The End of the Road (trip)

Well, I've been home for a while now, gotten a couple of good nights of sleep, taken a shower or two, watched "Brokeback Mountain" and eaten all of the hot dogs.

Writing this post has been difficult, mainly because it represents the end of a really incredible journey.

Here are some things that I've learned:

Driving is not scary. It's one of those things that you just need to buck up and do. I drove through all sorts of terrain and encountered a great deal of construction. With the exception of two (yes, two) birds that I hit, even the wildlife stayed out of our way.

Sometimes you don't need a plan. Not having a plan beyond the first night worked out very well for us. We stayed off the beaten path, made up our own rules and didn't have the pressures of an itinerary hanging over our heads. Because of this, we found our own little corners of the world, and at times it felt that we were perhaps the only people around for miles.

Cracker Barrel doesn't have much of a market out west. Driving south to visit my grandmother over the past few years, I've realized that Cracker Barrel has hundreds of billboards lining the interstate. And seemingly, they never repeat. Different pictures, different wording. I decided to put this to the test on this trip. However, I only saw 1 sign in the nearly 3,000 miles we drove. I was disappointed to say the least.

Technology is great, especially when it doesn't work. Adam thought that my guidebooks and atlas were kind of silly. "We don't need an atlas, we've got the internet." Yeah, except when you don't have the internet because you're in the middle of a national forest. Around the middle of South Dakota, even our cell reception started to go. For days, we were without the internet. Until we got to Cody, Adam and I hadn't been on the interwebs for a good long while, and sitting in the Silver Dollar Bar, we suddenly had internet on our phones again. He started checking the sports scores and then realized, it didn't matter. He'd be able to check the scores pretty much any time he wanted, but he'd only be in Cody for a short while.

Drinking beer at a rustic campsite next to a stream at night is not a good idea. Especially if its cold.

Having a good traveling companion is a necessity. I couldn't have done this without Adam. I had a bit of an existential crisis not too long ago, and I knew I wanted to head out west to find myself. This trip was that crazy idea brought to fruition. Heading out west has that connotation that you will find yourself somewhere out in the mountains, out on the plains, somewhere out in nature or in a Walmart in Gillette, Wyoming. Heading out west means that everywhere you end up, you're there with a big "YOU ARE HERE" sign, especially in the middle of nowhere. Having someone with you means that even if you're not entirely sure where that big sign is, the other person might know. Especially if they're the kind of person that has seen you through everything for the last ten years, understands your sense of humor and most importantly, understands who you are.

Pete Seeger is the bomb.

Coffee made in a perculator is always going to be the best coffee you've ever had. Sitting next to a fire, drinking hot, strong coffee is perhaps one of the most underrated of all human experiences. It really doesn't get much better than that, unless you've also got a plate of steaming bacon on your lap.

I like vacation. Today will be my first day back at work, and I'd be lying if I told you that I was totally pumped. There's something about sleeping in, breathing in deeply and knowing that the only thing you've got to do that day is getting in the car and driving. Or not. It's completely up to you. It's suddenly become your life again, you get to decide what happens. It's not about deadlines or time clocks or bus schedules or anything at all. It's about your time, your day, your choices, and knowing that what lies ahead of you is completely your own.

Existentialism isn't something you need to learn about. Especially if its happening. Suddenly, you are the Superman (or Superlady, in my case). You make fire, you sleep in the cold, you are WOMAN (or man, if you're not a woman).

"Creature Comforts" are a lie. You don't need a Walmart, or a shopping mall, or a bookstore, or a large health foods store, or restaurants, or anything really. I feel like "doing without" is also an invention of modern society. As long as you've got what you need, you don't need a whole lot. Give me a pair of jeans, a warm sweater, my boots, enough food, and I'll be just fine.

I am not a cowgirl. I like to pretend and wear my boots, though. I commented to Adam that I loved the fact the people were wearing western apparel completely without irony. He replied that they probably don't call it "western apparel," they probably just call it "clothes." Touche.

