An Outlaw, a Tower, and Ice Cream treats!

Day 5 was Fathers' Day. As a concession to Clyde and Donald, there would only be three hours of road travel. Road travel did not include the scenic routes to our Vacation Highlights, only the highways, the serious traveling.

We were on the road, headed for our first stop, Sundance, WY, at 8:14. We saw a herd of tatanka, a word we would use frequently on this vacation. We also learned that bison is the proper word for what we had always called "buffalo". There are no buffalo in the Western Hemisphere, they are only found in Africa and Asia - water buffalo. Who knew?

While still in South Dakota, we came across the remains of the Jasper Fire, caused by a discarded match. 83,000 acres were burned. While reading the information signs on the fire, we saw another sign that said there were mountain lions in the area. That got us back in the GM toute de suite. Even the burnt out area had its own beauty.

We crossed into the state of Wyoming at 8:53, and found ourselves in a canyon, or a reasonable facsimile. We started seeing pronghorn, which are only slightly easier to photograph than lightning. They are the fastest animals on our continent, able to reach speeds of 65 mph. Many of them stared at us as we went by. Maybe they didn't see many cars from Massachusetts.

In researching Sundance, it seemed that we would be able to spend a couple of hours walking around and seeing multiple photo ops. What we found was an old bank, a statue of the Sundance Kid, who looked amazingly like Paul Newman, and two closed restaurants. It was Sunday, after all.

Things started to get interesting when we neared Devil's Tower. We had read that it was a long ride in to the Tower and that the GPS would not help us. Fortunately there were plenty of signs, not to mention the sight of the Tower rising up from the flat prairie. Devil's Tower was filmed in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", and is a popular attraction. It is also a holy place to Native Americans, and there are many ceremonies held during June. The Tower is absolutely gigantic, and there were four men risking life and limb to climb the side of it. Their tiny figures were also attracting much attention. Tied to the tree branches along the footpath to the Tower were colorful scraps of fabric, prayer cloths.

Along the road exiting the park, we stopped to look at Prairie Town, which is basically a field with dozens of prairie dog dens(?) with lots of prairie dogs peeking out of them. They looked just like every photo we have ever seen, but are smaller than we thought, somewhere between a squirrel and a chipmunk, and they are shy.

On the road to Buffalo, WY, we passed a minivan from Massachusetts. We saw the Rockie Mountains, still snow-capped in late June, maybe always snow-capped, and were again amazed and a little awestruck to think we were so far from home, in the great western states. Once we reached Buffalo and checked in to the Comfort Inn, we decided it was laundry time. Although Choice Hotels have a washer and dryer at each location, we needed two machines each, and weren't about to waste hours when we could get it all done in one hour. We found a really nice laundromat just down the street, and we again saw the minivan from Massachusetts. They were also doing some vacation laundry. Adjacent to the laundromat were a car wash, which we also patronised (to debug the GM), and a pet wash, which we did not. Sticking a pet in a small plexiglass shed, hosing and soaping, or maybe soaping and hosing, seemed like fun, but we had left our cat at home.

One of our first impressions of Buffalo was what looked like milkweed pollen in the air everywhere. It stuck to everything and everybody, and it especially liked black clothing, which I had in abundance. We had to be careful to dodge the fluffballs when carrying the clean clothes from the laundromat to the trunk, but some of them found their way onto our clothes. Supper was at the Bozeman Steak House, and was excellent, and then we were off for ice cream. Clean car, clean clothes, and we headed back for some shut-eye in preparation for Montana, Big Sky! Our view out the motel room was of the Rockies. The Rockies!!!

Be Still My Heart - The Corn Palace!

We had a big, even HUGE day ahead of us for Day 4. We checked out of the lovely Albert Lea motel, noting that each successive motel was better than the previous, and hoping the trend continued. Gas prices had been slightly better than expected, often around $2.59/gallon, and the Grand Marquis mileage was ranging from 22 - 29 mpg. Life was good, vacation was good.

Our first stop today was to be the Cookie Jar in Sioux Falls, SD. We had brought chocolate chip/oatmeal cookies from co-workers, but this was Day 4, people, and there were four of us, and you can do the math. We had a change of mind about the Cookie Jar, and got cookies from Subway instead. White Chocolate Macadamia, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter... fantastic cookies that stay soft and fresh for days, even in multiple states.

