2020--Badlands Road Trip
Prologue
In our last episode, Margo and I had returned from San Antonio and were gleefully planning both a summer vacation, this one, to the territory immediately north of us, and a Disney cruise in January 2021.. We are talking Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and even Montana. We were planning on spending a long weekend in Buffalo, WY for the annual Longmire Days.
Longmire Days is a festival dedicated to TV show Longmire, which is based on the books by Craig Johnson, and is set in the fictional town of Durant, WY. Craig Johnson lives near Buffalo, WY and the town of Durant is loosely based on Buffalo. The books are very good. The series ran for six seasons. What sets this festival apart is most of the actors, playing the main characters, plus the author are there for this weekend. There are events geared towards interacting with them and the nearby Bighorn Mountains are beautiful.
The use of the past tense in the last sentence of paragraph one was not an accident. On March 11th, the World Health Organization declared that the spread of the recent novel coronavirus had reached pandemic level. This triggered a series of events, beginning with panic buying of toilet paper and food, and moving towards stay at home orders, social distancing (I hate that term) and face coverings. Currently, which is the first week in June, things are just starting to open up. Local restaurants have had their dining rooms open for a bit more than a week. Casinos, Museums, sporting events, concerts, and anything else where more than 10 people might get together are still closed. I think churches are in the midst of opening, but they are still trying to work a lot of the details out.
This trip was going to be laden with national parks and monuments. Most are open to drive around, but none of the visitor’s centers are open. The Little Bighorn National Battlefield Monument is closed. The Minuteman Missile National Monument is closed, or at least no tour or visitors center. That was the whole reason to go. South Dakota is basically open. North Dakota, the state I am trying to tick off my states list is getting there. The things we were planning to do look open, but with restrictions.
What this boils down to, is that I still don’t have my absolute itinerary worked out, and we are 34 days from leaving. I have at least one hotel reservation I have to change, and maybe three. Then once we do start to travel we will be dealing with social distancing and face mask requirements.
Continued.......
And, I am still stoked to be going. This year has sucked. The last quarter of 2019 sucked and things at work have not gotten better. You would think with all the people staying at home, things at work would slow down. For our operations teams, it did for about 10 days. Our fast food customers quickly switched to drive thru only, and most of them got back up to normal volume in a few weeks. Our sit down restaurants were hit harder. Some very hard. Hard enough that they are having us freeze a good part of their refrigerated product.
This is causing lots of extra work for my team as we are continually identifying product that needs to be moved from freezer to cooler, tracking that product, and then manage the code dates. Then there is the long and continually evolving list of items we have to ask if the product should have its usable shelf life extended, or if it should be donated before expiring, or maybe available for sale to the public or our own employees. The product that is to be written off or donated has to either disposed of or a pick up arranged. There is the endless paperwork associated with all of this. Then this is all on top of trying to find a new normal from the merger last October, when our workload went up 25% to 40%. I have been working 10 hours days, working through lunch and then coming in for 5 hours on Saturday, too. This has left little time for vacation planning.
So, we have three sets of circumstances colliding; my desperate need for some time off, the lack of time to plan for it, and the fact that we are living in a world only imagined in dystopian novels. Still we are going. We are going to see and do things, and we are going to have fun.
Planning for this thing has been a challenge. Usually, I have at least on firm destination in mind, and then I start working backwards, using the amount of time and money I have, factoring in what else I need to get done on that vacation, and travel time. If the goal would be to drive Route 66, I would decide which direction I would travel, decided how long I wanted to drive each day, start seeing what must see places were along the route to fill, then see how much time all of that would take. I would turn that amount of time into so much drive time and so much attraction time, and allot time for rest and meal breaks. Things might get added or subtracted based on time and money.
This trip I had to content with all of the closures, reopening, partial reopening, and even reclosures. I have had to make so many changes to the itinerary, even as far as amending and even canceling hotel reservations. In the 36 years of planning these trips, I have never had to cancel a hotel reservation, at least I don’t remember one, with the exception of a completely canceled trip. This trip I only had one reservation that I planned and kept from the start, and that was night number one, in Wall, SD.
I even had to change an entire day’s itinerary, because I found out the day before we left that the Crook County Museum was closed, in Sundance, WY. It will work out. It is finally here, after months of planning, or at least thinking about planning, and certainly a year and a half of outright anticipation. We leave in the morning.
Longmire Days is a festival dedicated to TV show Longmire, which is based on the books by Craig Johnson, and is set in the fictional town of Durant, WY. Craig Johnson lives near Buffalo, WY and the town of Durant is loosely based on Buffalo. The books are very good. The series ran for six seasons. What sets this festival apart is most of the actors, playing the main characters, plus the author are there for this weekend. There are events geared towards interacting with them and the nearby Bighorn Mountains are beautiful.
The use of the past tense in the last sentence of paragraph one was not an accident. On March 11th, the World Health Organization declared that the spread of the recent novel coronavirus had reached pandemic level. This triggered a series of events, beginning with panic buying of toilet paper and food, and moving towards stay at home orders, social distancing (I hate that term) and face coverings. Currently, which is the first week in June, things are just starting to open up. Local restaurants have had their dining rooms open for a bit more than a week. Casinos, Museums, sporting events, concerts, and anything else where more than 10 people might get together are still closed. I think churches are in the midst of opening, but they are still trying to work a lot of the details out.
This trip was going to be laden with national parks and monuments. Most are open to drive around, but none of the visitor’s centers are open. The Little Bighorn National Battlefield Monument is closed. The Minuteman Missile National Monument is closed, or at least no tour or visitors center. That was the whole reason to go. South Dakota is basically open. North Dakota, the state I am trying to tick off my states list is getting there. The things we were planning to do look open, but with restrictions.
What this boils down to, is that I still don’t have my absolute itinerary worked out, and we are 34 days from leaving. I have at least one hotel reservation I have to change, and maybe three. Then once we do start to travel we will be dealing with social distancing and face mask requirements.
Continued.......
And, I am still stoked to be going. This year has sucked. The last quarter of 2019 sucked and things at work have not gotten better. You would think with all the people staying at home, things at work would slow down. For our operations teams, it did for about 10 days. Our fast food customers quickly switched to drive thru only, and most of them got back up to normal volume in a few weeks. Our sit down restaurants were hit harder. Some very hard. Hard enough that they are having us freeze a good part of their refrigerated product.
This is causing lots of extra work for my team as we are continually identifying product that needs to be moved from freezer to cooler, tracking that product, and then manage the code dates. Then there is the long and continually evolving list of items we have to ask if the product should have its usable shelf life extended, or if it should be donated before expiring, or maybe available for sale to the public or our own employees. The product that is to be written off or donated has to either disposed of or a pick up arranged. There is the endless paperwork associated with all of this. Then this is all on top of trying to find a new normal from the merger last October, when our workload went up 25% to 40%. I have been working 10 hours days, working through lunch and then coming in for 5 hours on Saturday, too. This has left little time for vacation planning.
So, we have three sets of circumstances colliding; my desperate need for some time off, the lack of time to plan for it, and the fact that we are living in a world only imagined in dystopian novels. Still we are going. We are going to see and do things, and we are going to have fun.
Planning for this thing has been a challenge. Usually, I have at least on firm destination in mind, and then I start working backwards, using the amount of time and money I have, factoring in what else I need to get done on that vacation, and travel time. If the goal would be to drive Route 66, I would decide which direction I would travel, decided how long I wanted to drive each day, start seeing what must see places were along the route to fill, then see how much time all of that would take. I would turn that amount of time into so much drive time and so much attraction time, and allot time for rest and meal breaks. Things might get added or subtracted based on time and money.
This trip I had to content with all of the closures, reopening, partial reopening, and even reclosures. I have had to make so many changes to the itinerary, even as far as amending and even canceling hotel reservations. In the 36 years of planning these trips, I have never had to cancel a hotel reservation, at least I don’t remember one, with the exception of a completely canceled trip. This trip I only had one reservation that I planned and kept from the start, and that was night number one, in Wall, SD.