Don't underestimate the awe inspiring power of nature. It's stunning. Breathtaking. Beautiful. Indescribable. Even a talented wordsmith, such as I, cannot do it justice. Nor can pictures. Standing there in the middle of a wide open sky, clouds rolling over you, with the mountains surrounding you, and the trees and valleys below is something that must be experienced in person. Otherwise, its just a "nice picture."

Next year, we hope to be making a similar trip. Checking out the Dirty South. We won't really have a plan, but we'll have a blog and an atlas and a tent. Just knowing that there's another Existential Road Trip down the line makes me unbearably happy.

I hope that you've enjoyed reading my blog. I know that it's been a real pleasure to write it. I feel wholly philosophical and a bit sappy. More pictures will be added once Adam sends his to me. For those of you who requested postcards, keep checking your mail... :)

Happy Trails! (I couldn't resist)
With much love,
Allison

Driving

The last day of our trip, we woke up a little later than intended and had to pack up. This time it seemed that packing up the tent was more bittersweet than it had been before. We knew that this would be the last time on the trip. We pulled out the tent stakes, wiped off the mudfly, and crammed it back into the tote. We packed up the car, reorganized it for the long trip ahead, and started down the mountain.

It was around 9am mountain time as we made that last dissent. According to Google Maps, we had nearly a 19 hour drive ahead of us. We started off on 14A, which would take us back to 90. We had just started out when we came to a stop. Construction on the mountain would require us to wait for a Pilot Car to come to lead us up. We sat with the windows down, cheerfully complaining about the wait. Personally, I was glad for any more time spent in the mountains.

Following the car up and around the mountain, we were once again thrust in the midst of beautiful vistas. The air was cold but it was the kind of cold that made you thankful to feel it. As the car waved us on, we continued on our way. We weren't driving long before we came to a sign. We pulled over and took some pictures.

Off to our left, there was snow on the hillside. Adam started to run up towards it. The thing about elevation is that it literally takes your breath away. The high altitude had caused us on more than one occasion to accidentally over-exert ourselves by doing such common place things as walking fast or jogging.
He's that little speck in the middle. Signs at the observation point proclaimed which activities were permitted and prohibited.
For instance, it was fine to go biking or skiing down the mountain, but not okay to take your ATV on it.

We got back in the car and continued on our way. We changed the clock back to central time, so that we would be aware of how much time we were actually dealing with. Adam had a meeting in the morning, and we had to get back. Originally, our intention had been to do about 15 hours of driving one day, and then 5 the next, but the way things were looking, we'd be driving straight through from Wyoming back to Chicago.

The first order of business was to find a truck stop to get coffee and brush our teeth. Just in case you were wondering, we hadn't been at a campsite with modern facilities for 4 days. It was my suggestion to wait until we got to a place with a sink to brush our teeth, rather than leaving nasty toothpaste smell in nature. We got to a town and hit up the gas station and general store. They had a bathroom, but no coffee. I couldn't believe it. I've never stopped at a gas station with no coffee. We got back in the car and headed to the next town over, one that we had actually stopped in a few nights before. We got a box of donuts and two big cups of coffee and headed out on our journey again.

Heading east through Wyoming is a bit of a sad affair. You know that soon enough, the mountains are going to end. We stopped again around 2:30 and got some more coffee and postcards. I started driving and soon enough, we were at the juncture that would have taken us back to Devils Tower. We went on past it, and got back onto 90. Far too soon, we were in South Dakota.

South Dakota is a long state. You can drive all day, and just get through it. We needed to make one last stop before we really hunkered down to begin our non-stop driving spree. We had missed this stop the first time because of all of the stops we wanted to make on our way out west. Adam and I knew that this was one stop we couldn't afford to miss.

We pulled off on a long country road, through corn fields and past small farms. We got held up again with construction and waiting for a pilot car. Again, sitting with the windows open, we took in our surroundings. The car was off and we sat quietly, waiting with anticipation for the pilot car to take us to our next, and sadly, final destination.

