination: Wyoming. The Crazy Horse monument appeared on our left, but truthfully, it was nothing much. I hope they can raise the money to finish it.
More cows and horses later, we entered the Black Hills. We saw a sign warning us about big horned sheep, but those were not in sight. We did however see a jackrabbit and a fawn, making everyone happy. Our goal was to reach Gillette, Wyoming, but Newcastle appeared and all my energy dissipated. So, we found the cutest little hotel, family owned and just charming, and here we are! It was a long, highly productive day.
Have not been out that way in over 30 yrs but nice to know that it sounds the same. The Badlands were so awesome and unexpected and Mt. Rushmore was as well, (although not as unexpected).
ReplyDeleteAlso good to know the signs for Wall Drug still exist. I remember driving in Wyoming, (was heading to Boulder, CO) and thinking at times that it would be comforting to even see a cow.
Am enjoying reading about your trip. Have fun!