We set off for the World Famous Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. On the way we saw signs for Laura Ingalls Wilder's hometown, DeSmet, Hanson County, SD. In fact we were seeing some serious prairie-like areas of the country. We also visited an unpleasant and unidentifiably malodorous rest area in Minnesota, although the state is lovely.

Onward to South Dakota... We reached the Corn Palace, and joined the hordes of tourists posing taking photos, and studying the outside of the building, completely decorated with corn. I had imagined kernels glued to the exterior, but it was husks and ears and other mystery pieces of my favorite vegetable. There was even a miniature replica of Mount Rushmore. Those who have not visited the Corn Palace might think it's hoky and cor - no, I won't stoop to that pun, but I think it's worth a visit if you find yourself in Mitchell, SD.

We saw our first crop-dusters, then some rolling range lands, and the ever-present cattle. We reached Mountain Time, but the phones didn't change when the Triptik noted the change. We were all deeply disappointed in Verizon and AT&T. We got our first glimpse of the Badlands on 90W. Beautiful and amazing, like so much of this country. We reached Wall Drug in Wall, SD after lunch, and spent a too-brief half hour checking out the stores. We could have outfitted ourselves in genuine Western Wear from cowboy hats to boots at these stores. Sadly, there was no room in the GM for four ten-gallon hats. I believe that if you wanted it, there would be a store in that "drugstore" that sold it. It looks like an old west street rather than one store, and it is a very popular stop. Again, I recommend a visit if you are in the area.

After a typically wonderful supper at Golden Corral in Rapid City, SD, we headed for Fort Hays, where "Dances with Wolves", one of Donald's favorites, was filmed. Actually, we learned that the buildings used in the filming had been moved to this new location, but the lack of authenticity did not deter us. Bonnie and I found endless photo ops. Donald lived a dream when he stood where the fort commander had stood and loudly said the famous words, "I just p***** my pants and no one can do anything about it." None of the senior citizens from the bus tours that were also visiting "Fort Hays" were in the building at the time, fortunately. Bonnie and I had the great idea to pose in the wooden upright coffins on the General Store porch, disturbing a flock of octogenarian ladies. We bought our souvenirs and moved on.

Mount Rushmore was our next stop, and we arrived around 6:30 pm. The approaching road includes a stone tunnel that was cool, and up and up the winding road we went, finally reaching the admission booth. There were many, many people wanting to see the Presidents. We walked along the avenue, noting the state flags and obelisks, and saw that Mount Rushmore looks just like its photos. We couldn't get very close, but I learned how to really zoom with my new camera, so that I could fit only two heads in a photo. We spent about an hour here, but we weren't finished with our Day 4 dance card yet. Next stop Crazy Horse - photos ops and so much information. We also stayed for the laser show at 9:00, and watched from the car like at a drive-in movie, but without the snacks. I had wondered why carving the figure of a man and a horse, however gigantic, was taking so many years, but I came away with some understanding. Dynamiting isn't something that can be rushed. This monument is already awe-inspiring.

We reached the Comfort Inn, Custer, SD, at 10:30 pm, 16 hours after leaving our hotel this morning. Were we tired? Exhausted, but awake enough to notice that this motel was even better than the one the night before.

Coming up next .... a genuine Tourist Attraction

Day 3 just barely dawned. It was dark and rainy, but we were on vacation! No time for gloom. The woman that tried to break into Bonnie & Clyde's room the evening before was at breakfast, and she didn't even say hello. She did provide entertainment for everyone in the breakfast room by alternately pacing and staring transfixed at the Weather Channel. We overheard her conversation with the desk clerk about her having to travel to Chicago in the torrential downpour. Although all of us would be heading out in the same weather, all declined to participate in the drama.

Today would be another 8+ hours of travel. We would be reaching another time zone, visiting an auto museum, and dining at two of our favorite food emporiums. The rain followed us for a bit, but we drove out of it fairly quickly. We could see amazing lightning off to the East, and the skies were heavy with dark clouds. Bonnie and I learned just how difficult it is to capture lightning bolts with our cameras.

According to our Triptik, we should have gained an hour around Joliet, IL. According to our cell phones, we actually did. Donald immediately changed the GM clock, another of his responsibilities. He's got technical skills.