The car drove us nearly to the entrance of the park. All weekend long, we'd had great luck, as it was a fee free weekend in the national parks and as such, hadn't paid for a thing. We pulled up to the window, paid our $15 entrance fee, which we knew would be totally worth it, and we were suddenly transported into the Badlands.We pulled into the first scenic overlook, and got out to take pictures. If you've never been to the Badlands, you might not understand. Its as though you're suddenly surrounded by jagged cliffs, steep drops into valleys, grasslands and mounds. Its breathtakingly beautiful.
Getting back in the car, we drove the rest of the way through the park. Though we wished we had more time to spend there, we knew it wasn't an option. Adam talked enthusiastically about coming back sometime and going backpacking. I made a joke about getting some snake anti-venom and he said with utmost seriousness, "Nah, that's just extra weight." And then, "How much do you think that costs? Do you think it's necessary?"

We drove for a while longer before pulling off in a town to grab some food. Let me tell you, there aren't a ton of towns along 90 in South Dakota. After dinner, we got gas, switched drivers and began the long night drive. Adam started us out around 9, I fell asleep around 10:30, and then at 1:30, somewhere in Minnesota, we pulled off, filled up the tank, and I took over the wheel. I had an enormous cup of coffee and Twizzlers to keep me company. I put on some Dar, and drove. And drove. And cursed Obama and his stimulus package.

Several times, the road narrowed down to one lane with long orange medians between you and the oncoming traffic. All the while, the construction signs boasted that it was a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I cursed and muttered. Around 4:30, Adam woke up during one of my rants and offered to drive to which I responded, "We're in the middle of fucking construction and I have a goddamn semi on my ass, you want me to fucking pull over?!?!?" He apologized and went back to sleep.

We crossed the Mississippi again, and I said goodbye to Minnesota. The sun rose (and because I was listening to Dar all night and can't resist) with so many colors it nearly broke my heart. Wisconsin's familiar terrain rose around us. Around 5:30, I decided that I had had enough of the driving and was going to get some McDonald's for breakfast. I almost feel like McDonald's breakfast is a sick reward for making it through a night where you did something you know you probably shouldn't have. It's the perfect cure for hangovers, first of all, and second, it's always there after a night of highway driving. To be clear, I did not have a hangover.

Pulling into a McDonald's in Wisconsin Dells, I took a look at myself in the restroom. I looked wrecked. My hair was dirty and a mess and it was clear I hadn't slept the night before.

We ate our food in near silence. We still had about 4 and half hours to go. My coffee was too hot to drink and when we got back to the car, I didn't want to sleep. But before long, I was out. I woke up and Adam had started drinking my coffee. I took it back. That was my coffee. We crossed into Illinois and pulled over at a rest stop. I dozed as Adam pulled onto the tollway.

You know how there are sometimes songs that for no explainable reason come to commemorate something or some time in your life? Adam and I have a song like this for our roadtrip. One of my guidebooks suggested Pete Seeger for good traveling music. Listening to it for the first time, even I, who loves Americana folksy stuff, said, "Wow. This sucks." Driving through the mountains that first night, we had it playing again, and this song came on. It's not a great song by any means, except that it's really catchy. I finally understand what they were trying to teach us during those song-writing workshops at Second City. Its not really about the verses as long as you have a catchy chorus. Well, let me tell you, this song has a very catchy chorus. It's called "The Ballad of Titanic." The verses are pretty insignificant when it comes to the overall song. The chorus on the other hand, is fantastic.

It was sad!
It was sad!
It was sad when that great ship went down!
Husbands and wives
little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down!

Out of nowhere, we would both start singing it. We put the song on for a final time and then Adam requested his second favorite Pete Seeger song: "The Draft Dodger Rag." Then I put on "Big Rock Candy Mountain," and we laughed about the hobo museum. I put on "Home on the Range," and we pulled over and cried and held each other, mourning the end of our great trip. Okay, so we didn't pull over and cry.

