Home Sweet Home

Charlie- happy to be back on the road

State Capitol of Wyoming- closed

Ruts from wagon wheels on the Oregon Trail in Guernsey, WY

Dog friendly restaurant in Hartville, WY

Boxwork speleothem at Wind Cave National Park

Crazy Horse Monument

Mike looking presidential at Mount Rushmore

Bison at Custer National Park

Needles Highway

One of many tunnels

The Needles Eye

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

The excellent South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre

The Rotunda

Dome

Mike thought this capitol had the best drinking fountains

Minnesota State Capitol- closed

Home again

Chuck- comfy and content

The last week on the road was a bit of a mad dash to get home. It's pretty much how we roll on our long trips. As soon as we get in the homestretch we don't exactly lose interest but our travels can be a bit cursory. It didn't help that the weather was gray and rainy. We did manage to see a lot of really beautiful country but we abandoned our rule about not traveling more than 200 miles/day, we hopped on the interstate for awhile and stopped for a McD's burger which we managed to avoid in the previous 8 weeks.

After leaving Boulder we spent one night in Wyoming on our way to South Dakota. Tried to go to the State Capitol in Cheyenne but it was closed. Stopped to see some ruts made by wagon trains on the Oregon Trail. Had a nice steak dinner at a dog friendly restaurant. 

The next day we stopped by Wind Cave National Park and the Crazy Horse Memorial in Southwest South Dakota. We took a tour of the cave- much different than other caves we had explored with totally different types of cave formations. The land above ground is also really beautiful- bison on rolling grassland and lots of prairie dogs. It would have been fun to explore more but it was pretty rainy and cold. 

We spent the night in Rapid City with friends Jay and Ellen and their son, Cole. They gave us good advice about some other good stuff to see and a great drive through Rushmore and Custer State Park. We toured Mount Rushmore and then took the Iron Mountain Rd and Needles Highway through Custer State Park. Lots of hairpin turns, narrow tunnels with occasional glimpses of Mount Rushmore. Custer State Park also has a huge bison herd and lots of other wildlife. 

From there we took the scenic drive through Badlands National Park. Another amazing National Park. The National Park Pass we bought was the best $80 we ever spent.

We also went to the State Capitol in Pierre. Definitely the most low key of all state capitols. The town itself is only about 10,000 in population. We walked right into the capitol without the usual security check- emptying pockets, metal detector. It was pretty quiet. I think we only saw a couple of other people during our visit. Also one of the prettiest with a beautiful location on a lake right in the center of town. Later I read in the paper that during the 1st weekend of June the Governor has invited families to come camp on the lawn of the capitol to promote family time and outdoor activities.. They'll even provide tents and camping gear to folks who need it. The governor's staff will help people set up campsites.

Our last stop in South Dakota was in De Smet which is the little town on the prairie where Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up. I was thrilled to be there. Mike sadly has not read the books and couldn't quite understand my excitement. 

All in all I think we didn't gave South Dakota the attention it deserved. Maybe we'll come back to camp on the capitol lawn?

After South Dakota we went straight to Minneapolis to stay with Mike's sister Karen for a couple of nights before we headed home. Got to see her boyfriend Joe and a couple of Mackinac friends, Mark and Doug. Tried to see the capitol- closed! So nice to see friends and family but by this time we were really anxious.

On Thursday we drove straight through and got home. We're still unpacking and opening mail. It's been great to sleep in our own bed. Mike's happy to be home and puttering and I'll go back to work in a couple of weeks. We surprised Ruby at school and had lunch with her. Charlie is lying in his favorite spot. There's no snow and the trees are starting to bud. It's good to be home.