Hurlshot's 2016 Summer RV Trip

[Meshugger]

Day 6 - After consulting some maps in the morning, we drove back into Yellowstone with a better understanding of where everything was in the park.  Old Faithful seems to be the central hub of the area, with a huge visitors center and stores.  We had the kids take part in a junior ranger program, which was a great way to give them a little work on reading and writing without feeling too much like school work.  We got to see Old Faithful, which was impressive.  The water is shooting 150 feet in the air, and it surrounded by hundreds of onlookers.  Definitely a different experience to see it in person.

 

 

There it is, thanks! I have to see it for myself some day.

[ManifestedISO]

It's totally worth it. I had the chance to visit in the dead of winter, all roads impassable except by snowmobile. It wasn't that cold, but a ton of snow, astonishing natural beauty.

[IndiraLightfoot]

And the dormant wrath of this super volcano is not just humbling; it's down right frightening. Those magma chambers are like a number of small states in the US combined. *Shiver*

 

Seriously, I'd love to go visit these great places and vistas. I'm into geology, so everything you've shown is just rad. Thank you for all of your photos, Hurlshot!

[Hurlshort]

Day 7 & 8 - Yesterday we relaxed in West Yellowstone a bit, enjoying a brief hailstorm and getting some rootbeer floats at a soda shop.  It's a nice little town.

 

 

We went to bed early, and got an early jump on the road for a 520 mile trek across Montana and into South Dakota.  I knocked out the first few hours while the kids still slept in the back.  We stopped in Billings for lunch.  Just so you don't think it is all easy going, my wife and I got in a big argument as I tried to park the RV in the city.  I was stressed and tired from driving so many miles, and parking was not fun.  Lunch at the Montana Brewing Company helped smooth things over.  We drove through the scenic Black Hills and passed by the site of Little Big Horn.  Now off to bed, we can explore Deadwood tomorrow.  

 

[Hurlshort]

Day 9 - We headed into Deadwood to explore.  It is a bit of an odd town, with a slot machine and a bar in pretty much every shop.  I am sure during Sturgis it is a crazy place, but today it was pretty family friendly.  I enjoyed drinking a beer in Wild Bill Hickock's seat, before my daughter tried to assassinate me.  Murder in dem eyes.

 

 

 

 

After that we visited the cemetery and hiked up to the Sheriff's gravestone.

 

 

We had a steak dinner in a beautiful historic hotel afterwards,and enjoyed a nice walk before the thunderstorms hit.  Great day!

[Gromnir]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSkOyhmt_-g

 

just 'cause your visit to deadwood offers us an excuse.

 

enjoy the 4th.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited July 4, 2016 by Gromnir

[Hurlshort]

Day 10 - Happy 4th everybody.  We lazed around the RV well into the afternoon, knowing that it would be a late night.  Eventually we made it to Lead, which is right up the hill from Deadwood.  It's pronounced with a long e instead of short, which is a missed opportunity.  The big feature in this town is a huge mining pit called the Open Cut.  

 

 

 

There was a bunch of mining equipment to look at as well, including this:

 

 

My daughter asked if it was a teleportation portal.  I have raised her right.

 

We didn't get home until 11, so I'm sleeping in tomorrow.

[IndiraLightfoot]

So many wonderful sights and landmarks, and just cool places that beg to be explored!

 

And yeah, that surely is a Stargate portal, no?

[BruceVC]

Day 10 - Happy 4th everybody.  We lazed around the RV well into the afternoon, knowing that it would be a late night.  Eventually we made it to Lead, which is right up the hill from Deadwood.  It's pronounced with a long e instead of short, which is a missed opportunity.  The big feature in this town is a huge mining pit called the Open Cut.  

 

 

 

There was a bunch of mining equipment to look at as well, including this:

 

 

 

My daughter asked if it was a teleportation portal.  I have raised her right.

 

We didn't get home until 11, so I'm sleeping in tomorrow.

""   a teleportation portal " 

 

Shame thats cute 

[Hurlshort]

Day 11 - Took it easy getting out of camp, then headed to a winery called Prairie Berry for some tastings.  They were a bit fruity for me, but there was a brewery right next door where I tried some nice IPA's.  We ate some lunch as well.  It was a very nice little area near Rapid City.

 

 

 

After that we headed to Target.  I try to shop local when we travel, but sometimes you just need a touch of home, and going into Target does the trick.  They all look the same and carry the same stuff.  So we are fully replenished for the rest of the trip and checked into our campground.  Tomorrow we go on a tour of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. 

[ManifestedISO]

Mrs. Shot with the Avengers t-shirt, you are familying correctly. 

Edited July 6, 2016 by ManifestedISO

[IndiraLightfoot]

The more I hear about the US, and the more I learn about all of its states, it seems like each and every one of them is like visiting a new country.

I'm getting a sting of nation-envy right now.

The US of A seems like Europe, but without all the fuss and any post-WWx2-anxiety. It's positively huge, and much of it still seems to be there for the taking.

Green card, anyone? Pretty please!

