Back in Keystone, we found a little convenience store with the ONE old gas pump up on the porch. We were trying to determine if the price was $2.37 because the 2 was not lined up well in the slot. After filling an empty tank and going to pay, Nathan discovered that 2 was not even part of the equation, but the 9 at the end was not a tenth like on normal signs. He paid $3.79 a gallon. YIKES! We later found another station in town. That appears to be the going rate up here. We attempted to visit the Keystone Museum. We have been here once before. It is an old 1899 schoolhouse that houses the Carrie Ingalls collection. They were not open yet, but Andrew thoroughly enjoyed the retro playground outback. We had fun playing on the merry-go-round and sliding down the tall metal slide. It is so nice to finally be feeling like we are on vacation. We decided a true, genuine breakfast would be nice. The last time we were here we tried a breakfast buffet at the Ramada. It was not at all impressive, but it looked to be the only place in town for breakfast, so we were going to give it another try. They have remodeled and done away with the breakfast bar. Now it's just an overpriced breakfast menu. We opted to keep rolling and found another little local place called Polly's. The food was great, the proportions generous, and the prices were right. It felt so good to start the day on a full tummy. As we were leaving, Andrew discovered a payphone just outside the door. He was so excited. Always ready to spend money, he began pulling change out of his pocket. He joyfully exclaimed that it would take nickels, dimes, or quarters. I think he thought you could choose your own price. He rapidly began trying to feed the machine, but it was jammed much to his dismay. Nathan asked him who he was going to call. He decided he would call Nathan. He was shocked to hear that he would have to pay extra for a "long distance" call since it was not a "local" number. WHAT?! He was so confused! Ahh, a lesson in history! HA!HA!HA!
From there it was on to Mt. Rushmore. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! The skies were blue and clear and the air so crisp! We walked the 0.6-mile Presidential Trail at the base of Mt. Rushmore. Then we toured the museum that housed the original plans of the full busts and displayed some of the drilling tools that were used. After we reached the main viewing plaza again, Andrew realized that he was missing his binoculars. He and I ran back down the last 69 steps to an area we had stopped to take pictures, and thankfully they were laying right there where he left them. Guess we needed that extra exercise.
Next stop was playtime in Keystone. I decided we needed an old-time photo with Andrew since we had one made with the other three boys at Silver Dollar City before he was born. They were good sports and chose the jail scene. So they dressed up to play their part as the jailbirds, and they said that I should be the sheriff. Then on to the Alpine Slide. Andrew had spotted this place and wanted to give it a go. The other boys enjoyed it the last time we were here. We rode the skylift to the top and then raced down the 2000 foot slide. Andrew could have gladly stayed right there all afternoon, I believe.
Time was getting later, and we still had ambitions of making it further west. We made one last stop in Rapid City before heading out. Storybook Island is a WONDERFUL city park that is filled with favorite childhood storybook characters. It is spacious and a great place to lets kids run, play, and let their imaginations go wild! They have also added a carousel and train since the last time we were there. Andrew really enjoyed it and hated to leave, but we were still hours away from Cody, WY - our original destination. We calculated travel times and opted to head to Gillette instead so that we could enjoy a steak dinner somewhere before everything closed up.
Along the way, we were able to spot the Vore Buffalo Jump exit where the Indians used to trap the buffalos. It's a pretty neat story. Native peoples used this site for hundreds of years before Lewis and Clark passed through here. We had thought we were seeing buffalo jumps from the interstate because there were massive holes in the terrain. Perhaps these were also used, but the famous jump is a much larger sandstone cliff not visible from the interstate. We also began seeing oil derricks out here in WY.
One more detour before dinner. We decided to go slightly off the beaten path to give Andrew the opportunity to see Devil's Tower. Again, we were blessed with beautiful clear skies. We did not see it as clearly the last time we came through. The tower has a greenish-yellow color to it . This is because of the lichen that grows up the side of the tower. There are also many trees at the base of Devils Tower at are decorated with ribbons or pieces of cloth. These are tied there by the Native Americans as they come to offer ritualistic prayers. It was a nice place to stretch and enjoy another brief hike.
We had to wake Andrew after dinner and help him to the car. We were going to try to push on and make it into Billings, MT to reduce drive time tomorrow. We have left all major cities. The landscape is mostly a rolling landscape with mountains on the horizon. There are no street lights along 90, and we had the road entirely to ourselves - or so we thought. Shortly after pulling back out onto the interstate, a lonely oncoming car flashed its lights. We began looking for a speed trap even though the speed limit out here is 80, and we've been staying at that or below. We never saw any police, but suddenly we began noticing LOTS of beady eyes watching us. There were so many deer out between Gillette and Sheridan. Initially, that kept our adrenaline pumping as we were scouting in front of us with the help of our bright lights. We sure didn't need one of those in the car with us! They were right by the interstate. WHY?! They had plenty of grassland off to the side, but they seemed to want to see how close they could get. We witnessed the remains of a couple that pushed their luck too far. Because it was so dark and we had had such a busy day, sleepiness was beginning to creep in on us. Nathan asked if I would mind driving. We had already decided to stop in Sheridan, WY for the night. We pulled over and stepped out of the car in the middle of I-90 to trade places. We were still the only ones out on the road, so once again, we stood in awe as we gazed up and enjoyed the starry night and the Milky Way. It seemed to be forever before the Sheridan exit, but we finally made it! Safe and sound again. Thank you, God, for your protection and blessing of another beautiful day! So nice to be in a campground where the only wildlife crossing my path was little bunnies - no more deer at 80mph.
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