Some of us were really looking forward to seeing Historic Auto Attractions in Roscoe, IL. It's a private museum with antique or unique cars, movie memorabilia, and some unusual, quirky collections. It sounded like a good way to spend an hour and get some photos and break up the day. Susie got us to the museum, located in a small industrial park. I would like to report that it was a fantastic stop, a great find, one of the highlights of our trip. I would like to recommend it and say we saw things we never thought we would see. Unfortunately, we arrived there before opening time. We looked at the size of the steel-sided one story building, thought about waiting in the GM for twenty minutes, in the sun, and unanimously decided, "Nah."

We went on our merry way, and reached our next highlight, Cracker Barrel, for an early lunch. The skies were again heavily overcast when we got out of the car, and the restaurant greeter held the door for us and informed us that there were going to be heavy downpours and 70 mph winds. Oh boy! Only a tornado warning could have made that news better. Yes, it rained during lunch, but 70 mph winds? That must have been a marketing ploy to get guests to stay and shop. We had wind turbines and cranberry bogs and cattle to see, we weren't about to hang around in Janesville, WI for hours.

We checked in to the Comfort Inn Albert Lea, MN at 4:35. Hey, that was our third state today. We got disappointing news at the front desk - the Golden Corral, our highly anticipated dinner destination, closed "years ago". The desk clerk told us about Diamond Joe's, a casino "just over the line" in Idaho (our potential fourth state), about an hour away. Casinos mean buffets. Off we went, full of hope. Thirty minutes later, we checked our location with Susie, and discovered we were lost. Well, if not lost, then we were on the wrong road. We gave up on Diamond Joe's and headed back to Albert Lea, where we found Trumble's. It was adequate. While we waited for our meals, we looked around, and realized that we were in the remodeled Golden Corral. The irony.

What's on the Dance Card for Today???

We enjoyed sleeping in today - the alarm didn't go off until 5:00 am. We loaded the trunk, then had a free breakfast (of sorts) at the hotel. Yesterday had been a 7.5 hour travel day. Today would be just over 8 hours. Yesterday had been basically to get from Point A to Point B. Today there would be three highlights; two of those were foods.

We set off in the drizzle, ready for any adventures that came our way. At home we have gas stations with names like Citgo, Mobil, Hess. On the road we would be seeing gas stations with names like Pilot, Sheetz, Stinker. At one of the many rest areas we visited, Bonnie got into a little tangle with a purse hook in a stall. The hook was a great security tool, but untangling it was even harder than securing it in the first place. Ohio is a pretty state, reminding us of home. There were farms, farms, and more farms, but we also glimpsed a couple of drive-in theatres, a deer, and the plant where Chevrolet builds Cobalts.

Indiana brought us beautiful sunshine, and one fine meal at Amish Acres. While we dined at our window table, we looked outside at the ducks, chickens, and rooster roaming the farm, and remarked that this was our first experience eating in a barn. The dinner was all we could eat, mostly all carbs, with chicken and pot roast for protein, and the desserts were... well, I covered the desserts already. Meals like this were why you should never pack tight clothes for vacation wear.

After supper we planned to visit Bonnie Doon Drive-in in Mishawaka for ice cream, but somebody (make that four somebodies) ate too much at the dinner table. No matter - we also planned a visit to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend to walk off any food excesses, of which we already had several. After checking in to our beautiful Sleep Inn in South Bend, and getting directions to the school, we set out. We got lost, but with the help of Susie and common sense, we reached our destination. It had been Donald's idea to visit Notre Dame and see the gold dome and the Touchdown Jesus, and see them we did. We drove around the campus and saw some renovations, new construction, and some campus tours of what looked like 12 year olds. Bonnie and I saw many photo ops, and we all made like tourists in the campus store. I got a sweatshirt, Donald got a shirt, hat, and key chain. The key chain plays the Notre Dame fight song, "Three Cheers for Old Notre Dame." Perhaps you've heard it. Perhaps we heard it 47 times during vacation. Perhaps Donald shouldn't have gone up to a complete stranger wearing a Notre Dame T-shirt at the Grand Canyon and played the key chain at him. Well, that's water under the bridge, but let me just say that I will think twice about pointing out musical toys to Donald in future.

Back at the hotel, there were several antique Army Jeeps and motorcycles belonging to some men in a (Jeep? Army?) club. They were headed for Chicago in the morning. Clyde and Donald were talking with them before we retired for the night. We all went upstairs and found that a woman was trying to break into Bonnie & Clyde's room. Maybe "break into" is a little strong. She was using her key in the slot, and it wasn't working, and was not getting it when Bonnie told her several times that it was Bonnie & Clyde's room, and their luggage was inside already. She finally went away, headed for the front desk. That desk clerk earned his money dealing with her.