As we drove into the city around 9:30, we we were proud of our tremendous accomplishment. The trip had been remarkable, the scenery and the company was grand! While excited for a shower, I wasn't all that pleased to be back in Chicago. A bum walked up and down through the cars begging for change. People waited on the side of the street for the bus. It was hot, and it wasn't a good summer hot, it was a tragic dirty hot.

We pulled into my driveway and took one last picture. We began to unload the car, and before long, Adam was on his way to get a car wash and take a shower before his meeting. I handed him back his extra car key, and he hesitated before taking it back. "No, you keep it," he said. I forced it into his hand and told him that if he didn't take it, I'd steal his car and drive it back to Wyoming. And I wasn't kidding.

I sat down in my apartment surrounded by all of the camping gear. I took a deep breath and started to unpack. And realized I had forgotten to grab my toiletries from Adam's car.

Rodeo!

Now, I've got to let you in on a little secret... remember how I said that the campsite sort of reminded me of "Brokeback Mountain?" Again, I know what you're thinking, and no. However, one of the ways Adam was able to convince me to stay was by promising me that we could go to the rodeo!!

Every night in Cody, Wyoming, there's a rodeo at 8:00. Driving over to Cody was a nice little jaunt. We rolled into town at about 6:30 and headed over to the Silver Dollar Bar for some burgers and beer before the show. It was a fantastic spot (thanks Lonely Planet guidebook!).

At the rodeo, we watched all sorts of events! Bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, and barrel racing. The cowboys and cowgirls put on a great show. The clown sucked. Big time. Really dated jokes, and didn't seem to know how to improvise a bit. Being at a rodeo was AWESOME!!

That girl ended up winning! :)

Adam and I had had great intentions to get back to the campsite and have dinner over the roaring fire I would make. We'd sit and watch the stars, play the guitar, tell ghost stories. But I fell asleep on the way back, he hit a small mammal, and we were both pooped by the time we made the steep climb to the site. We stood and looked up at the stars just long enough to finish the mini bottle of Jack Daniels (I learned my lesson with the beer the night before). We had wised up in regards to both the temperature up on the mountain and the slope of the tent. We zipped our sleeping bags together, rotated them 90 degrees and with the roaring of the stream next to us, the stars shooting above us and the mountain beneath us, we fell soundly asleep.

High on Something

So, we last left our heroes on a mountain side, next to a stream, in 40 degree weather, under the stars. The girl hero pretended that she was a cowgirl so that she wouldn't be scared of the complete desolation of the situation. She had been listening to the stream next to her for hours, unable to sleep, shivering. She opened her eyes. Her watch said it was six a.m. She could see sunlight through the tent walls. Clutching the hatchet, she crept out of the tent, shook out her boots in case any snakes had decided to make a bed inside of them. Walking past the tent towards the rustic pit toilets, she was taken aback by the mountains around her, the valley below, the pink sky and the clouds.

Returning to the tent, she tried to start a conversation with her fellow cowpoke. And then she went back to sleep, warm for the first time in several hours.

That's what it would sound like if I was narrating this blog post. I'm not going to do that though, because it's kind of silly after a while.

So yesterday morning, I woke up around 6 and then fell back asleep until nearly 11:30. I guess it was a combination of not really sleeping all night, the intense cold, and the mountain air. I got out of the tent and Adam was once again standing in front of the fire ring. Four or five senior citizens were tromping through the stream to the right of our tent. Mountains surrounded us, and I realized that we were very high up. Adam told me that he had been up for a little while, put his sleeping bag over me so that I would stop complaining about the cold and had gone for a bit of a hike up the trail. Then he was trying to "start a fire for me." What a dear. Unfortunately, it still wasn't really going that well. I needed to make some coffee and so I got out the stove and the food. We were going to have a mountain feast of bacon and eggs. And strong coffee.