I even had to change an entire day’s itinerary, because I found out the day before we left that the Crook County Museum was closed, in Sundance, WY. It will work out. It is finally here, after months of planning, or at least thinking about planning, and certainly a year and a half of outright anticipation. We leave in the morning.
Day One--Saturday, July 11, 2020
My alarm went off at 4:45 AM, this morning. I had gotten to bed just after midnight. Even with all of the rushing around, I still had been able to get my hour of TV in, and unwind. Margo had done her normal masterful job of packing and organizing for the trip. I always things she brings too much stuff, and she probably does. But, we also have what we need, and most contingencies are covered as well. By the time we went to bed last night the back of the Grand Cherokee, with the back seat folded down, was crammed full of coolers, luggage, snacks, and incidentals. But, we were ready to go.
This trip is different in one respect. We are not taking Jackie again. She can’t walk from the living room to the bathroom without being out of breath and wheezing. I am worried about her when we go on the cruise in January. But, this time we have a Jackie-sitter. Jackie’s personal assistant, the person that the county had provided to her to take she shopping and to the library and such, has agreed to stay with Jackie this coming week. This is on her time. Margo and she are working out the financial details, but it sounds like she wants to do it for the adventure of it. She lives alone and she was actually excited about this. We are just happy to have someone to keep an eye on her.
Departure time was scheduled for 6 AM, with seven hours and 15 minutes of drive time planned. With breaks, I was planning on this taking us about 8 to 8 1/e hours to get to Wall, SD. My diabetes had, until recently, had my in the bathroom a lot. With my diabetes meaning more in control, this has become much less of a problem. Still, we normally stop every two hours.
We left at 5:55 AM, and did not have to turn around because we forgot something. This has happened several times in the past, and is in danger of becoming a tradition. We were both in good spirits, not even having to factor in the stresses of the last day or so. We were listening to KOOL 105 and they were playing the music of our youth. It was effective in both transporting us back to simpler times and setting a jovial mood. We were in Cheyenne in what seemed a leisurely stroll.
Before we got to Cheyenne, even just before the Wyoming border we came across the rock formation. I had seen it before, but it never really registered until this trip. It looks out of place when you drive by. It just kind of sneaks up on you. We drove past it without stopping. I borrowed a picture from the internet.
Maybe we will stop the next time we go by. I did find out it is called Natural Fort.
We were expecting a call or text all morning from Jessi, telling us that Madi was gone, but it never came. Jessi let Margo know later in the evening that everything had went as well as could be expected, and that they went home and essentially did nothing. Part grieving and part trying to get rid of a headache.
I did get just a smidge excited when I saw the first Wall Drug sign north of Cheyenne. I will tell the Wall Drug story later, but suffice to say that they are currently as famous for their signs as Burma Shave had been two generations ago.
We turned on to Highway 85 north of Cheyenne. We stopped at Torrington, more out of self-defense. Once you get out of Cheyenne, towns with facilities can get sparse. We continued on 85-North, and stayed there until it merged with Highway 16 at Lusk. The two separated, and we stayed on Highway 16, entering South Dakota on it. We made out second stop of the day at Edgemont, SD, after another two hours of driving. This was about 10:30 AM.
The drive through Wyoming and western South Dakota is obviously very rural. But, I did not find it boring. Certainly I was a bit anxious to get to our final destination, but I still found myself admiring the variety of farm buildings, equipment, and even livestock. If I knew more about cattle I am sure I could have rattled off half a dozen varieties that we saw. Plus sheep, and even a herd of deer.
This trip is different in one respect. We are not taking Jackie again. She can’t walk from the living room to the bathroom without being out of breath and wheezing. I am worried about her when we go on the cruise in January. But, this time we have a Jackie-sitter. Jackie’s personal assistant, the person that the county had provided to her to take she shopping and to the library and such, has agreed to stay with Jackie this coming week. This is on her time. Margo and she are working out the financial details, but it sounds like she wants to do it for the adventure of it. She lives alone and she was actually excited about this. We are just happy to have someone to keep an eye on her.
Departure time was scheduled for 6 AM, with seven hours and 15 minutes of drive time planned. With breaks, I was planning on this taking us about 8 to 8 1/e hours to get to Wall, SD. My diabetes had, until recently, had my in the bathroom a lot. With my diabetes meaning more in control, this has become much less of a problem. Still, we normally stop every two hours.
We left at 5:55 AM, and did not have to turn around because we forgot something. This has happened several times in the past, and is in danger of becoming a tradition. We were both in good spirits, not even having to factor in the stresses of the last day or so. We were listening to KOOL 105 and they were playing the music of our youth. It was effective in both transporting us back to simpler times and setting a jovial mood. We were in Cheyenne in what seemed a leisurely stroll.
Before we got to Cheyenne, even just before the Wyoming border we came across the rock formation. I had seen it before, but it never really registered until this trip. It looks out of place when you drive by. It just kind of sneaks up on you. We drove past it without stopping. I borrowed a picture from the internet.
Maybe we will stop the next time we go by. I did find out it is called Natural Fort.
We were expecting a call or text all morning from Jessi, telling us that Madi was gone, but it never came. Jessi let Margo know later in the evening that everything had went as well as could be expected, and that they went home and essentially did nothing. Part grieving and part trying to get rid of a headache.
I did get just a smidge excited when I saw the first Wall Drug sign north of Cheyenne. I will tell the Wall Drug story later, but suffice to say that they are currently as famous for their signs as Burma Shave had been two generations ago.
We turned on to Highway 85 north of Cheyenne. We stopped at Torrington, more out of self-defense. Once you get out of Cheyenne, towns with facilities can get sparse. We continued on 85-North, and stayed there until it merged with Highway 16 at Lusk. The two separated, and we stayed on Highway 16, entering South Dakota on it. We made out second stop of the day at Edgemont, SD, after another two hours of driving. This was about 10:30 AM.
The drive through Wyoming and western South Dakota is obviously very rural. But, I did not find it boring. Certainly I was a bit anxious to get to our final destination, but I still found myself admiring the variety of farm buildings, equipment, and even livestock. If I knew more about cattle I am sure I could have rattled off half a dozen varieties that we saw. Plus sheep, and even a herd of deer.
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We pulled into the parking lot of the Sunshine Inn, in Wall, SD a bit after 1 PM. We were actually a little ahead of schedule. I chose the Sunshine Inn, over a chain hotel, because the reviews on TripAdvisor were very good, and it was priced reasonably. Those can come back to bite you, but this turned out to be a winner. Bob, the guy that I think owns it, checked us in and was very friendly. The room looked good. The beds were comfy, and the place was clean.
Neither of us were tired, so decided to find a place for lunch. I thought about the both nearby and famous Wall Drug, but it looked packed. I asked Bob for a recommendation and he pointed us to the Red Rock Restaurant about three blocks away. We walked it. The food ended up being OK. The kitchen was super slow. We were there for well over an hour, and it only took us about 15 minutes, tops, to eat. |
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We at least got a nice photo, with their banner out front, which said “Straight Outta Quarantine”. That felt right.
Back to the hotel, and Margo was ready for a nap. I decided to lay down, too, so as not to disturb her. I found it pretty easy to fall asleep. Luckily I set an alarm for 4:30 PM. We were still planning to tour Badlands National Park. I got up, but Margo had been pushing so hard, I could not make myself wake her. I gave her another twenty minutes, and like a trooper, she was up and ready to go in five minutes. We were on our way a bit before 5 PM.
It was only about 10-15 minutes to the main gate. I had purchased an annual National Parks pass, figuring with what I had planned, it would be a good value. It might still be, but we at least saved the first $30 of the $85 I paid for it.
Our first stop was even right before we entered the park. We had to take our normal photo in front of the National Parks sign. It has now become an official tradition. We had hoped to have someone else there to take it, so we could both be in the photo, but the one person who stopped, parked across the street, and was very interested in the prairie dogs. We moved on.
