Day 3

Trip Information

8:30am - 8:30pm
Distance Traveled: 725 miles
(Total Distance Traveled: 1785 miles)
States: WI > MN > SD
Current Location: Hill City, SD
Next Destination: Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks

Daily Dialogue


I think I disappointed my first fellow driver this morning... I stopped at the stop sign at the hotel parking lot and looked left - clear.  Looked right - a car was coming.  Couple hundred yards off.  I could've waited, but for whatever reason I decided there was plenty of distance to pull out in front of the approaching automobile without impeding his rate of speed.  It wasn't even close to cutting the guy off, but apparently he was in a bigger hurry than I was.  He swerved left, then right to demonstrate his displeasure with my choice.  I was so impressed.  I merged right to make the turn for the interstate and I waved to the guy just to be nice (to irk him even more).  Well that combined with the previous incident was enough to get a returned wave from him - with 4 less fingers.


I spent most of the day driving... I can't say that it was a great experience from WI to MN to SD.  A plethora of fields and hills.  I'm pretty sure I went without seeing a McDonald's for a few hours and a couple hundred miles if that tells you anything.  Middle of NO WHERE.  So I decided to take some photos while driving.  

Eventually I made it to my destination, Mt. Rushmore.  The town I drove through (Keystone) was a cute, touristy looking town, but it was desolate - otherwise I probably would've stayed the night there.  I suppose the weather is what's keeping people away?  It's pretty mild here, but perhaps the shops/stores don't open for another few weeks.  I don't know.  The road to Mt. Rushmore was almost completely empty with the exception of a car or two.  Eventually the narrow, snaking pavement led me to the site below... 

Everyone (or hopefully everyone) learns about Mt. Rushmore in school - or at least everyone is made aware of its existence. It is a memorial to the first 150 years of our presidency and nation as a sovereign country, but it's a sculpture carved in the side of a mountain - how impressive can it really be?  I will admit that I never thought I'd be impressed with seeing Rushmore, but it's just one of those things you have to "see" so you can say you've seen it.  The photo above is almost exactly where you see Rushmore for the first time on the way to the actual dedicated memorial (with the visitor center, gift shop, etc).  The photo does ZERO justice - the monument appears much larger in person (The lens makes it appear smaller from the road). It was almost breath taking to make a right turn on the windy road and BAM!  there it is... incredible.  I pulled over and snapped some pics (none posted) from the road and just looked for a few minutes.  It was incredible to actually see it.  Below are the pics I took at the memorial.  The detail of the sculptures is unbelievable - definitely something to witness in person.

(Look at the mileage while I was at Mt. Rushmore - not including the last tenth digit.  Notice the irony? 1776?)

I intended on staying at Ellsworth AFB after Rushmore, but I'd have to back-track 45 minutes to stay there - and let's face it I wouldn't be doing anything if I stayed there because there is nothing to do around there.  Instead I pressed on and found a cute little town - Hill City - just east of Rushmore.  I'm gonna finish this post, have a drink, and head out to the local bar and mingle with the locals.  

Tomorrow I venture into the forests of Teton and Yellowstone.  I intend on camping out in Yellowstone, so I may not be updating this blog until Wednesday.  Hopefully I can find a safe place to camp - otherwise it could be a LONG night!