After the meal, Adam went to the pump and got a basin of water. While he was away, I sat by the smoldering attempt of the fire. I looked around, saw some paper towel, twigs, bark, and partially burned remnants of wood from the night before. I started to put stuff on the fire and well, what can I say? I have the same luck with fires that he has with driving. :)

Adam then felt that he needed to invigorate himself and prove that he really was a mountain man. He went and washed up in the 35 degree water of the stream. The air temperature was probably no more that 45. I stayed by the fire. Because I'm not crazy.

We headed up the mountain to see the waterfall that was causing our stream. There must have been a trailhead somewhere around there for a scenic hike, but aside from the Seniors, we didn't see anyone else. Sitting by the powerful waterfall, I just paused for a moment, watched the water falling down hard, bubbling up, heading down the stream. The spray misted me, and took in a deep breath of the cold mountain air. It was surreal.
Back at camp, Adam convinced me that we should spend our final night at the same site. In the daylight, it was much less "Blair Witch Project" and much more "Brokeback Mountain." Not the parts I'm sure you're thinking of... the amazing scenery parts... and no, I'm not talking about Heath Ledger or Jake Gyllenhaal.... seriously, just the scenery. Anyway, we left the tent up and headed down the mountain.



We stopped by the visitor's center for Bighorn Canyon in Lovell and I asked the Park Ranger what one needed to do to become a park ranger. It turns out that she was a fashion major in college, which gave me hope.


We drove down to the entrance to the park (narrowly avoiding a scrape with a roadrunner) and headed to Horseshoe Bend, the cliffs across from the grassy marina are bright red. We continued down the road to the Bighorn Canyon where there's a spot where you can shout and hear a triple echo. The real excitement is the view though: surrounded on all sides by jutting cliffs and mountains, seeing the river far below. And, of course hearing the triple echo.

The park boasted that it was home to a great deal of wildlife, including bighorn rams and a large heard of wild mustangs. Adam wanted to see the rams, I wanted to see the mustangs. We drove further out, past the canyon to a place called "Mustang Point." Getting out of the car, we were in the midst of an arid grassland. Adam and I hiked around a bit and we saw evidence of the horses all over, but unfortunately, no horses themselves. Far too soon we had to get back in the car.

Surprises

Well, I apologize for my absence, but we've been in a pretty rustic area for the past couple of days. I'm going to back track a bit, and you'll have to imagine that this is being posted in real time.

Okay, so remember when I said that we pulled into our campsite at midnight? It was pitch black, and we put up the tent with the assistance of the headlights. Adam had promised me that we'd take it kind of easy the next morning, making a good ol' camp breakfast and having a fire. I slept like a rock, and ignored my alarm. I slept until about 9, when Adam came back to the tent and said, "Oh my God, Allison, you need to see where we are." I sat up, disoriented and sleepy. Obviously, I was in a tent. In my sleeping bag. And had been sound asleep, quite happily. I unzipped myself and stumbled through the tent door into the most beautiful scene I had ever come across. Below us was a lake, straight ahead, high hills, the sun streaming down through the tree cover above us. Pulling into the campsite the night before, we were tired and given the late hour and the pure darkness of the Black Hills National Forest, we were completely unaware of our surroundings. It was as though we had been transported to an L.L. Bean catalogue.

I was in charge of most of the preparations as far as collecting the necessary foodstuffs we'd be needing. Adam started the fire, I set up the camp stove. I put on the percolator with some coffee roasted in Chicago, originally from Ethiopia, in the Black Hills. I felt very worldly. Breakfast that morning was scrambled eggs and "frybread." Its an awesome idea to have rustic camp food when you're camping. Its even more awesome to remember to bring necessary things like butter, which I didn't. Thankfully, a young couple next to us was making a nice camp breakfast of eggs and bacon, and I went over to bother them. They were sweet enough to give us enough butter for our meal. The eggs were fluffy and the toast was delicious. We sat by the fire and started planning our day. Time was getting short, we wanted to see as much of the west as we could before we had to head home. We took down camp and were about to get on our way until we noticed that our friends next door had locked themselves out of their car. Adam offered them a ride back to Keystone, but they were determined to get themselves back in with a tent stake and a hatchet.