Our first real stop was at viewing area called Pinnacles Overlook. I don’t know what the formations are called, but to me it looked like a combination of Death Valley and the Grand Canyon. It had several viewing areas, most of which required stairs. That meant Margo was not going. It takes something special to subject her knees to that torture. The difference between the view at the top of the stairs and the bottom was not that great.
Back to the hotel, and Margo was ready for a nap. I decided to lay down, too, so as not to disturb her. I found it pretty easy to fall asleep. Luckily I set an alarm for 4:30 PM. We were still planning to tour Badlands National Park. I got up, but Margo had been pushing so hard, I could not make myself wake her. I gave her another twenty minutes, and like a trooper, she was up and ready to go in five minutes. We were on our way a bit before 5 PM.
It was only about 10-15 minutes to the main gate. I had purchased an annual National Parks pass, figuring with what I had planned, it would be a good value. It might still be, but we at least saved the first $30 of the $85 I paid for it.
Our first stop was even right before we entered the park. We had to take our normal photo in front of the National Parks sign. It has now become an official tradition. We had hoped to have someone else there to take it, so we could both be in the photo, but the one person who stopped, parked across the street, and was very interested in the prairie dogs. We moved on.
Our first real stop was at viewing area called Pinnacles Overlook. I don’t know what the formations are called, but to me it looked like a combination of Death Valley and the Grand Canyon. It had several viewing areas, most of which required stairs. That meant Margo was not going. It takes something special to subject her knees to that torture. The difference between the view at the top of the stairs and the bottom was not that great.
We spent the better part of the next three hours driving through the park, stopping at most of the overlooks. We missed one, Panorama Point, I think it was called, because it did not look very promising, and I did not know its name, until we were past it. Still we saw a lot of pretty country.
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The one thing that surprised me was how crowded it was. We were never alone at any of the overlooks. The popular ones had dozens of people, and even when there was room to spread out, there would be two or three additional groups in the spot you were looking at.
Also, South Dakota does not appear to be so wrapped around the axel with the masks. Less than 10% of the people were wearing them. There was some social distancing being practiced, but people were not fanatical about it. It felt a hell of a lot more comfortable than back home.
Also, South Dakota does not appear to be so wrapped around the axel with the masks. Less than 10% of the people were wearing them. There was some social distancing being practiced, but people were not fanatical about it. It felt a hell of a lot more comfortable than back home.
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We got back to town a bit after 8 PM. I think I had gotten some decent pictures, and I knew I was hungry again. We ended up at a place called the Badlands Saloon and Grille. The food was good, but once again the kitchen was very far behind. At least this time it was attributed to a large order, about 30 people, that was put in right in front of ours. This was a group of motorcycle riders that we had actually seen at the park. They were all wearing fluorescent green shirts that said something about “Isaac’s Ride”. That’s all I know.
We were done by about 9:35 and walked back to the hotel. It was not far, but we took our time and it was nearly 10 when we got back. It was during the latter part of dinner, I remembered I still had some data entry to do for work. I had promised Rebecca I would get it done. She would have covered it for me, but I felt bad, so I spent the next hour doing the data entry, plus balancing it, a task she doesn’t have access to do, and I will have to when we return.
After that, I got a head start on this letter, working until midnight. That is when I usually go to bed anyway. It had been a full day, and I was ready for bed.
We were done by about 9:35 and walked back to the hotel. It was not far, but we took our time and it was nearly 10 when we got back. It was during the latter part of dinner, I remembered I still had some data entry to do for work. I had promised Rebecca I would get it done. She would have covered it for me, but I felt bad, so I spent the next hour doing the data entry, plus balancing it, a task she doesn’t have access to do, and I will have to when we return.
After that, I got a head start on this letter, working until midnight. That is when I usually go to bed anyway. It had been a full day, and I was ready for bed.
Day Two---Sunday, July 12, 2020
I was up at 7:30 when my phone alarm went off. Margo did not stir, so I just turned off the beeping and let her get up on when I started making noise. We were showered, packed, and loaded before 9 AM. This was the first of four hotels in four nights. Bob, the owner, was out taking care of business and saw me messing with my cooler. He said to bring it to the office and he would be happy to fill it for me. I don’t want to say I blew it off, but even though I did need ice, I wasn’t sure I was going to want to wheel my cooler into the office, and look needy. But, two minutes later, he walked by, and said ‘Come on. This way and we’ll get you taken care of.” I did and it ended up being a room, access from outside, behind the office, with a big freezer filled with ice. He kept scooping it in, until I told him to stop. I don’t know if he cleans the rooms, too, but I left a $5 tip.
Our first stop of the day was to Wall Drug. Wall Drug is a Midwest icon. It was founded during the Great Depression and nearly went out of business. But Mrs. Hulstead came up with an idea to pull the people off the highway who were zipping by. She thought that after a hot drive across the plains, in the pre A/C days, they would want a cool drink. She suggested that they put up sign along the highway that offered free ice water. It worked. They have grown from a small mom and pop drugstore, to an icon roadside attraction, which takes up an entire city block. They have a chapel, a backyard with a Jackalope you can climb up on for a picture, an animatronic T-Rex, Art Gallery, Historical Photos, wood sculptures, shooting gallery, a restaurant, and on and on.
I really wanted a sit-down, country breakfast. Their café offered exactly that. They still offer the free ice water, and have offered 5 cent coffee forever. Margo put a nickel in their collection box and got her a 5 cent cup of coffee. She doctored it with plenty of cream and sugar, but it was still not to her liking. I thought it was fine, and finished it.
The food was decent, and unlike the day before, it was out in 5-10 minutes, and was between warm and hot. The toast came with red currant jelly. I had never had it before, but it was very good. We ate breakfast and proceeded to wander the store.
I really wanted a sit-down, country breakfast. Their café offered exactly that. They still offer the free ice water, and have offered 5 cent coffee forever. Margo put a nickel in their collection box and got her a 5 cent cup of coffee. She doctored it with plenty of cream and sugar, but it was still not to her liking. I thought it was fine, and finished it.
The food was decent, and unlike the day before, it was out in 5-10 minutes, and was between warm and hot. The toast came with red currant jelly. I had never had it before, but it was very good. We ate breakfast and proceeded to wander the store.
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Margo and I have been in dozens of tourist stores and gift shops across the country. They have a lot of the same things, and then some things that the one down the street won’t. Wall Drug has all of it. They have everything, that every souvenir shop has, everywhere. They had at least three gift shops selling different things. So, since we had a bunch of people to buy for, we decided to get it all on day one, and be done with. And it actually worked! We will certainly buy other things down the road, but at least we have everyone back home covered.
I budgeted extra money because this trip is taking us into the Black Hills more than once. And do you know what comes from the Black Hills? Black Hills Gold jewelry. Margo has been a fan of this for at least the last two years when we were here last time. I am pretty sure I bought her something either then, or shortly after. This time I wanted her to have her choice, instead of just settling for what we could afford back then. |
Wall Drugs, of course, had Black Hills Gold. But, Margo didn’t really care for anything they had. I was unconcerned. There were dozens of places that sold this, in the towns we would visit. One of them, Gold Diggers, was directly across the street. They claimed to have a large selection, and we were not disappointed. Gold Diggers even had their rings sorted by size. It took Margo about two minutes to zero in on, not one, but two rings. She said she could not decide. The sales lady, helpfully or not, depending on your point of view, offered the comment “Is she worth both?”. Of course she is. With all of the crap she has had to put up with me, and my late hours, grouchiness, and then having to balance managing both Jackie and her mother, the answer was beyond obvious. She walked out wearing both rings, plus two bracelets that came with the purchase of the size we made. I hope the sales lady works on commission.
We left Gold Diggers about 11:30 AM, with the plan of stopping for gas and ice. As Margo was both thanking me for her rings, admiring them, and taking pictures to show our girls, we got on I-90 and headed west, sans gasoline and ice.