[Hurlshort]

Day 12 - This was a doozy of a day.  I will probably need to break this up over a couple posts.  I decided to book one of those travel bus tours to get to Rushmore and Crazy Horse.  I typically avoid large groups of tourists, but every once in awhile it is worth it to jump in the crowd.  Today was definitely worth it.  We started off at a place called Fort Hays, which is built around one of the buildings made for Dances with Wolves.  They gave us breakfast and then loaded us into this bus:

 

 

Now this bus took us through on some crazy roads.  We kept going through smaller and smaller caves.  The bus was 8 feet wide, and the last cave was 8 feet and 4 inches.  It was intense.  The driver was extremely entertaining though, halfway through he took a break and then drank a bit of Maalox for dramatic effect.  We went through the scenic Needles Highway and saw some fantastic rock formations:

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, we are rocking matching shirts.  My next post will be about Rushmore.  Here is a teaser:

 

 

Yes, we got the bus through that tunnel.  Interesting fact, there are 3 tunnels on Needles Highway, and they all frame Rushmore.

[Hurlshort]

Mount Rushmore was interesting.  It's obviously a well documented landmark, but it's hard to capture scale in pictures and video.  It should be seen.

 

 

They originally wanted to make it to the waist, but money ran out.  Here is the smaller scale version.

 

 

It was a nice hike around to see it from some different angles.  But honestly I was still more excited about Crazy Horse, so I got better pictures there.  After this we went to lunch in Custer State Park at a Game Lodge where Calving Coolidge and Eisenhower spent a summer.  The food was great, and it was a beautiful area.  I can see why a President would vacation there.

 

 

 

We swung by a majestic looking place called Silvan Lake and dipped our feet in the water.

 

 

Next up will be Crazy Horse.

[Hurlshort]

Here is what Crazy Horse will look like some day:

 

 

Here is what it looks like today:

 

 

Ok, so it may seem a long way off.  There is also a plan to build a University and a medical center on the land.  But the place was packed when we arrived.  It was just as crowded as Mount Rushmore.  And something about it made me want to throw money at the project.  It is epic and I hope I can go back someday and see it done, even if that is at the end of my life.  There is an entire museum here that is well worth the price of admission.  Without further ado, here are all my pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The story of the artist behind this is pretty amazing as well.  

 

 

 

Logan was getting a bit tired at this point, but he still ran with me as I geeked out over all the amazing sculptures and artwork.

 

It was a great day.  We headed back to Fort Hays for a dinner show, and now off to bed.

[obyknven]

Why you constantly "smiling"? It's looks really creepy from my point of view. Natural facial expressions of your kids looks much better.

[Meshugger]

 

 

 

Is that Crazy Horse on the left?

[Gfted1]

Huh, for some reason I thought the Crazy Horse sculpture was much further along than just the face.

[Nonek]

I'm surprised that a chalk hill figure (like the Uffington White Horse) hasn't been made somewhere near there to commemorate Crazy Horse, seems like an ideal stop gap while the statuary is carved/dynamited.

 

Then again does the USA have any history of making hill figures? I suppose it might not have crossed over the pond, plus the chalk layers under the Downs make it considerably easier.

[Hurlshort]

 

 

 

 

Is that Crazy Horse on the left?

 

 

No, that is Korczak Ziolkowski, the sculptor who began the project in 1948, and his wife.  This was their living area.  Their ten children are still working on it, and a couple of them live on the property.  

[Meshugger]

 

 

 

 

 

Is that Crazy Horse on the left?

 

 

No, that is Korczak Ziolkowski, the sculptor who began the project in 1948, and his wife.  This was their living area.  Their ten children are still working on it, and a couple of them live on the property.  

 

 

Thanks.

 

The man looks like total swag, i will grow a beard like him when my hair starts to turn gray.

[Hurlshort]

Day 13 - Travel day to Denver, with a nice stopover in Nebraska at Scotts Bluff.  It was a beautiful drive, and now I'm doing laundry and drinking South Dakota brewed beer.

 

 

 

Logan got a bit nervous about rattlesnakes.  What the heck is this?

 

 

There were quite a few odd skulls here.

 

 

Tomorrow we get a rental car and explore Colorado.

[Guard Dog]

I love the contrast of the first two pics. An RV from 2012 and an RV from 1872!

[ManifestedISO]

Clean clothes and alcohol, these are a few of my favorite things.

 

Also I'm pretty sure that's a chupacabra skull bottom right.

[Hurlshort]

Day 14 - I picked up a Chevy Malibu from Enterprise and we headed out to explore Golden, CO.  The Coors Brewery was my main destination, and it did not disappoint.  It was a great tour of a massive facility.  I'm not actually a fan of any of the beers they produce, but they have a small batch brewer that they work with and they had some decent stuff.  Still, the process and scale were amazing, and the smell of hops and barley always makes me happy.

 

 

 

 

After the tour we ate lunch and explored Golden.  It's a neat little town, lots of good shops and restaurants.  I did find a craft beer bar too, and got to sample some stuff more up my alley.