The Collective Mind

After a few days on Road Trip 2008, the group realized that we were getting progressively stupid as we spent more time together. Let me share some examples (the guilty shall remain nameless, but there are only four of us anyway):

1. Someone woke up from a nap in the car, we said something about the map and they responded in an accusatory tone, "WHO TOLD YOU THAT!?" um, the map did.

2. Shotgun rider reading the map westward when we were driving eastward.

3. In a casino in Deadwood, SD I walked buy a machine that said "Bill Breaker and Ticket Redemption." I read it several times and thought "Who the hell is Bill Breaker and why is his name on the machine?"

4. Asking the waitress in Laramie, WY to repeat salad dressing options after she had JUST named them off. Then asking her what soups they had and saying "Just Kidding!" afterwards. Yes, she really loved us.

5. I lost my wallet on the way from the gas station to rental car return to the shuttle bus taking us to the terminal. I never lose things. Sheer panic. (How DO you get on a plane if you have no picture ID on you? Can U.S. Customs pull up your passport information?) Luckily, the wallet had fallen out at the rental car place and I was able to retrieve it and board the plane.

Things to Do in Denver: Deluxe Version

The rest of the trip (Days 7-11):


We stayed a day ahead of schedule, so we finished up in the Grand Tetons (moose sightings still at zero) and stayed in the town of Dubois, WY. Dubois is supposedly a town full of real cowboys. It is also a town that does not stay open past 9pm. The grocery store closed at 8pm, the convenience store closed at 9pm, as well as the majority of restaurants. We finally found a steak place open. It was connected to a bar, which, as soon as we entered, the music pretty much screeched to a halt. Yikes. We opted to drink in our room at the Chinook Winds motel. Card playing, dancing and shenanigans (of which I don't have pictures of, but include Jamie setting Vickie on fire) ensued.
















From Wyoming we drove non-stop into Denver. We battled high winds, rain, hail, and lightning but made it to the mountain oasis that is Jamie's parents' home.















Where there were these super luxe guest baskets in each bedroom:















I have to say, I really enjoyed my time in Denver. Not only because it was the first time we got to stay in one place for more than one night, but also because Jamie's mom fed us so well. It was such a treat to eat good food again. The amount of iceberg lettuce we consumed over the last week is scary to think about. The warm, home-made muffins, fruit and other snacks were wonderful. Denver is a beautiful city and the air quality is significantly better than New York (duh). It was also nice to be shown around by locals. We went to numerous BBQs, the Denver Art Museum, Mt. Evans (of Rockie Mountains fame) and Dairy Queen. Where I actually had Blizzard envy. Who knew the Girl Scout thin mint one would be so much tastier than my usual Butterfinger???


































































FINAL STATS:
Total miles driven: 2,456
Amount spent on gas: $400
Souvenir t-shirts purchased: 17
Iceberg lettuce consumed: at least 3 heads
Moose seen: 0
Highest elevation reached: 14,130 (Mt. Evans, Colorado Rockies)

National Parks: In Search of Bullwinkle

Day 5: June 30, 2008 and Day 6: July 1, 2008

The last two days we hit up two national parks: Yellowstone where we saw many, many thermal springs and fantastic scenery.































































...and the Grand Tetons (or "Grand Teet'ins" as Vickie calls it.) I've been to both previously in a similar roadtrip with my family years ago, and I distinctly remember how beautiful the Grand Tetons were. I was not disappointed the second time around.












































We also encountered endless wildlife: bison, deer, elk, and foxes. The one creature we did not see was the elusive moose. We looked far and wide across acres of parkland over two days and did not come across a moose. (sigh)

Also of note, today we hit up three states: Montana, Idaho (no, Udaho!), and Wyoming.

STATS:
Miles covered Day 5: 395
Miles covered Day 6: 167
Bison sighted: too many to count
Deer sighted: too many to count
Bears sighted: 3
Elk sighted: 1 (sitting)
Foxes sighted: 1
States visited: 3

The Not-So-Hot Hot Springs

Day 4: Sunday, June 29, 2008

We attempted to find the hot springs in Hot Springs. Unfortunately, the locals were wrong and neither the river, nor Cascade Falls provided warm, healing waters.

Next up: a drive through the Black Hills.