We left Gold Diggers about 11:30 AM, with the plan of stopping for gas and ice. As Margo was both thanking me for her rings, admiring them, and taking pictures to show our girls, we got on I-90 and headed west, sans gasoline and ice.
Our rental vehicle, a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, has a nearly 600 mile cruising range. We were in no danger of running out, but we would not make Medora. So we stopped at the next large-ish town, Sturgis, SD, home of the annual bike rally in August. We pulled in about 12:45 PM, got gas and ice, and was back on the road in about 10 minutes. But, that was a mistake, too. While we were not hungry, we would be very shortly, meaning we were going to have to stop again. These stops slow us down, but we were not going to make Medora without another stop, likely two. We should have at least tried to combine this with a lunch stop.
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But, it worked out. Belle Fourche, WY, which has the distinction of being the geographical center of the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), and they have a park dedicated to it. I had stumbled across this while doing research in the area, but quickly put it way on the back burner, as it did not seem worth a stop. Now it did.
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We pulled into Belle Fourche, grabbed a to-go sandwich from Subway and made our way down the road, which was actually even on our route, to the Tri County Museum and home of the Center of the Nation, and an 19th century cabin. We ate our sandwich in the shade of a tree, while watching a steady stream of cars go by. It was not overly noisy, and was actually relaxing. We looked in and around the cabin, Margo took my picture in the Center of the Nation, and we were back on our way by 2:10ish.
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We still had about another three hours until we got to Medora, and Margo and I worked a crossword puzzle to help pass the time. Earlier, after Sturgis and then Spearfish, we had rejoined Highway 85. Highway 85 runs through Brighton, both north and south. It is also known as the CanAm Highway, because it literally spans the nation, north-south from El Paso, TX to the Canadian border. Pretty cool, Huh? It doesn’t run through Medora, but it gets close. We had to get on I-94 for about 15 miles. But, after three hours, a quick restroom break in Bowman, ND, we arrived in Medora at about 5:15 PM, only 15 minutes behind schedule.
It was pretty warm in Medora. The car thermometer said 93 degrees. The day before we left on this trip Denver had its first 100 degree day of the year. We had mostly escaped the heat, until now. We checked into the Badlands Motel. This would be our second motel, with us able to back our car right up to the hotel door. That came in handy for loading and unloading and we actually liked this set up. Quite unintentional on my part. Margo decided to take a short nap. I wasn’t really tired, so I decided to go outside and snap a few pictures. Our motel was only yards from Theodore Roosevelt National Park and some of the formations served as a backdrop for my hotel pictures. The area appeared to be weathering COVID just fine. There were people everywhere. Some people were wearing masks, and some were not. The area itself had a mini golf course and a zipline. We would not have time for either on this trip. Our evening entertainment consisted of the Pitchfork Fondue and the Medora Musical. The former is a chuckwagon type meal where the entrée is an 8 oz steak which is skewered on a pitchfork and dipped in boiling oil. That is put on a metal cafeteria tray with beans, coleslaw, bread, some fruit and veggies, top it off with lemonade and a brownie or mini doughnuts, and you a have a meal. Sounds better on paper. The steak was overcooked and tough, and the other foods were warm, which is not good for coleslaw or fruit. Not much better for the beans. But, it was an experience. |
The meal and the Medora Musical are side by side, with the musical held at the Burning Hills Amphitheater. This show was well done. They some very talented musicians. One of the dancers, Willow somebody, sorry, looked to be world class. They gave her at least two solos, one of which was Foggy Mountain Breakdown. She killed it. The fiddle player, another lady, had a solo playing The Orange Blossom Special. She tore that up.
The theme of the musical was the life of Teddy Roosevelt, focusing on his time in North Dakota. TR lost his wife, during child birth and his mother on the same day. He was understandably devastated and went out west to get away from the tragedy. Out west turned out to be the Badlands of North Dakota. He bought two ranches out here and had several adventures.He later stated he would not have been president without his time out west.
I completely enjoyed the show, in which we had front row seats. I took many pictures and sang along with many of the songs. It lasted over an hour and half, most of which flew by. The show changes each year, and if we are ever back we will see it again.
Point of Order, as soon as we checked into the hotel, I officially crossed off North Dakota from my list of states to visit. That leaves me with just Michigan to do.
When the show was over, as a tip of the hat to social distancing they dismissed the crowd, row by row. We were among the last to be dismissed. Everyone had been seated with at least one seat between each group and every other row empty, so it did not tke that long. But, it did not stop people from being too close. We got back to the hotel at about 10:45. I was in bed not long after.
The theme of the musical was the life of Teddy Roosevelt, focusing on his time in North Dakota. TR lost his wife, during child birth and his mother on the same day. He was understandably devastated and went out west to get away from the tragedy. Out west turned out to be the Badlands of North Dakota. He bought two ranches out here and had several adventures.He later stated he would not have been president without his time out west.
I completely enjoyed the show, in which we had front row seats. I took many pictures and sang along with many of the songs. It lasted over an hour and half, most of which flew by. The show changes each year, and if we are ever back we will see it again.
Point of Order, as soon as we checked into the hotel, I officially crossed off North Dakota from my list of states to visit. That leaves me with just Michigan to do.
When the show was over, as a tip of the hat to social distancing they dismissed the crowd, row by row. We were among the last to be dismissed. Everyone had been seated with at least one seat between each group and every other row empty, so it did not tke that long. But, it did not stop people from being too close. We got back to the hotel at about 10:45. I was in bed not long after.
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Day Three--Monday, July 13, 2020
We both slept pretty well. I was up with my alarm at 7:30 AM. Margo was up at about the same time. I had no firm breakfast plans, but I had found two cafes that looked promising. The closest one was The Farmhouse Café. The Cowboy Café was on the other side of town, so Farmhouse was our first stop.
We got there and they had both a menu posted and a sign asking for "just one of your party to check in for seating". We went in together, because, we didn’t see anyone waiting when we opened the door. The lady behind the counter, who was busy with coffee or something, just motioned for us to sit where ever we want. Mixed messaging, but we only shook our heads at the inconsistency.
Sat. Ordered. Waited. Waited. Waited. We are seeing a pattern here. It must be tough finding kitchen help everywhere. The waitstaff have been competent to good. But, food orders have been slow, off temp, and ranging in quality. But, we were not on vacation to complain. It was nice just to have breakfast together.
We got there and they had both a menu posted and a sign asking for "just one of your party to check in for seating". We went in together, because, we didn’t see anyone waiting when we opened the door. The lady behind the counter, who was busy with coffee or something, just motioned for us to sit where ever we want. Mixed messaging, but we only shook our heads at the inconsistency.
Sat. Ordered. Waited. Waited. Waited. We are seeing a pattern here. It must be tough finding kitchen help everywhere. The waitstaff have been competent to good. But, food orders have been slow, off temp, and ranging in quality. But, we were not on vacation to complain. It was nice just to have breakfast together.
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Teddy Roosevelt National Park is about half a mile from our restaurant, so it took no time at all to get there. The gift shop, which was also were you paid admission, was open, the museum and visitor center was not. I should have known. If it provides a revenue stream there was going to be a way to open it. If it was going to cost money to open it, not so much. Does not appear to be about COVID as much as CASH.
We toured the park from 10 AM to 12:30. We stopped at most of the overlooks and took pictures. The park reminded by, same as Badlands National Park, of Death Valley. But, it had spots that were green. The optics were not even as good as Badlands, let alone Death Valley, but we were still glad we did it.
Again, we noticed how crowded the park was. I was not expecting this. We had been hoping/expecting that the parks would not be crowded. With every municipality in the nation encouraging people to stay home, and with the visitor’s centers being closed, we were hopeful. Definitely did not work out that way. But, I guess people were all thinking the Great Outdoors would less crowded and more safe.Every overlook, plus the gift shop and restrooms, social distancing was a challenge. I do believe that staying away from people is good idea even when there is not a contagious virus going around. So we would wait our turn.
