SD The Finale: Black Hills

Camping in the Black Hills was great. Camped at both Pactola and Bismarck Lakes with great sites. Yes, we did go to Wall Drug on our way there, but it's not that cool. The highlight was the pic below. :) We also saw Mt. Rushmore and drove through Custer State Park hoping to see wildlife. The donkey picture summed up the initial drive, but after turning off onto a dirt road through the middle of the park, we were rewarded with a big boy right outside our window. Like, seriously, right outside the window. Oh, I'd also like to add that I had my first driving experience in our little bus! Very fun, minus the e-break was on the whole time...my bad. I wanted to go to Wind Cave and Jewel Cave but it was not meant to be. Long lines and tours closed for elevator work kept us out. Oh well.

SD Part 2: The Badlands

The Badlands were awesome. The landscape was so unique, it was liking walking on the moon. Very hot out there and no shade to be found, so we stayed at the Budget Host Inn and got up to watch the sunrise and get into the park before it got too hot. Check out the yellow mounds. So beautiful, like rainbow hills.



When did people start smiling in photos? These broads were not happy! It said most people who tried to settle here filed starvation claims and abandoned house.



South Dakota: Part 1

Went to the Corn Palace. Very kitchy. Avoided the Doll Museum. Scary. This was after our first night in South Dakota at another Lake Vermillion (just came from L. Vermillion in northern MN where my aunt and uncle have a cabin.) The lake was kinda crazy. Almost absurdly warm. We also paid to see the 1880 Town right off the highway. We were semi-interested in seeing the Dances with Wolves props and such. Probably not worth the entrance fee, but I was hoping to see a few more random things on this leg of the trip.



Finally found relief by jumping in the Missouri River right off the I-90. SUPER cold, but fun. You can see how high the water was in the next picture.



Actually found this beautiful site after getting pretty lost in the dirt backroads of SD. The Missouri River was flooded and thus most campgrounds we tried to find were under water or pretty lame





I like the last Chief on the right, his name was Comes Again





I also like this Coon coat



Movie Montage - Minnesota

I thought this would be a cool way to show the last week and half in Minnesota... but first time using Movie Maker and it took a bit more time than just posting pictures I guess... this might be sh&* for quality but shows we did the full pull in the Land of 10,000 Lakes!

                                 

Lake Mac and Fremont Lakes, NE

We assumed Nebraska would be boring as hell, however, a lightening storm at Lake McConaughy was both scary and quite impressive! Other than that though, it smelled like cow poop a lot and sadly, the gas stations are called Kum 'n' Go's. We also stopped for swimming at Fremont Lakes (LOTS of people, not as cool as MN) and saw some serious flooding in Sioux City, Iowa, where we stayed for the final night before reaching my mom's house in Excelsior MN.

Wyoming - Surprising cool

We honestly weren't sure what to expect of Wyoming. But Flaming Gorge was a spot we had been looking for probably this whole trip. Drove the bus right up to the water, tunes on, swimming, and no one else in sight. You can't beat that. Also tried Seminoe State Park, which was equally impressive. No one else in sight for most of our stay there and was set in the mountains seeming like we were in Austria or somewhere other than Wyoming. However, we were chased out of the park by the biggest death swarm of gnats you have ever seen and ended up staying in Rawlins instead. Funny sense of humor there. Local bar: The Office. Local nail salon: Get Nailed. Good stuff.

Scenic Byway 12

This was the rest of Utah for us. We decided not to do Capitol Reef and Arches and some other friendly suggestions as the bus was just not taking the elevation well anymore. We headed for Wyoming instead of Colorado, but drove this byway, which changes landscape like a dozen times. A-mazing. Seriously amazing. It goes through Grand Staircase, if you ever get a chance, it's totally worth it, and the road comes out to this point where you seriously feel like you're on top of the world, both sides of the road are cliffs, so you're just riding the rail, basically.