Forgot to mention, while driving we saw a bald eagle. This is the first one we have seen since our trip to Alaska. This was a sign of good luck, as we got to our destination in record time, the Padres won, and Bonds went 0-2!
All in all a good day.
May 1, 2006
Day 3 – Let’s get there fast then take it slow…
We got up early and headed out, skipping breakfast. Should have stopped somewhere as we never did stop for lunch or dinner.
On our way to South Dakota we passed TONS of trains pulling full and empty ore cars.
We must have seen about 200 of them. The wind while driving was pretty strong, it was blowing loose pieces of ore out of the car and into us. And those ore cars were not even moving at the time.
Ok, so I misspoke about the greenery in Wyoming.
We finally made it to South Dakota. We took a back road into the state, so we didn’t get the regular welcome sign. We will try to get it the next time we cross the border. Looks like this sign has taken a few pot shots:
On our way to keystone we realized that google maps lied. It told us it would take over nine hours to arrive. We were already at our turn off at the three hour mark. We decided to go a different route and see Wind Cave National Park
We signed up for the cave tour. This time of year they only offer one tour so it made our decision easy. This is the original entrance that people used to climb down. Fortunately, we didn’t have to squeeze in there 😀
The pictures inside the cave didn’t come out that good, so you can’t see how detailed they are. Wind Cave is quite different from other caves. Instead of stalactites and stalagmites, the cave is decorated with boxwork. Boxwork is a crystalline formation that predates the cave. It was formed when calcite filled tiny cracks within the limestone. Later, when the cave formed, water dissolved the limestone leaving behind the delicate crystal fins that now decorate the cave walls.
To date, the cave is over 120 miles long. Each year, as more of the cave is charted they add to the length of discovered passageways.
After we left Wind Cave, we saw a bunch of prairie dogs.
We headed up through Custer State Park. This was a fantastic side trip. We drove by Bison and Mule Deer. At one point there was an entire heard about 5 feet from your car door.
The road winded out of Custer State park and onto route 16a. This route includes the Iron Mountain Road. A very scenic part of the highway. It has two very unique features. The first is something called The Pigtail Bridge These bridges spiral around just like a pigs tail. It was pretty impressive how well they worked.
The second feature is a set of three tunnels:
The view as you leave the third tunnel is incredible. You have a straight on view of Mount Rushmore. Because of the sunlight, the photo didn’t come out very well. For some reason the photo when uploaded is pixalated, but the file on disk seems to be ok.
We finally made it to keystone and to the hotel. Angie and I were both starving as we had not eaten all day, and it is now about 17:30! We find a nice family restaurant that had pretty decent food, along with an all you can eat soup and salad bar.
After dinner we went back to the hotel and took a soak in the spa before bed. Now that we are finally at our first real destination, the sightseeing can begin!
April 30, 2006
Day 2 (The long and windy roads)
Today we got up and had breakfast at the hotel. They had a decent amount of food. After filling up and packing the car back up we headed out onto the road.
Traveling up the 15 was pretty much the same as it was the day before. Lots of trucks and a few cars on the road. There is not much to say about this part of the trip, other than “yawn”. The country side is pretty, but it can get a little boring after seeing the same type of stuff for over 300 miles. Between the cross winds and the semi trucks it took constant concentration to keep from drifting off the highway in some spots.
We stopped in Park City Utah for lunch and gas.
Below we noticed the remains of the snow of the ski jump. We have never seen a ski jump in person.
After lunch we headed on our way to Rawlins, Wy. On the way we stopped at a rest top and ran into our Token ground rodent we see on EVERY single trip.
We arrived at the hotel about six-ish, unpacked and grabbed some dinner. One last day of all day driving and we will be in South Dakota!
The one that got away.
As posted before, I am buying a camry hybrid. The car was not supposed to arrive until mid-July, but because of the color and package combo I wanted, I got moved to the top of the list!
Unfortunately that meant the car would arrive between the 2nd and the 5th of May. So I had to remove my name off this car. As luck would have it, I could have been the 1st one at their dealership to own one and maybe in the city. (oh well, will have to wait for the next one)
April 29, 2006
Day 1 (On the road)
Well we got a late start as usual. Had to then run to the bank and then try to find the Hertz location that was open to add Angie to the rental agreement. (More on that later)
After making a stop to offload 1/2 a carload of candles for a party Angie’s coworker had, we finally made it on the road.
We made great time to the Nevada border. Got there in just about three hours. The traffic was pretty heavy into Las Vegas, but we still got there in about 4.5 hours total. Not too shabby.
We stopped at the airport to take care of putting Angie on the rental contract. When we got there, they told us this was not necessary. I explained that I was specifically told she had to come in and be added because her last name was not the same as myself. So we ended wasting about 2 hours and 1/8 of a tank in all the running around we did. Sounds like it’s letter time.
Arrived in Las Vegas to fill up on food and gas up the car. We went to the Hilton for their awesome buffet, but we just missed it. So we settled for a light lunch at the coffee shop there. Had a cheese steak sandwich and cup of soup. Angie just had a bowl of soup. It was home made chicken noodle, it was VERY good. After filling up we headed back out on the road. 170 miles to go for the 1st day.
We crossed into Arizona after passing another set of casino’s. It must be a rule that every highway that leaves Nevada has at least one casino there.
I forgot how amazing northern Arizona is. Most people think of things like phoenix which is pretty flat. There is some amazing views through the mountains along the Virgin River. It sucks for EVDO though 😉
We crossed over into Utah after about 18 miles of driving through arizona. Entering Utah, we were presented with some amazing rock shapes, colors and formations. A lot of colors that we don’t usually see in Southern California.
Entering the canyons:
Leaving the canyons:
The Virgin River
About an hour or so later we arrived in cedar city and checked into the hotel. Very friendly folks.
Headed to dinner then back to the room for a good night sleep.