We did get to see Teddy Roosevelt’s cabin, as it is parked right there behind the gift shop. We did that before we drove into the park. He had his ranch hands built it for him, but he did live in it. I wonder how long it took them to make it was their hand tools. It takes me forever to build anything with the modern conveniences. We could only see the outside, because people are too stupid to keep their distance, or else we might leave the bug on Teddy’s bed, or something.
We toured the park from 10 AM to 12:30. We stopped at most of the overlooks and took pictures. The park reminded by, same as Badlands National Park, of Death Valley. But, it had spots that were green. The optics were not even as good as Badlands, let alone Death Valley, but we were still glad we did it.
Again, we noticed how crowded the park was. I was not expecting this. We had been hoping/expecting that the parks would not be crowded. With every municipality in the nation encouraging people to stay home, and with the visitor’s centers being closed, we were hopeful. Definitely did not work out that way. But, I guess people were all thinking the Great Outdoors would less crowded and more safe.Every overlook, plus the gift shop and restrooms, social distancing was a challenge. I do believe that staying away from people is good idea even when there is not a contagious virus going around. So we would wait our turn.
We did get to see Teddy Roosevelt’s cabin, as it is parked right there behind the gift shop. We did that before we drove into the park. He had his ranch hands built it for him, but he did live in it. I wonder how long it took them to make it was their hand tools. It takes me forever to build anything with the modern conveniences. We could only see the outside, because people are too stupid to keep their distance, or else we might leave the bug on Teddy’s bed, or something.
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As soon as we left the park, we stopped at a place called Ticket Junction, which is a combination gift shop and ticket clearinghouse for the area. When we had checked in at the Badlands Hotel, I saw these adorable teddy bears, dressed as Teddy Roosevelt. I know Jackie had to get one. The people at the hotel said that Ticket Junction had a better selection then they did, so We stopped. We picked up the one with Teddy dressed as a Rough Rider. There were multiple choices; Badlands Teddy, Teddy in Coat & Tails, etc. I liked this one, and knew Jackie would like any of them.
Our final stop in Medora was to fortify ourselves for the drive to Buffalo. I had made a mistake on our itinerary. I had listed the drive from Medora to Buffalo, WY, our next stop at 4 hours. It was really more like 5 ½ hours. So, I was a little anxious to get moving.
We decided on the Little Missouri Saloon. Following the pattern, service was slow. The waitress was experienced, and good, but not very engaging. I had a buffalo burger, which was disappointing. I don’t recall what Margo had, but she said it was good. We left Medora at 2 PM
Our final stop in Medora was to fortify ourselves for the drive to Buffalo. I had made a mistake on our itinerary. I had listed the drive from Medora to Buffalo, WY, our next stop at 4 hours. It was really more like 5 ½ hours. So, I was a little anxious to get moving.
We decided on the Little Missouri Saloon. Following the pattern, service was slow. The waitress was experienced, and good, but not very engaging. I had a buffalo burger, which was disappointing. I don’t recall what Margo had, but she said it was good. We left Medora at 2 PM
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The drive down to Buffalo was uneventful, except for some light rain, about 20 miles from our destination. We made stops in Miles City and Crow Agency, MT. It was really obvious that Crow Agency is on an Indian Reservation, at least the place that we stopped was. It was old and rundown, as was the whole general area. The gas station was called Teepee Service, so at least they have sense of humor. We arrived in Buffalo at 7:20 PM. I was looking forward to this hotel because I booked a very nice room. They, the Occidental Hotel, call it their Cloud Peak room, named for the highest mountain in the Bighorn Mountains. It is a two bedroom suite, with a balcony, and a private bath and shower. I was looking forward to being a little spoiled in the historic hotel. For $305 a night, I had high expectations. I think this is the most I have ever paid for a room. With respect to the hotel, Margo and I would be in good company, Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover stayed here. As did, Buffalo Bill Cody, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Calamity Jane, Tom Horn, General Nelson Miles, Curly, the famous Crow scout of the 7th Calvary, and Owen Wister, author of The Virginian.
The room was beautiful. There was no A/C, but there was a ceiling fan. But, the weather was cool and we had no issues sleeping. There was also no elevator. That was more of an issue, but Margo had devised a system where we only brought up the bare minimum, instead of bring up the whole car, so it worked out. |
By the time we had finished checking in, moving our car around, (The Occidental has very limited parking. We found one spot, and then one right in front. Yeah for us!), getting stuff upstairs, and taking pictures of the room, it was close to 8 PM. Unless it is the weekend, 8 PM is closing time for restaurants. We were hungry. My plan was to eat on sight, at The Virginian, but it was closed. The Virginian Bar was open and they served food. It was a very limited menu, but food.
I ordered the Ribeye. They were out. So I had to settle for a Lemon Pepper Chicken. Margo had Macaroni and Cheese. But, her stomach was bothering her, so she hardly touched her meal. I wondered if we would ever get a meal that good, hot, and quick. So far, with the exception of Wall Drug’s breakfast, which is almost fast food, we had only gotten two of the three.
My head joined Margo’s stomach. I get headaches caused by something in my neck going out. Maybe the driving did it, maybe it was looking at the computer or my phone at a odd angle. Anyway, it is usually manageable once I go to bed and find a “spot”. More than half the time it is gone by morning. I went to bed at 11 PM, and was hoping my neck would reline itself.
I ordered the Ribeye. They were out. So I had to settle for a Lemon Pepper Chicken. Margo had Macaroni and Cheese. But, her stomach was bothering her, so she hardly touched her meal. I wondered if we would ever get a meal that good, hot, and quick. So far, with the exception of Wall Drug’s breakfast, which is almost fast food, we had only gotten two of the three.
My head joined Margo’s stomach. I get headaches caused by something in my neck going out. Maybe the driving did it, maybe it was looking at the computer or my phone at a odd angle. Anyway, it is usually manageable once I go to bed and find a “spot”. More than half the time it is gone by morning. I went to bed at 11 PM, and was hoping my neck would reline itself.
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Day Four--Tuesday, July 14, 2020
I was up at 7:30, with a little help from my phone alarm. My headache was gone and I was feeling pretty good. The bed had been very comfortable and we both slept pretty well. I offered to sleep in our second room and give Margo the whole queen bed, but she would not have it. That was OK. I feel better when she is by my side.
Our plan was to have breakfast at The Busy Bee. This is a Buffalo institution, and if you are a Longmire fan, it is in both the books and the TV show. We were not going to miss it. We were down stairs, and next door by 8:15. The trouble with this timing is that I have a COVID inspired virtual doctor’s appointment with my endocrinologist, at 8:30. It had been a chore to get this one, so I was not going to put it off. I knew that if we went inside, I was going to have to step outside anyway, as I was not going to talk to my doctor, in a loud voice, in front of a room full of strangers. It would be rude and none of their business anyway.
Our plan was to have breakfast at The Busy Bee. This is a Buffalo institution, and if you are a Longmire fan, it is in both the books and the TV show. We were not going to miss it. We were down stairs, and next door by 8:15. The trouble with this timing is that I have a COVID inspired virtual doctor’s appointment with my endocrinologist, at 8:30. It had been a chore to get this one, so I was not going to put it off. I knew that if we went inside, I was going to have to step outside anyway, as I was not going to talk to my doctor, in a loud voice, in front of a room full of strangers. It would be rude and none of their business anyway.
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I told Margo I would go take some pictures, after we ordered our drinks and meal. I figured that I could snap a few pics, and then by the time the doc called and we took care of business, I would be back to a hot meal.
The doctor called 8 minutes early, which was actually good timing. He was pleased with the direction my blood sugar was going, advised me to not to increase my insulin intake any further, and wanted me to set up a real doctor’s visit, so he could discuss adding a second medication to help with my blood sugar once I began eating in the morning. Then it was over, and by a little after 8:30 I was back inside, waiting with Margo for our meal.
The doctor called 8 minutes early, which was actually good timing. He was pleased with the direction my blood sugar was going, advised me to not to increase my insulin intake any further, and wanted me to set up a real doctor’s visit, so he could discuss adding a second medication to help with my blood sugar once I began eating in the morning. Then it was over, and by a little after 8:30 I was back inside, waiting with Margo for our meal.