Driving west out of the park, we stopped at the ranger station, which had been closed at midnight when we rolled in, to pay. We could have gotten the night free, but we're pretty honest folks.

We still couldn't believe our luck as we headed west, destination unknown for the most part. We passed small towns and signs proclaiming "Wild West Shows." We passed a sign for a town called Deadwood, immortalized as a classic Wild West town by television, movies and dime novels about cowboys. Adam started debating with himself in the way that he does, trying to convince himself that he's not missing a great opportunity. "But seriously, how cool would it be to say that you played poker in Deadwood, you know?" and so on. Twenty minutes later, he decided to turn around. I looked in the guidebook to find something that would occupy my time while he was off playing cards.

You know how things sometimes just fall into place? At 1:00 there would be a live action gun fight, showing the murder of Wild Bill Hicock. Adam and I parted ways, and I crowded into the back room of Saloon No. 10 (not the original, but the place where Wild Bill (better known as Calamity Jane's boyfriend) was killed). An actor began the show off by describing his (Wild Bill's) time in the army, as a Pony Express Rider, as a Wild West showman, and as a sheriff. He pulled into Deadwood and quickly began making friends and enemies. One day, he went into the Saloon No. 10 and wanted to join a poker game, but his seat (facing towards the door, so he could keep an eye out) was taken. He asked the man in his seat to move, and after some discussion and good natured ribbing, Wild Bill sat in another seat, with is back to the door. They played a couple of hands, and then the fateful hand was dealt. As Wild Bill sat there with his hand of Aces and eights (later known as the dead man's hand) he was shot by an outlaw who he had met a few days prior. Calamity Jane and he are now buried side by side in the Deadwood cemetery.


After the show was done, I headed out onto Main St to find Adam and warn him about the unlucky poker hand. I hoped it wasn't too late! He was sitting in the Gold Dust Gaming Parlor. He was having a good game, and I went to the nickel slots. I got carded, because apparently I look 16 with my hair in braids. I made friends with a girl sitting next to me from Colorado. After Adam's game, he came and found me raking in the dough at the slot machine. Our meter was up and we had to head out. I cashed out and gave my winnings ($1.90!!) to the gal next to me.

Heading out of Deadwood, we drove through the remainder of South Dakota and into Wyoming. We pulled off of 90 to check out Devils Tower. You may know of this fantastic national monument from the classic Spielberg movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," in which the main character makes a replica of Devils Tower from mashed potatoes. The Indians have a myth as to its spiritual creation. 7 young girls were being chased by grizzly bears. They climbed up a small hill and prayed to the gods that they would be saved. Their prayers were answered and the mountain grew. The bears, still attempting to capture the girls, scratched at the sides of the hill. The girls rose so high that they became stars, which we know as the Pleiades (7 sisters) constellation. What actually happened was much less exciting, and involves magma.On our way out of the park, we saw PRAIRIE DOGS! OMG! SO CUTE!!
Back on 90, we travelled further into Wyoming, stopping in a town called Gillette. Gillette is awesome because it's in the middle of literally no where but it has contemporary amenities such as Starbucks and Walmart. We stopped at the Walmart to get bacon and butter. The weather had gotten much chillier as we headed west, and Adam debated buying a sweatshirt. I told him it would probably be a good idea, considering that it was pretty cool.

We had picked out a campground in Bighorn Mountain National Park. I had picked up driving after Devils Tower. The thing is that the roads had been pretty smooth and straight the whole day we had been driving. I got on the highway and it started to rain. And then we hit construction. And then I almost got pulled over by a state trooper. And then got into the Bighorn Mountains. And then there was construction in the Bighorn Mountains.

