South Dakota:
Our 4th day was a very early start. We were staying in Rapid City and had a Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour scheduled at 7:30 am in Custer State Park. Did I mention that this was a 45-minute drive? Plus, we needed to arrive AT LEAST 15 minutes early. Two of the three took showers before bed and we made sure we were packed up as much as possible before turning in for the night.
I am proud to say that when our alarm went off at 5:30 am we all jumped out of bed and quickly started getting ready and packed up. We were loading the car by 6:10 and quickly on the road. And no one had to yell "hurry up".
We arrived at Custer State Park in plenty of time. This gave us a chance to get checked in for the Jeep ride, drink some coffee, use the restroom, and chat with the very friendly Jeep drivers/tour guides.
It was a VERY cool morning (in the low 30s) and were happy that several blankets had been provided as the Jeep is open-air. We pulled out at 7:30 with Casper as our guide. Casper was friendly, engaging, and informative as we traveled through the park on the lookout for Buffalo (Bison). We had a friendly couple from Holland also on our tour.
I had read mixed reviews about the Jeep tour but I am glad we did it. Because of the recent rain, our tour wasn't allowed to go "off road" (these are places that are off-limits for private vehicles but allowed by the Jeep tour company). So, technically our Jeep didn't go anywhere that we couldn't have driven ourselves but it was nice being driven around, learning the history of the park, and hearing others' questions and comments.
Did we see some bison? Oh yes!!! Sooooo many bison!!
After our tour ended, sadly we had to get back on the road. Honestly, we should have planned at least a full day for Custer State Park. If you are planning a similar trip give yourself some time to explore this gem.
We drove the Needles Highway making our way to Deadwood. This was such a BEAUTIFUL drive....highly, highly recommend it. While it is only 14 miles long, it will take about an hour or so as it is a curvy, slow drive. The highway gets its name from the distinctive "needles" rock formations that resemble giant stone needles piercing the sky. These spires are a result of erosion and weathering of granite over millions of years. (Access to Needles Highway and Custer State Park requires an entrance fee, which helps maintain the park and its facilities. The road is narrow and winding, so it’s important to drive cautiously. Larger vehicles, such as RVs and buses, may have difficulty navigating the tight turns and narrow tunnels.)
We soon found ourselves in Hill City. Such a cute little town. We bought some jerky and grabbed some coffee (still trying to warm up from the Jeep tour). As we were making our way to Deadwood we noticed that our route had a closed road and were being forced to detour. April ran into a bar (thinking that it was a convenience store) to ask if there was a better way. She got directions that ended up saving us over an hour's drive although it meant we had a 10-mile drive on a narrow, dirt road.
When we finally made our way to Deadwood we were unimpressed. Perhaps because we had already driven through such cute towns, Deadwood seemed very touristy. Other than stopping to use the bathroom we drove straight through. We know some people who LOVED their time in Deadwood....but it wasn't for us. So, we continued on our way. We knew this was one of our VERY long drive days.
From Deadwood many people would probably make their way into Wyoming to see Devil's Tower however, we had to get to North Dakota. On our journey to go to each state, we had to keep heading north. To be honest, I REALLY wanted to make it up to Teddy Roosevelt National Park but we couldn't make it work on this trip. So instead, we nipped the corner of ND by visiting a TINY town called Bowman.
Next, we headed west to Montana with Miles City as our stop for the night We asked the hotel clerk for her dinner recommendation and she suggested Black Iron Grill Rotisserie. I ordered a Bison Burger (which was delicious)...we all enjoyed our meal.
Normally, we stay at Marriott brand hotels however, there were no Marriotts anywhere on this portion of the drive. Instead, we stayed at the Sleep Inn and were surprisingly pleased. We all commented on how this was the most comfortable bed on our trip. Our next day was also a big driving day so we knew we needed to get some rest.
If you've ever visited the northern part of the US you know that it gets dark much later and the sun rises much earlier....at least that's the case compared to middle Alabama. As we move farther north from the equator, the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth's surface becomes more oblique which means that sunlight is spread out over a larger area, resulting in longer periods of daylight. As this was the most northern overnight stay of our trip, it was so odd how late the sun set. While we were exhausted after a long day it felt really strange that there was still so much sun light at 9:30pm.
Σχόλια