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We had two things planned for today, a self-guided tour of Mountain Meadow Wool mill, where we could see how wool yard is created, from sheep to garment. Then a drive through Crazy Woman Canyon, south of town in the Bighorn Mountains.
We were at the wool mill by 9:30 AM, and came across our first place where masks were required. So far we had not even taken them out of the suitcase. The tour was free, and began with a couple of videos that explained the process, and why the wool mill even exists. For the latter, it was to give an additional market to the local sheep herders, since the price of wool has been falling for years. Sounds like they need a better marketing arm. But, whatever.
We were at the wool mill by 9:30 AM, and came across our first place where masks were required. So far we had not even taken them out of the suitcase. The tour was free, and began with a couple of videos that explained the process, and why the wool mill even exists. For the latter, it was to give an additional market to the local sheep herders, since the price of wool has been falling for years. Sounds like they need a better marketing arm. But, whatever.
It was still interesting. After the video which explained the yearly cycle, in which baby lambs are sent off to become lamb chops, and the sheep are sheared, and the wool sent off to the mill. The fleece is washed to remove the wool grease, (lanolin), and then is combed, spun, dyed, and then either made into a final garment with their knitting machine, or turned into yarn. They had a hands on area, where you could feel wool before it was washed, and the after. The difference was striking. The finished wool was very soft. Margo got a wool kit to crochet something, and we were soon on our way.
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We arrived to the turnoff to Crazy Woman Canyon at about 11 AM. Aunt Prim and Uncle Donnie had made this drive about a month earlier and posted some pictures on Facebook. They were beautiful. I had head of the canyon before, although I don’t remember where. I did not have it on my to-do list until I saw my aunt’s pictures. Now it was.
The first part of the drive is flat with the Bighorn Mountains looming close ahead. Today there were storm clouds in the general area we were heading, but blue sky was behind them. I was planning to be vigilant. I did not want to get caught in a flash flood. We experienced a few drops before we made it to the canyon’s entrance. After that it was sunny and as pretty as you could ask for.
I think the canyon drive is about seven miles long, but the first mile or two driving west, uphill, is the flat land part. Then, as I remember, you basically come around a bend, the start going uphill, and cliffs start appearing. The road gets very narrow in many spots, with only enough room for one vehicle to pass. But, we never had any trouble. There always seemed to be a wide spot to scoot over into.
The canyon itself is more relaxing than harrowing. Every bend in the road offered a new surprise. Maybe a boulder that long ago fell to leave just enough room between it and Crazy Woman Creek to pass. Or a clearing in the trees, where the creek can be seen and not just heard. Or maybe, a set of rocks in the creek, whose babble could easily lull in you into an afternoon nap.
The first part of the drive is flat with the Bighorn Mountains looming close ahead. Today there were storm clouds in the general area we were heading, but blue sky was behind them. I was planning to be vigilant. I did not want to get caught in a flash flood. We experienced a few drops before we made it to the canyon’s entrance. After that it was sunny and as pretty as you could ask for.
I think the canyon drive is about seven miles long, but the first mile or two driving west, uphill, is the flat land part. Then, as I remember, you basically come around a bend, the start going uphill, and cliffs start appearing. The road gets very narrow in many spots, with only enough room for one vehicle to pass. But, we never had any trouble. There always seemed to be a wide spot to scoot over into.
The canyon itself is more relaxing than harrowing. Every bend in the road offered a new surprise. Maybe a boulder that long ago fell to leave just enough room between it and Crazy Woman Creek to pass. Or a clearing in the trees, where the creek can be seen and not just heard. Or maybe, a set of rocks in the creek, whose babble could easily lull in you into an afternoon nap.
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We saw several campers, and remnants of camp sites. There is a for rent cabin towards the west end. Cabin is more a colloquialism, as it looks very modern inside, and has three bedrooms. I could see myself staying there.
After The Cabin at Crazy Woman, the road gets steeper and rougher. It was the worst part of the drive, and the only spot where maybe a high clearance vehicle might be needed. I’m thinking if you took it slow on this spot, you would be fine. Everywhere else, any car would make it easily.
At one of our stops along the way, I snapped a particularly nice picture and posted it on Facebook. I said that the canyon was named after my wife, crazy, but beautiful. I got an eye roll from here and a few comments on line. We made it back into town, taking the longer route, and not back tracking. We wanted to see another side of the Bighorns. It was pretty, but much like driving I-70 through the Colorado Rockies. We were back in Buffalo by 1 PM.
After The Cabin at Crazy Woman, the road gets steeper and rougher. It was the worst part of the drive, and the only spot where maybe a high clearance vehicle might be needed. I’m thinking if you took it slow on this spot, you would be fine. Everywhere else, any car would make it easily.
At one of our stops along the way, I snapped a particularly nice picture and posted it on Facebook. I said that the canyon was named after my wife, crazy, but beautiful. I got an eye roll from here and a few comments on line. We made it back into town, taking the longer route, and not back tracking. We wanted to see another side of the Bighorns. It was pretty, but much like driving I-70 through the Colorado Rockies. We were back in Buffalo by 1 PM.
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Breakfast had worn off and we were in search of lunch. We parked the Jeep and started wandering Main. We came across a place called Sagewood Gifts and Café. We always like to check out local cafes, when we have the opportunity. This one gave us a little pause. As you walk in it very much looks like one of those tourist gift shops, that specialize in lotions, knick-knacks, soap, and art. I never buy anything in these stores, and Margo rarely does. Although she will do her share of sniffing, and saying “Oh, Isn’t that cute.”
You had to keep your resolve not to turn back in search of testosterone, to make your way to the back of the store, where they did have a small café. Café is a stretch. It was more a boutique sandwich shoppe. But, hidden in their arugula and feta, with parsnips, or whatever, I saw a sandwich called Turkey, Swiss, and Cranberry, which sounded similar to a sandwich I used get all the time from a place called McCallister’s, near our old building, at work. That actually sounded good. Margo was up for it. She got a Jackhammer. This ham, pepper jack, tomato, lettuce, banana peppers, mustard, and cream cheese, on herb dill bread. We decided to each get a full sandwich, and swap halves. It was fun and delicious. We both liked both sandwiches. But, we each liked our own order best.
We shopped in Buffalo for another couple of hours. I don’t recall the last time I got something special for my girls, so got them both a Black Hills Gold pendant. In commemoration of our trip through Margo’s Canyon, I got her a Crazy Woman t-shirt. She rolled her eyes at me, again. But, I know she will wear it. It will make for a good story. Then we said good-bye to Buffalo. I enjoyed our short stay here, and hope we can make it back there again someday.
You had to keep your resolve not to turn back in search of testosterone, to make your way to the back of the store, where they did have a small café. Café is a stretch. It was more a boutique sandwich shoppe. But, hidden in their arugula and feta, with parsnips, or whatever, I saw a sandwich called Turkey, Swiss, and Cranberry, which sounded similar to a sandwich I used get all the time from a place called McCallister’s, near our old building, at work. That actually sounded good. Margo was up for it. She got a Jackhammer. This ham, pepper jack, tomato, lettuce, banana peppers, mustard, and cream cheese, on herb dill bread. We decided to each get a full sandwich, and swap halves. It was fun and delicious. We both liked both sandwiches. But, we each liked our own order best.
We shopped in Buffalo for another couple of hours. I don’t recall the last time I got something special for my girls, so got them both a Black Hills Gold pendant. In commemoration of our trip through Margo’s Canyon, I got her a Crazy Woman t-shirt. She rolled her eyes at me, again. But, I know she will wear it. It will make for a good story. Then we said good-bye to Buffalo. I enjoyed our short stay here, and hope we can make it back there again someday.
