Category Archives: South Dakota

GART day 3: Large stone things

Posted on August 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

The day started cool, grey, and rainy and didn’t improve much as time passed. We started with a great diner-type breakfast in the biker bar restaurant before packing up and heading to the first large stone thing of the day: Mount Rushmore. We only had a short drive to get there so we could check a box on the “must see list.” And it was impressive. There weren’t too many crowds so the viewing was good.

But viewing is all there really is to do there so once we were done, it was time to move on to the next large stone thing: the Crazy Horse Monument. Entirely done by private funds and leagues larger than Mt. Rushmore, the place is really impressive. Mostly the work of one family, it has taken 50 years to get a small fraction of the work done. It reminded me of the Sagrada Familia – amazing and not likely to be done in my lifetime.

Then we took the scenic route through the Black Hills looking for a nice hike. But the Black Hills are a National Forest and not a National Park, a difference that is important for hikers. The National Park Service has obviously spent a lot of time and effort making information available and usable for visitors. I’m not sure the USDA Forest Service has done the same. Let’s start with the fact that the main hiking map is called the “Non Motorized Trail map” and go from there. We never did find a hike that suited us so we just drove on the “Scenic Byway” and headed toward one of the better known towns in the Black Hills: Deadwood.

And once we got there, we drove right through. It is a town that has really enjoyed having a TV series based there and revels in the “Old West” theme. Add to that the hundreds of Sturgis folks whose bikes were parked all along the kitschy main street and we knew that it wasn’t the place for us. We drove on along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway to an out-of-the-way restaurant where we had a lovely lunch with a view of the hills.

Then more driving (a sub-theme for the day) until we got to the last big stone thing: Devil’s Tower. A truly impressive rock formation that was worth the stop and the wander around the base. I can’t call it a hike because the path was paved and people with flip flops were walking there so it’s a wander not a hike.

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And then the real drive began. Back to the freeway and long drive to Sheridan, WY. The weather didn’t really improve all day. We tried putting the top down once we crossed the state line but it wasn’t long before the cool temps and threatening clouds made us stop and put the top back up.

We got to the B&B a little late but in enough time to have a lovely chat with the owners. Another shout out to Rob and Bev at Residence Hill B&B who were able to move our reservation so that we could still stop here albeit a day late. Then we wandered downtown to have dinner at Frackleton’s . For my GF friends, if you ever find yourself in Sheridan, eat here. I had the best GF pasta I have ever had. Home made ziti with Gorgonzola sauce (fresh thyme, walnuts and shaved parmesan). Oh, and Frank had a great steak. (But it wasn’t as good as my pasta. 🙂

Numbers for today:

States visited: 2 (SD, WY)
Layers of sunscreen: 1 (and even that wasn’t necessary)
French lessons completed: 0 ( the scenery was too nice)
Steps taken: 11,056 (still dubious of these counts)
Miles driven: 354

GART Day 2: Go west!

Posted on August 2, 2017 | Leave a comment

Today’s plan was pretty simple: drive across South Dakota. From Sioux Falls to Rapid City, 400 miles along Interstate 90. Straight across a square state. Okay, we can do this. But first, we say good bye to Sioux Falls which I did with a lovely run along the Big Sioux River Greenway. Then breakfast and we hit the road.

The entertainment this trip is that we are going to learn French on the road. Frank really learned it in school and so just needs a refresher. I, on the other hand, have dabbled in Spanish and German but never even tried French. So today we rolled down the highway with the top down learning how to say “Je ne comprends pas le français” which, it turns out is really true. It was very entertaining that the first thing we were learning in French was how to say “Do you understand English?” and “I don’t understand French”!

We tried to find things along the route to break up the monotony but the reality is that there isn’t much to do along I90 through the middle of the state. We wanted to head north a bit to visit the capital but that was when the skies decided to open up so we opted to keep going. Then we tried to find somewhere to eat lunch. We looked to see what might be logical places to stop and found a few towns on our map who’s names were in slightly larger type so we took that as a sign that they might be larger towns with more options. Well they each had a population of just over 600 so I wonder if that is the South Dakota definition of “larger”.