Time to leave - but what if I forgot to pack the...

TV shows and movies invariably show alarm clocks sounding off at 6:00 or 7:00 am in a bright, sunny bedroom. HA! Do people really get up that late for important things like vacation? The night before, I set my trusty phone alarm for 3:00 am. When it started chirping on The Big Day, I was already awake - mostly - and thought about leaping out of bed, but decided not to risk bashing my head against the wall, and got up in the usual way, by tripping over the bedspread.

After showers and some last minute scrambling, Donald and I were out the door into the darkness of the wee, small hours of the morning, giving a quick glance around for skunks, raccoons, coyotes, and rabid squirrels. The coast was clear. We were on the way to our Greatest Adventure Yet! We stuck Susie to the windshield, programmed her for Bonnie & Clyde's, and off we went. It's really dark out at 4:00 am, even in June. No matter, the Grand Marquis has headlights and locks on the doors and we are safe, inpenetrable in our vacation cocoon.

In about an hour, we reached Bonnie & Clyde's, and even the sun was awake. I knew that Bonnie had been as excited, maybe even more so, about this trip, and wondered if we would find her waiting for us on the front steps. This was not the case, but Clyde knew the moment we arrived, and was ready with the bags. Donald and Clyde got the trunk arranged to their satisfaction, Bonnie and I did the same with the back seat. Cookies on the back shelf, ditto the anti-bac wipes, dance cards (our 24-page itinerary printed out in color and duplicate), maps, Triptiks in the voluminous pockets attached to the backs of the front seats. Blankets - although this was a summer vacation, we had done our research, and knew we could experience temperature ranges from the 30s to the 120s - were rolled up and stuck in places that wouldn't get in the way. I decided at the 11th hour that we needed to bring a smallish, legal-sized whiteboard and markers. I took much criticism for this decision. However, I still feel that it was the right decision.

We were on the road by 5:07 am; up for over two hours and STARVING. After all the meal-training we had done, being two hours late for a meal could have caused a minor vacation tragedy. We would make up for this food gap several ( dozen) times. Entering the Mass. Pike, we tried out the new EZ Pass and it worked. We stopped at the first rest area with a Dunkin Donuts for some breakfast sandwiches and coffee to go. We didn't have time to waste. One of Donald's assignments, sitting in the navigator's seat, was to watch for moose. I have long wanted to see a moose in its natural habitat, not ever in a road in the dark, and I had much hope of seeing one on this trip. Before we even reached even a small body of water on the Pike, Donald announced "MOOSE". Once we determined that there was no moose, Donald's moose-spotting credibility was irreparably damaged.

Two and a half hours after our DD fast food, we stopped for a civilized breakfast/lunch at Cracker Barrel. This was also where we spotted the red Ferrari in the lot, so we knew we were in a high class establishment. Back on the road, we hit a little rain, but it didn't slow us down. We reached Hoss' Steak & Sea in Shamokin Dam PA at 2:05 for our - supper? We'd had either one or two breakfasts, maybe one lunch, so it must be suppertime. Whatever it was called, it was a buffet - just what we had trained for - and we made the most of it. After supper, what comes next? Bedtime, I guess. But first we had to travel a bit, and we went through the beautiful town of Lewisburg, PA, with many brick and stone stores and homes.

There was a little difficulty finding the Comfort Inn. We had found it listed under both Lamar and Mill Hall, so not only were we confused, but Lucy and Susie were, too. The directions from the hotel said not to use a GPS, just the written word (how old fashioned). We eventually found it at 4:24. The sink in our room wouldn't drain, so we switched rooms. We had asked for second floor rooms. Some of the rooms on our floor were second floor, but ours looked out on ground level. The "concierge" shall we say, was not sympathetic to requests to move us all. Renovations were underway and there was nothing available. Our rooms should not have been available either, as they needed serious renovations. We toughed it out but we have long memories, and will not be visiting that hotel again. Bedtime was exactly 15 hours after rising time; 6:00 pm. Drapes in motel rooms are opaque for people with our kind of schedule, and we appreciated the darkness within, while the other kids were still outside playing.