Now, if you've never been out west, on a trip to Yellowstone, say, and never driven through the Bighorns, you might think that I'm kind of a pussy. But let me tell you about some of the signs I saw: Avoid Cracked Windshield, Fallen Rock, Road Damage Ahead, Sharp Curves, Open Stock, Brake Cooling Area, Steep Grade-Use Lower Gear, and my personal favorite, Runaway Truck Ramp. Driving around switchbacks, in the pitch black, with construction, and weather conditions such as rain and sleet, is pretty scary. Adam finally asked if he could drive once the construction resulted in a one-lane road. 15 minutes after he got behind the wheel (and after I had been driving through insane conditions) the construction ended, the road cleared up, and it was for the most part, straight. We decided to stop at the next campsite we saw. A National Park sign for "Five Springs Park" was off to our right, and Adam pulled in. We started driving up a very steep and windey road full of switchbacks and curves. 10 minutes of this, and I was about to curl into a ball to prepare for the impact of falling of a mountain. We saw a sign, Adam got out and decided that we would spend the night there. That was fine with me. I was going to stay on the top of the mountain for forever because I was not driving back down. Ever.

We drove up to the camping area, took the first site off the road, next to a stream, a really loud stream. We set up our tent, Adam kept saying things like "This is so incredible!" and "This is what I mean when I talk about "really camping." and so on. I drank the Sturgis beer and shivered as Adam tried to start the campfire. The campsite was really cold. Not just "oh man, its chilly for August" cold, like "oh my god, I hope we don't get hypothermia" cold. We stared at the stars after we decided that a fire wasn't going to happen due to the nature of the wet ground, despite Adam's best hatcheting efforts.

We saw two shooting stars, saw the milky way, saw more stars than I've ever seen in my life. The darkness was overwhelming and scary. We were the only people up on that mountain. As we huddled together for warmth in the tent, each with 3-4 layers of clothes on, I realized that drinking that beer before trying to sleep next to a roaring stream on a mountain top may have been a mistake.