We eventually gave up and decided to much through our snacks and just head to the Badlands. We drove the Badlands loop and stopped to do a few short hikes. The terrain is spectacular and like nothing else we had ever seen. It was very much like walking on another planet.

We continued the drive through the park and eventually got to Wall, SD for the obligatory visit to Wall Drug. They make very good ice cream, BTW. In addition to getting our free ice water, Frank bought a new hat to help keep the sun off his neck which is starting to burn.

Then off to the bed and breakfast for a shower and into town for a decent dinner. We are still in the “hastily rebooked” portion of the trip so the B&B here was not as thoroughly vetted as others on the itinerary. We were to check in at the restaurant which turned out to be more like a biker bar. (Side note: we are currently about 50 miles from Sturgis, SD where the famous biker rally will be held next week. We have passed more Harley’s and other bikes than Wall Drug signs so really everything is a biker bar around here right now.) We checked in and parked in front of our room door – think motor hotel from your childhood days – and I started to get very nervous. Then we went inside and say the lovely apartment with the JACUZZI BATH TUB and all was forgiven.

We showered and went into town to pick up a few items. We are now discovering all the things that we forgot and really do need – like a charger for the battery on Frank’s camera. God bless Best Buy. Then to eat steak! Entertainingly, we had dinner in a restaurant named Dakotah in Rapid City, South Dakota, served by a waiter named Dakota. Hmmmm….

A soak in the tub and some wrestling with the wifi (which we lost as you can tell by the late post) and it was off to bed.

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 412
States covered: 1
Steps: 15,000ish
Layers of sunscreen: 3
French lessons completed: 1
Signs for Wall Drug: 51 (but we definitely missed some)

The Great American Road Trip begins!

Posted on July 31, 2017 | Leave a comment

Those of you who have watched the wailing and whining on Facebook or Twitter as well as those who have seen recent posts on the Cannon Chronicles will know that there was some doubt about this trip even happening. Well after a 50ish hour delay, we hit the road about noon and were bound and determined to make it to Sioux Falls, SD – about 371 miles north. The Great American Road Trip (GART) has begun!

Kansas City was overcast and cool so we started with the top up on the convertible. A little disappointing but at least we were on the road. It turns out that this is a pretty boring drive, straight up I-29. Lots of farm land and gently rolling “hills”. For hours. And hours. We passed out of Missouri and into Iowa. I decided that I don’t like Iowa because it didn’t welcome me. I like to collect photos of the “Welcome to [state name]” signs and we got to Iowa with no such announcement. Pooh.

But we drive on. Fast stop for a gas and a bit and Wendy’s and back on the road. We wanted to make a side trip to Omaha but that will have to wait for another time – there was miles to cover. Eventually we hit South Dakota – they had a lovely sign:

Just a little farther and we got to Sioux Falls and the hotel we booked online from my phone while racing through Iowa. It’s the only place where we don’t have a fancy bed and breakfast but since we weren’t sure we would make it, we didn’t care. The room is clean and adequate and right on the Big Sioux River with a greenway running right outside our hotel. We wandered downtown for some dinner and found the MacKenzie River Pizza company which had a bar and a gluten free menu – our bare minimum after a long day in the car.

Pizza and cider (or beer and a burger for Frank) was just what the doctor ordered. Thoroughly refreshed, we went off to explore Sioux Falls, wandering through the historic neighborhoods which reminded me of the Garden District in New Orleans but not as humid or gothic. Then on to the falls themselves. They are pretty impressive and we played tourist walking all around and actually reading the historic markers and the informational placquards about the Sioux Quartzite (or Jasper) stone: the red stone that is everywhere here. It’s harder than granite and almost as hard as diamond. (That is today’s useless info tidbit.) We saw where the mill was and where they quarried for prison rock. And then it hit: the miles and steps and stress came crashing down and it was time to head back to the hotel.