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But, Devil’s Tower beckoned. It was a two hour driver to Devil’s Tower, with us pulling into the parking lot at 5 PM. There was no one to acknowledge our America the Beautiful annual parks pass, which I had paid $85 for. With the visitor center closed there was little to do, except hike one of the trails. Margo was not the least little bit interested in hiking. But there was a bench in the shade and she was happy to relax in the shadow of America’s first national monument, while I did hike a little.
I promised her I would be about half an hour, and off I went. I hiked about 15 minutes, and gawked and photographed another 5 of so. Then I turned back. I did get a few nice shots of the tower. I could also just make out a climber, about half way up. Or down, more likely. I would think that at 5 PM, unless your plan was to spend the night up on top, you were on your way down.
I promised her I would be about half an hour, and off I went. I hiked about 15 minutes, and gawked and photographed another 5 of so. Then I turned back. I did get a few nice shots of the tower. I could also just make out a climber, about half way up. Or down, more likely. I would think that at 5 PM, unless your plan was to spend the night up on top, you were on your way down.
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When I get back, missing my deadline by about ten minutes, I found Margo on the same bench, but no longer alone. There was a lady and her two pugs. One, Gracie, was friendly, and over by Margo soaking up the attention that she gives any dog she runs across. The other, Rosabelle, was barking, as I approached. She was doing the make-noise kind of bark, to make sure I knew she was there. She wasn't threatening, just advising the world that she had an attitude. Margo said she had petted that one, once, then Rosabelle decided to be anti-social.
Margo later told me that she had invited the lady to sit on the six foot bench with her. I know COVID does not take a vacation, but neither should common sense, or manners. Margo and she chatted a bit, and Margo enjoyed the canine company while I was gone.
We stopped at a huge gift shop which guards the entrance to the monument, and bought our requisite souvenirs. Margo has begun collecting magnets. Mary, at work, has for years, and I bring her one from any place we visit. I’m not the only one, and she has probably close to 200, covering something like 30 states. The last time we visited this exact same shop in 2001, I don’t remember them having so many souvenirs related to Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, which featured Devil’s Tower. But, they were everywhere. Kind of interesting.
Margo later told me that she had invited the lady to sit on the six foot bench with her. I know COVID does not take a vacation, but neither should common sense, or manners. Margo and she chatted a bit, and Margo enjoyed the canine company while I was gone.
We stopped at a huge gift shop which guards the entrance to the monument, and bought our requisite souvenirs. Margo has begun collecting magnets. Mary, at work, has for years, and I bring her one from any place we visit. I’m not the only one, and she has probably close to 200, covering something like 30 states. The last time we visited this exact same shop in 2001, I don’t remember them having so many souvenirs related to Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, which featured Devil’s Tower. But, they were everywhere. Kind of interesting.
Our hotel for the night was in Sundance, WY. I had originally planned to spend Wednesday morning eating breakfast and touring the Crook County Museum. But, two days before we left, I found out it was closed. I was not making another hotel, change, so I made other plans for Wednesday. But, today was Tuesday, and I still have another story to tell.
Sundance was only 35 minutes away from Devil’s Tower, so it was a nothing drive. We were there by 6:30 PM and I was a little excited to have a quiet evening where I could write, and maybe do a little something for work. I won’t even get into that any deeper. Suffice to say, I had commitments, and it would not hurt to work on them a little.
Our reservation was just fine. I had thought that this modern hotel had an elevator. Nope. It was only two floors, and we were on the second. No big deal. I told Margo I would haul whatever, and she could just start getting things set up. Except neither room key worked. It happens. The person setting up the keys punches in the wrong room number or some other type hiccup. I went down, dinged the little bell, and the lady set me up with two new keys.
Up the stairs I went. I handed the keys to Margo, she put one, and then the other into the slot. Same thing. No green light. Not even a red light. I’m thinking its not the key. It’s the door lock. So down the stairs I go. The little bell got dinged just a bit harder. The lady was surprised I was back. She made new cards, and this time came up with me. I was going to insist on that anyway. Up those stairs again. She had no better luck than Margo or I did.
I followed her down the stairs. One glance at Margo told me she not happy. I saw her get out her phone and took very little imagination to see she was looking for another accommodation. The lady and I came back up the stairs, this time with keys to a different room. Yeah. Surely whatever issue is going on, was isolated to this cursed room. Nope. These keys would not work either. The lady went down the stairs on her own. Margo said something about this was her last chance. She came back up a couple of minutes later, with keys to our original room. She must have called someone, because now we were instructed to hold the door handle all the way up, as we inserted the keys. This alchemist trick provided the correct magic, and we were in our room.
Sundance was only 35 minutes away from Devil’s Tower, so it was a nothing drive. We were there by 6:30 PM and I was a little excited to have a quiet evening where I could write, and maybe do a little something for work. I won’t even get into that any deeper. Suffice to say, I had commitments, and it would not hurt to work on them a little.
Our reservation was just fine. I had thought that this modern hotel had an elevator. Nope. It was only two floors, and we were on the second. No big deal. I told Margo I would haul whatever, and she could just start getting things set up. Except neither room key worked. It happens. The person setting up the keys punches in the wrong room number or some other type hiccup. I went down, dinged the little bell, and the lady set me up with two new keys.
Up the stairs I went. I handed the keys to Margo, she put one, and then the other into the slot. Same thing. No green light. Not even a red light. I’m thinking its not the key. It’s the door lock. So down the stairs I go. The little bell got dinged just a bit harder. The lady was surprised I was back. She made new cards, and this time came up with me. I was going to insist on that anyway. Up those stairs again. She had no better luck than Margo or I did.
I followed her down the stairs. One glance at Margo told me she not happy. I saw her get out her phone and took very little imagination to see she was looking for another accommodation. The lady and I came back up the stairs, this time with keys to a different room. Yeah. Surely whatever issue is going on, was isolated to this cursed room. Nope. These keys would not work either. The lady went down the stairs on her own. Margo said something about this was her last chance. She came back up a couple of minutes later, with keys to our original room. She must have called someone, because now we were instructed to hold the door handle all the way up, as we inserted the keys. This alchemist trick provided the correct magic, and we were in our room.
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By the time all of this was done, and we got everything we need for the night up those stairs. It was close to 7:30. Margo was in the mood for Mexican food. Surely there would be at least one Mexican food restaurant in Sundance, WY. Nope. We were told that we could drive to Spearfish, or I think she said Gillette. Spearfish was half an hour away, in South Dakota. It, whatever it was, would not even be open. Gillette was close to double that. I got on Google to check our choices. A pizza joint/laundromat (I kid you not) and the Longhorn Saloon and Grille. It closes at 8 PM, so we had about 25 minutes to get there. At least Sundance’s small size made the commute quick. We were there in five minutes. The meal was good. I don’t recall if I ordered a steak of not. If I did it was not very memorable. But, they did have Coke, and not Pepsi, so that helped. I also had a beer. After the last hour, I needed one.
It was closing in on 9 PM when we got back, and most of night had now disappeared. I was thinking about what I could still get done tonight, as I drove around the lot looking for parking spot. We had scored one up front when we arrived, but it was taken when we got back. As was every other spot in the lot. I pulled underneath the canopy, and the bell was dinged much harder than prior. The lady appeared with a now-what look on her face. I explained the dilemma. She said she would call her boss. I was thinking that she had called her boss and hour ago. She added or that she could have us park over at “truck parking” on the other side of the building.
Truck Parking was on the gas station’s property next door, and I was in no mood for the inconvenience. She did not linger. She was back much quicker than I thought, and said that a Monte Carlo would be pulling out of a spot, and we could have that one. The Monte Carlo was hers, and it was in a handicap spot. She pulled in under the canopy, so we effectively swapped spots.
By now we were both wiped out. If I spent an hour on the computer I would be surprised. I was in bed by 10:30, and Margo was already sawing logs at this point. But, the bed was comfortable, and we could both use a full eight hours.