Road Trip Essentials

1. Transportation:
You need some good transportation to get you from one place to another. Adam and I have been taking turns driving in his Honda Pilot. Yesterday (day 2 of the trip) we headed out of Iowa and into South Dakota. The thing about South Dakota is that its beautiful. Starting out, we were in the plains, and it was hot. Then we entered the Badlands, and it was hot and windy. Then we got to the Black Hills where it was cool and the roads are wind-y. Along the way, we passed a hearse. It wasn't being used as a hearse, but rather, a black station wagon. Later, we passed the same hearse, the occupants outside the vehicle, talking to the tow truck operator. Looks like their road trip hit a (wait for it...) dead end.
2. Destinations:
Day two was another tremendous success. We did the usual South Dakota tourist things. We went first to the Mitchell Corn Palace. For those of you unfamiliar with the Corn Palace, its basically a big building with corn stapled to it. But its also so much more. Its basically the only reason Mitchell is on the map. Every year, they redecorate the Palace. They use 9 colors of corn, approximately 600,000 pieces and over a ton of nails staples and wires. This year's theme was "America's Destinations." The Corn Palace and Mt. Rushmore figured prominently. Our next stop was at a random rest stop right before we entered the Badlands. It turns out Lewis and Clark stopped there some time before we did. The view was spectacular, the Missouri River in a valley below us, the hills suddenly bringing South Dakota to life. As any traveler who has headed out west knows, there's really only one place to stop to get free ice water and 5 cent coffee. That would be Wall Drug. Located in Wall, SD, roadtrippers see signs for literally thousands of miles. There are signs in Saudi Arabia and Kenya. Stopping in is more than a rest stop, its a destination of its own right. I put on a cowboy hat, picked up a couple of six-shooters and watched as the cowboy band gave us some entertainment. We went to the shooting range and for 50 cents, blew off some steam. We hopped back in the car, and soon enough, the terrain became treacherous. As you may know, I'm not the biggest fan of driving. It was rad once I stopped gripping the wheel with a death grip. We drove through the Black Hills until we got to Keystone and up to Mt. Rushmore. Admission is free to the park, but parking is $10 for an annual pass. Personally, I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of that annual pass. We waited for the nightly lighting ceremony as patriotic music played and a documentary about the monument narrated by James Earl Jones (voice of America, if you ask me) was shown. Finally, we joined in singing the national anthem and overcome with patriotism, we tingled with anticipation as the lights slowly came up over enormous presidential heads.
3. Food:
Essentially, packing a bunch of food that you can use to make travelling lunches is a great idea. At the camp site, I made some sandwiches for Adam and me, and we headed on our way. The night before, we had eaten hot dogs and smores. For breakfast, we ate junk food. On the road we ate trail mix, jerky and Cheese-its. We drank coffee, water and Adam bought some Sturgis beer. At Wall Drug, I had pie and Adam had a buffalo burger and homemade donut. Ensuring that you're not hungry is good since I know that when I have low blood sugar, I get crabby
4. Some Jams or a Book on Tape:
Adam put on Bob Dylan and I put on the Existentialism series my dad gave me. Its important that the sounds hold your interest and also that they match the terrain.
5. A place to stay for the night:
As we learned last night, this is important to think about slightly in advance. For instance, after you're leaving Mt. Rushmore at 10:30 at night, isn't ideal. Looking for a campsite in the Black Hills at 11:30 is dangerous. There are a ton of deer, the roads are super windey and there are no good lights. Trying to stay near a big tourist trap means that you're going to up in a shit-tastic campground. Having me drive you through the Black Hills to find a campsite in a national park could cost you your life. As the signs posted all throughout the Black Hills point out, "Don't Die." Yes, everywhere someone has gone off the road and died, there's a sign that says "X Marks the Spot! THINK!" and on the back, it says "DON'T DIE." Morbid, but effective. We finally pulled into Pactola Park, drove around for a bit and found a spot. It was around midnight. We put up the tent in record time and went to bed. What can I say? I was kind of annoyed with Adam and his poor planning and the fact that he is literally the worst navigator on earth. Literally, the worst.

I complain, but honestly, it was a great day. :)

Gull Point

We spent the night at Gull Point State Park after following Hwy 86 through Iowa's farmland and wind harvesting fields. We pulled over in the middle of no where, surrounded by windmills and not much else. Adam had dropped his phone between the console and the seat and needed to retrieve it.

We got back in the car, and finished our drive to the state park we'd scoped out the night before on the internets. We missed the turn-off, and while finding a place to turn around we saw some giant ants.

We finally returned to the exit we had missed and picked out our campsite for the evening. We set up the tent and went to buy firewood. Adam had been fairly convinced that he would be able to scavange enough to make a fire. He was misguided.

I drove us to an old gas station. It had the old school pumps, no awning over it and a small shop located off to the side. An old man in overalls who had probably been in some proximity to the filling station his entire life and probably since the founding of the station in 1930. A menagerie of mangy cats and kittens adorned the lawn. I picked up one of the little bug-infested critters and asked Adam if we could keep it. He gave me a scornful look and told me to grab a bundle of firewood.

Back at the camp, he worked on building the fire while I pranced around and didn't do much of anything. I did bring him a beer and set up the chairs.

Once the fire caught, it was a hot fire. We sat and I played my guitar and we drank a couple of beers before we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows on the metal prongs Adam had insisted were not necessary when we were in nature because we could totally just find a fruit tree and cut off a branch and then use that. He had to admit that yes, having those sticks wasn't a stupid idea after all.

Suddenly, I heard something that sounded suspiciously like a critter scuttling about. It was a friendly little salamander, not a scary poisonous snake like I had originally thought.

The sky was clear and the stars were gorgeous. We had great intentions earlier in the day to chronicle our adventures, but instead, we went to sleep.

Day one was highly productive and successful. Adam and I are ridiculously proud of ourselves.