Deadwood, which didn't look anything like it does in the HBO series. We spent a little bit of time in the casinos and I was the only successful gambler today: $6.95 from the nickel slots. Score! Lunch at the Deadwood Social Club was by far the best meal and service we have had so far. We've grown tired of the sad Midwestern fair and ice berg lettuce salad bars. (what I'd give for some NYC pizza...)

Sturgis is the site of the annual motorcycle rally, but what we saw today is a far cry from the insanity that will ensue in early August.

And so we leave South Dakota behind and move further westward to Wyoming, Cowboy Country. Yee-haw!

STATS:

Miles covered: 268

Number of successful badminton volleys in the motel parking lot: 35 (approx)

Number of t-shirts purchased in Sturgis: 11

Money lost gambling in Deadwood: $98.02

Enter the Badlands (or, The Never-ending Hike)

Day 3: Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Badlands National Park were named mako sica ("land" "bad") by the Sioux Indians. It refers to ow difficult it is to traval through because of the rugged terrain and lack of water.

In general, I don't think South Dakota really garners much thought from people, but I have to say, the Badlands are pretty awesome--after what seems like endless miles of flat grasslands (it IS the Great Plains and all) all of a sudden there are these deep canyons and tall spires among the Badland buttes. Lots of fossils have been found in the Badlands--the South Dakota state fossil (yes, apparenlty there is such a thing) is the triceratops.

This morning we went on a hike. I vetoed the 10 mile, 5 hour hike and we opted instead for the "moderate" 4 mile, 2 hour hike. Except to get to the trail, we had an addition 1.4 miles each way from the car. This seemed totally fine when we started out, but we were pretty exhausted by that last stretch. The severe wind advisory was no joke either.

Moving on through SD, we made quick stops at two very large stone monuments: Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. We drove through Custer State Park where we were stopped by a herd of bison (tatanka!) crossing the road and then down to the town of Hot Springs for the night. We had dinner at the hipster hangout and it appears that none of the locals knew where anything was (e.g. nearest ATM, hot springs, etc.)

STATS:
Miles covered: 148
Prairie dog sightings: 50
Bison sightings: a whole herd (bison babies too)

Jackalope sightings: 0
Wind speed in the Badlands: "tornadic" (Vickie), "a million mph" (Christina), 60-80mph (Jamie)

Into the Heart of the Midwest

Day 2: Friday, June 27, 2008

After a quick view of the actual Sioux Falls the city is named after, we stopped by Mitchell, SD to see the Taj Mahal of agriculture, the Corn Palace. Established in 1892 so settlers could display the fruits of their harvest, the building is redecorated each year with 275,000 (or about 1000 bushels) of corn.

The next famous South Dakotan tourist trap we visited was Wall Drug, a block-long souvenir shop. Back in 1936 they began to offer free ice water to travelers and business began booming from there. Water is still free and coffee is only 5 cents a cup.

We spent the evening in Wall and partied with the locals at the Badlands Bar, where we played some pool, confused the wasted bartenders with our exotic orders (e.g. anything other than cheap beer), and learned some party tricks. There was also some practicing of '8s dance moves (video to be uploaded later...)

STATS:
Miles covered: 340
DQ consumed: 0
Games of Solitaire: 0
Souvenirs purchased: approximately 25

Jackalope sightings: no real ones, but a whole hell of a lot of fake ones

Manifest Destiny Begins

Day 1: Thursday, June 26, 2008

Road Trip 2008 begins! After a few days in MN spent shopping, hanging out with old friends, and eating far too much, I went to the MSP airport to pick the Team up. We picked up our rental car where the very strict rental agent told Christina and Vickie that THEY were responsible for ANYTHING that happened to the car as soon as the keys were in their hands. Unless they got additional insurance, of course. We decided to risk it and accepted the responsibility.

To start our journey we went to the mecca of shopping, the Mall of America, for a few hours of consumer bliss. It was my third trip there in 48 hours. And yet I still managed to find something new to buy. From there we continued onto Target to pick up some staples: snacks, cooler, badminton set, etc.

Then we hit the road, leaving my beloved land of 10,000 lakes and headed southwest to the Rushmore State. (Fact: SD was aquired by the USA during the 1803 Louisiana Purchase) We drove late into the night and stayed in Sioux Falls, the largest city in the state. En route we stopped in Blue Eart, SD where they have an 85 foot tall Jolly Green Giant statue conveniently located next to Dairy Queen.




















STATS:
Miles covered: 263
DQ consumed: 2 Blizzards
Games of solitaire played: 0