Day seven: Mt Rushmore and South Dakota
So-so start this morning, raining here and there, no real indication that the weather would improve... I left the motel and headed towards the Mt Rushmore Memorial and I didn't quite expect that Mister Fluffy here would bid me welcome
Ms Fluffy and Junior were too busy stuffing themselves to even aknowledge my presence
Fair enough.
I looked in the opposite direction and saw the memorial in the clear morning light
So from left to right that's Groucho, Harpo... Just kidding
I like it when the grey lady joins the party
Classic view.
So left to right they're George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
I didn't stay long as it's pretty much the only thing worth seeing there and once you have pics there's nothing else to do...
I drove off and took I-90 eastwards, to be pulled over by a Highway trooper soon afterwards for driving at 70mph in a 65 zone. He gave me just a warning, I was very thankful for that, and sent me on my way with no further delay.
I was a bit surprised, as I actually thought I was in a 75mph zone, and I keep on slightly lower than max speed since the other day because of the deers and stuff. There are dozens of rabbits, skunks, deers and birds in various states of decay littering the I-90 as a constant reminder of their presence... Anyway, it was nothing serious and although not forgotten the incident didn't cloud my day.
South Dakota
some badlands
Horses here and there were a welcome change of scenery
the Great Plains
It never ends
Sometimes I would gladly have traded my Molly for Lt John Dunbar's Cisco. It really feels like being in Dances With Wolves at times, and I've seen this movies five or six times when it came out in 1990, and countless times afterwards in tape... I just love that movie, I can't get enough. Somewhere along the I-90 I actually got to see the Fort Hays they used for filming, which was pretty cool.
Incidentally, since I mentioned the car, I am very impressed by the mileage I get. It's fantastic, I never had to pay more than $30-$35 dollars a day, and I could do Salt Lake City - Buffalo, WY on a single tank.
It only gave me a little scare with the oil pressure in SLC, but it turned out to be nothing and it's been running great ever since. I'm also glad I chose a white car, I can get away without using A/C most days.
End digression.
I made a detour to have lunch at Pierre and crossed the Missouri there for the first time. I doubled back to the I-90 and crossed the river again in Chamberlain, where I could get some pics from a Lewis & Clark memorial spot.
crossing the Missouri river at Chamberlain
and from the top of the hill
Gee thanks, that's inviting...
A serious WTF
That's the Corn Palace, Mitchell SD. I don't think there's only corn in their diet...
And the day ended with this ominous vision: dark skies on the horizon
I stopped at Sioux Falls where I will spend the night.
If there are no issues I should hit Madison, WI tomorrow, one day ahead of schedule. I know there is stuff I could have seen, but it frees time for Niagara Falls later next week, and NYC after that. Besides, it gives me an excuse to come back ;)
Ms Fluffy and Junior were too busy stuffing themselves to even aknowledge my presence
Fair enough.
I looked in the opposite direction and saw the memorial in the clear morning light
So from left to right that's Groucho, Harpo... Just kidding
I like it when the grey lady joins the party
Classic view.
So left to right they're George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
I didn't stay long as it's pretty much the only thing worth seeing there and once you have pics there's nothing else to do...
I drove off and took I-90 eastwards, to be pulled over by a Highway trooper soon afterwards for driving at 70mph in a 65 zone. He gave me just a warning, I was very thankful for that, and sent me on my way with no further delay.
I was a bit surprised, as I actually thought I was in a 75mph zone, and I keep on slightly lower than max speed since the other day because of the deers and stuff. There are dozens of rabbits, skunks, deers and birds in various states of decay littering the I-90 as a constant reminder of their presence... Anyway, it was nothing serious and although not forgotten the incident didn't cloud my day.
South Dakota
some badlands
Horses here and there were a welcome change of scenery
the Great Plains
It never ends
Sometimes I would gladly have traded my Molly for Lt John Dunbar's Cisco. It really feels like being in Dances With Wolves at times, and I've seen this movies five or six times when it came out in 1990, and countless times afterwards in tape... I just love that movie, I can't get enough. Somewhere along the I-90 I actually got to see the Fort Hays they used for filming, which was pretty cool.
Incidentally, since I mentioned the car, I am very impressed by the mileage I get. It's fantastic, I never had to pay more than $30-$35 dollars a day, and I could do Salt Lake City - Buffalo, WY on a single tank.
It only gave me a little scare with the oil pressure in SLC, but it turned out to be nothing and it's been running great ever since. I'm also glad I chose a white car, I can get away without using A/C most days.
End digression.
I made a detour to have lunch at Pierre and crossed the Missouri there for the first time. I doubled back to the I-90 and crossed the river again in Chamberlain, where I could get some pics from a Lewis & Clark memorial spot.
crossing the Missouri river at Chamberlain
and from the top of the hill
Gee thanks, that's inviting...
A serious WTF
That's the Corn Palace, Mitchell SD. I don't think there's only corn in their diet...
And the day ended with this ominous vision: dark skies on the horizon
I stopped at Sioux Falls where I will spend the night.
If there are no issues I should hit Madison, WI tomorrow, one day ahead of schedule. I know there is stuff I could have seen, but it frees time for Niagara Falls later next week, and NYC after that. Besides, it gives me an excuse to come back ;)
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