Making Progess

Today we are making progress. The trailer is running very smoothly, and the car is doing great! One must be prepared when traveling this stretch because stops, towns, attractions, and gas stations are few and far between. The landscape is full of rolling hills. We have enjoyed the bright smiles of acres upon acres of sunflowers. We also witnessed the amber waves of grain. 

The Sturgess Rally is wrapping up right now, so we are sharing the road with lots of cyclists. We have received countless comments and compliments on our trailer. We had honestly discussed offering it to the first person to show us the cash, but Nathan said that now that we have it like we want it, he may just want to keep it. 

As we approached the Missouri River in SD, we came upon the Dignity Statue. I have seen pictures of this but don't recall that we ever passed her. She stands 50 feet tall and her feet are about 4 1/2 ft long. Andrew laid down next to her moccasin as a reference.

Next, we stopped briefly in Murdo, SD to visit a long-lost acquaintance. He is still trying to make the trek on foot across SD to get back to his beloved 1880's Town. Our next "planned" stop is Wall Drug. 😉🙏

Wall Drug was just as we remembered. I believe that Andrew's favorite part was the Zoltar machine like the one seen on the Liberty Mutal commercials. However, this time both sides of the road were lined with motorcycles. The foot traffic there was CRAZY! We have never timed our trips to line up with Sturgis. It just happened that way this time, but we have enjoyed seeing slightly different things in bloom. We have been here in April and May in years past and still encountered snow on the ground. There is NONE to be found this trip, but the weather has been so pleasant, and the humidity is non-existent.

We had bypassed the scenic loop of the Badlands to go to Wall Drug first. This may have been a mistake. It would have taken us around the southern rim, which we now know to be our favorite part. The southern route has such picturesque views and the colors are so brilliant! It also offers opportunities to get out and walk along the boardwalks or other paths for extended views. In the past, we have been able to see prairie dogs, buffalo, and pronghorn. This time we took the north rim. We immediately encountered a large ravine as we began our trip down the LONG gravel road. It is always easy to spot a photo opportunity when other tourists are around because people just stop their cars and park. We enjoyed catching sight of a mountain goat and a nanny and kid off to the side enjoying some shade. As we continued to drive for the next hour or so, we only saw grassy buttes. There were still plenty of prairie dogs and buffalo to be seen. Perhaps the time of year has played a part in the wildlife or lack thereof. We have seen some random deer, but no elk this time.

Out of the Badlands, we were now on a mission to make it to Fort Hays in Rapid City. This has been a favorite stopping place for us every time. We were so excited to see Mr. Herman still there tinkering and educating people about penny presses and steam engines that run belts and mandrels. There are no ropes and barricades to hold people back. He encourages participation and is eager to share his knowledge. We were thrilled that he took the time to show a little girl how to make her lasso cooperate and work. He then had Andrew assist him as he demonstrated the art of rope making. He has expanded his rope selection and has begun making them out of toilet paper even amid the shortage! He shared a story about a MT prisoner who constructed a 12' toilet paper rope to escape. According to Mr. Herman, the prison still has the rope on display, but no prisoner to show for it. 

After visiting the various parts of Fort Hays and seeing some of the movie props from Dances with Wolves, we got in line to the chuckwagon show. This is something we have never indulged in. Again, the timing was everything. Had we been able to proceed all week as planned we would have missed this opportunity. Today was the opening show of the season. This was the only night during the week that they were performing. They will not begin the nightly shows until this weekend. After the blessing, we enjoyed a hearty dinner of brisket, baked potato, beans, applesauce, biscuit, and spice cake prior to the show. We were all seated in community fashion at picnic tables lined up end to end. We were herded through like cattle to fill our plates and then told we were responsible for our own dishes as well. We once again filed through and sorted our dirty dishes for the kitchen staff before taking our seats for the show. It flowed very smoothly with everyone doing their part, just as would have been expected of the cowboys. The show was filled with great entertainment. Most of it was a fun mix of comedy and country. The lady playing the violin stated that she was trained in classical music and playfully tried to insert some of her style, but was quickly overtaken by a country flare. She said that she was nervous about playing country music when she first started there, but the other fella that played told her that there was only one difference between a violin and a fiddle. One has stings and the other has strangs! 

It was nearly nine when we wrapped it up there and began looking for a place to bed down for the night. Traveling during Sturgis has affected lodging costs. I was floored to hear that a field/rv camp was $50 dollars a night! We opted to check other options in the area and found the same prices everywhere. We figured we'd head on to Keystone just down the road and maybe find something better there. NOT REALLY! Even a run-down roadside motel was $150! EGAD! We finally discovered a campground outside of Keystone called Spokane Valley. It appeared to only be about 10 miles away...STRAIGHT UP! Oh, was I glad that Nathan was driving and pulling the trailer! WHEW! Switchbacks, hairpins, you name it...all in the dark of night! We finally arrived to the campsite and collapsed for another sound night's rest.