Day Five

He Said:

Today was going to be a busy day. Our plan was to get to Mt. Rushmore early on in the day, which was about two hours from where we woke up in Gillette. Whoever said Gillette is "the best a man can get", is an idiot. I didn't sleep very well and the cowboys down the hall were up all night drinking it up. I only wish I partner wouldn't have been with them. Kidding.

We left Gillette at eight or so and hit the road fast and hard. My mom would have been proud, only 90 mph (kidding again). Before we hit the Presidents, we were blessed with the opportunity to see Deadwood, SD, famous for gold, drinking, gambling, cowboys, Wild Bill, and brothels. After scouring the town over for the latter, I gave up. Depressed and in tears, I stumbled into the ten cent slot machine house, in hopes of better luck. Since I had been drinking since 9:30 (caffeine), I didn't have the luck nor the hand-eye coordination I needed to strike it rich. So I headed back outside with only my empty pockets and went searching for a sticker.

Deadwood is a very cool place and one that I would love to go back to someday, maybe with more money and time to search out a proper gentlemen's club. My partner in crime also enjoyed it, but I am sure she will write all about Her skewed perspective below.

After Deadwood, we headed for Mt. Rushmore. In no time at all, we were seeing the heads of four dead people on a big rock, all with the same expression. They all seem to be thinking the same thing, "why the hell am I on a rock?". Regardless, it was impressive and I took lots of photos, none of which you will see here because I forgot the camera cord at home. I know what you are thinking, he always forgets things. This is true, but so do my parents, so I just continue to blame them.

Mt. Rushmore was great, but we needed to get a move on so we continued on our death march to Wall Drug. This is a must see for anyone in South Dakota. It is very interesting and full of fun and free things to do. All I really wanted was a sticker, but what I also got was one of the best cheeseburgers in the entire world. The potato salad wasn't bad either.

Once the cheeseburger had settled, we decided it was time to hit the pavement yet again. This time, our destination was east. I know that is a little vague, but neither one of us really knew where we would end up. Our ride was cut a little short due to some inclimate weather. Now, when I say inclimate weather, I really mean scary lightning all around. I was all about sticking to the asphalt, but someone, who shall remain nameless, wasn't to thrilled about the idea. Apparently being struck by lightning isn't on Her to do list. I can't say I blame Her though.

We landed in Kennebec, SD for the night at a lovely KOA campground. It's run by an English couple who are wonderful. They were very funny and the lady was a huge EPL fan. Fantastic. Another great day.

She Said:

Ok, so let's just start with the lightning to "clear the air" of any misconceptions, I did agree to stop early. How could I turn down Trav's pleading?

Back to the beginning of the day...

Deadwood was an absolute hit! What I really wanted was to call it a day, start drinking whiskey, gamble at the 5 cent machines and stay up long enough to get a taste of the Wild West night life. But, it was clear we needed to press on. So I walked up and down the street envisioning my return trip. I did spend $2.00 in the 5 cent machines for a few moments of fun. Prepare yourself Deadwood, you have not seen the last of me.

It is always nice motivation to hop on the moto knowing our next destination is another great landmark. We were off to see Mt. Rushmore. The ride was terrific. The town right below the monument, Keystone, seemed like it would be worth a stop, but with all the intended sites we had for today, we needed to stick to the plan. Mt. Rushmore was an amazing site. The setting is picturesque and it is full of information detailing the work that went in to the creation. I will stop here for a quick diversion...

Dear parents with children under the age of 10,

On behalf of your child, screaming and crying from tired feet and utter boredom, please do not torture above mentioned child with these historic sites full of far away faces and plaques with intolerable amounts of writing. They like the ice cream, yes, but you can treat them to this in your backyard. Save your money and time at these sites for when they are old enough and can appreciate the context. This will probably cut down your yelling and empty threats as well. Of course, making the trip a little less interesting for us bystanders, but we will manage.

Actually, in response to all the angry sweaty parents, I was tempted to relocate to a nearby setting and offer babysitting. I love the kids, don't get me wrong. I just hate to see them in this state of unhappiness.
Back to my adventure with Mt. Rushmore. I quite enjoyed myself. I only leave, after reading all available signage, with one question: why these four guys? You would think one of the signs would cover this. Please someone, tell me what I missed. Thanks Rushmore for a good time and some delicious ice cream.



We still had Wall Drug to look forward to. I kept seeing signs and wondering what the hay was up with this Wall Drug, clearly some funny characters were to be seen. We arrive to a fantastic street full of quirky gadgets, cheap (and delicious) food, and friendly people, ahhh- feels like home to me. The story of how this street came to be so famous is also pretty fantastic. A love story of a man and his wife venturing to this place in hopes of giving something good to what was labeled a "God forsaken community." As this picture depicts-simply brilliant!


I found my favorite beer today. Yep, noteable all right!