It was closing in on 9 PM when we got back, and most of night had now disappeared. I was thinking about what I could still get done tonight, as I drove around the lot looking for parking spot. We had scored one up front when we arrived, but it was taken when we got back. As was every other spot in the lot. I pulled underneath the canopy, and the bell was dinged much harder than prior. The lady appeared with a now-what look on her face. I explained the dilemma. She said she would call her boss. I was thinking that she had called her boss and hour ago. She added or that she could have us park over at “truck parking” on the other side of the building.
Truck Parking was on the gas station’s property next door, and I was in no mood for the inconvenience. She did not linger. She was back much quicker than I thought, and said that a Monte Carlo would be pulling out of a spot, and we could have that one. The Monte Carlo was hers, and it was in a handicap spot. She pulled in under the canopy, so we effectively swapped spots.
By now we were both wiped out. If I spent an hour on the computer I would be surprised. I was in bed by 10:30, and Margo was already sawing logs at this point. But, the bed was comfortable, and we could both use a full eight hours.
Day Five--Wednesday, July 15, 2020
I was up at 7:15, and Margo was up before then. We were showered and dressed by 8:30. When we checked in I had noticed the signs for their breakfast area, and was expecting to fortify ourselves before we left. Nope. It was dark. They had a kid manning, well, boying, the desk. He was telling someone about being a senior next year. He was not talking about college. They had three or restaurant listed at the counter. I asked our young turk if the Bear Lodge Bakery served breakfast. He said he thought so, in a very unconvincing manner. My turn for the eye roll. This hotel sucks.
With no better option and hungry, we decided to give Bear Lodge Bakery a shot. Even coffee and donuts sounded ok. We were there in just a few minutes. This place was like our lunch stop yesterday, except it looked like an antique shop, with art and crafts tastefully spread-out over the space. There were three of four tables inside and a couple outside. They had the trendy blackboard menu behind the counter. We were able to get a hot meal. The meal was good, but the kitchen was slow again. They were not busy. We thought about getting donuts to go, but they were not nearly as a tempting on a full stomach.
With no better option and hungry, we decided to give Bear Lodge Bakery a shot. Even coffee and donuts sounded ok. We were there in just a few minutes. This place was like our lunch stop yesterday, except it looked like an antique shop, with art and crafts tastefully spread-out over the space. There were three of four tables inside and a couple outside. They had the trendy blackboard menu behind the counter. We were able to get a hot meal. The meal was good, but the kitchen was slow again. They were not busy. We thought about getting donuts to go, but they were not nearly as a tempting on a full stomach.
We stopped on the way out of town to get gas and ice. It was about 1 ½ hours to our destination, the Crazy Horse Memorial. We arrived at noon, but we were still full from breakfast, so we did not seek out food. Unlike our national parks, the visitors center was open and pretty busy. Social distancing signs were out, but there were not many masks, and adherence to the aforementioned signs was something north of token.
We paid $24 to get to the visitor’s center. Another eight dollars got us a bus ticket to a place about a half mile closer to take pictures of the very unfinished memorial. For another $300 Margo and I could have gotten a ride to the top of the memorial. Pass.
I guess you can put me in the camp of this project has become more about mining tourists and keeping the Ziolkowski family employed. The original sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, began the sculpture in 1948. That is 72 years ago. They have turned down millions of dollars from the government, so it can remain free of restrictions. Not buying it. The project is much, probably close to three times the size of Mount Rushmore, but 72 years, and all then have is the face, and part of the arm. We were told on our bus ride that in ten years the goal is have about of the arm done, along with the hair of the Lakota chief.
The original sculpture is long dead. His first wife, a blue blood descended from a Mayflower family, left him after two years in South Dakota. He married an assistant, who was 12 years younger than he was. She is dead. They had ten children, all born right there at his cabin. Eight of those are working on the mountain. One those not working is dead. At least two grandkids work there.
But, I’ll move on. The Visitors Center is very well done. It is big and open, with tons of displays, and sculptures. There are two gifts shops, one more upscale, with a lot of Indian art, and the other more traditional, with the standard tourist stuff.
I guess you can put me in the camp of this project has become more about mining tourists and keeping the Ziolkowski family employed. The original sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, began the sculpture in 1948. That is 72 years ago. They have turned down millions of dollars from the government, so it can remain free of restrictions. Not buying it. The project is much, probably close to three times the size of Mount Rushmore, but 72 years, and all then have is the face, and part of the arm. We were told on our bus ride that in ten years the goal is have about of the arm done, along with the hair of the Lakota chief.
The original sculpture is long dead. His first wife, a blue blood descended from a Mayflower family, left him after two years in South Dakota. He married an assistant, who was 12 years younger than he was. She is dead. They had ten children, all born right there at his cabin. Eight of those are working on the mountain. One those not working is dead. At least two grandkids work there.
But, I’ll move on. The Visitors Center is very well done. It is big and open, with tons of displays, and sculptures. There are two gifts shops, one more upscale, with a lot of Indian art, and the other more traditional, with the standard tourist stuff.
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There was an Indian dance demonstration by a Lakota family. I learned they really don’t like to be called Sioux. That was a name hung on them by a rival tribe, not friendly to the Lakota. French trappers asked this tribe about the Lakota, and the told them they were snakes. Their word for this was something similar to Sioux, so they went with it. Americans figured if the French were calling them Sioux, they we would, too.
The patriarch of the Indian family told the story above, along with other history. Then his four year old daughter did a hoop dance. We have seen the hoop dance performed by the Tafoya family down in Colorado Springs, when the kids were little. The four year old did very well, and earned a lot applause.
His wife did a couple of dances next, after first telling of their history. The first was some sort of healing dance, whose roots go back only about one hundred years. The other was a jingle dance. They were both less energetic than a fancy shawl dance. These dances are part of competitions that are part of Pow-Wows. We were told that pow-wows are open to anyone to attend. Did not know that either.
The show was free, but they were selling a book after. We bought the book. It was $20 and she autographed it for Margo. I think it is a children’s book.
The patriarch of the Indian family told the story above, along with other history. Then his four year old daughter did a hoop dance. We have seen the hoop dance performed by the Tafoya family down in Colorado Springs, when the kids were little. The four year old did very well, and earned a lot applause.
His wife did a couple of dances next, after first telling of their history. The first was some sort of healing dance, whose roots go back only about one hundred years. The other was a jingle dance. They were both less energetic than a fancy shawl dance. These dances are part of competitions that are part of Pow-Wows. We were told that pow-wows are open to anyone to attend. Did not know that either.
The show was free, but they were selling a book after. We bought the book. It was $20 and she autographed it for Margo. I think it is a children’s book.
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We left about 2:45 PM, and did enjoy the whole experience. We were too close not to visit Mount Rushmore so that was our next stop. It was only about a 40 minute drive. I was impressed by the mountain grades we were seeing in the Black Hills. We have some 8% grades out Floyd Hill way, but we saw a couple of 10% here in the hills.
Mount Rushmore was free to enter, but you had to pay $10 to park. I think they have farmed the parking out to someone private, as there is a parking structure, which I don’t remember from nearly 20 years ago. But, regardless, our Parks Pass did not help us.
We were hungry now, and found their park café. We both got to have a bison burger. No fries; chips. No Coke: Pepsi. Ok, they had Coke. Just sneaking in an old Saturday Night skit in. I was glad they had Coke> I’m not a Pepsi fan. But, it was very cool eating lunch, with our view being the faces of Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore was free to enter, but you had to pay $10 to park. I think they have farmed the parking out to someone private, as there is a parking structure, which I don’t remember from nearly 20 years ago. But, regardless, our Parks Pass did not help us.
We were hungry now, and found their park café. We both got to have a bison burger. No fries; chips. No Coke: Pepsi. Ok, they had Coke. Just sneaking in an old Saturday Night skit in. I was glad they had Coke> I’m not a Pepsi fan. But, it was very cool eating lunch, with our view being the faces of Mount Rushmore.
There was much more social distancing, and most everyone was wearing a mask. Margo and I were not. Unless they are mandatory, we don’t. I can’t give the disease to anyone if I am not sick. I do not thing that having asthma and diabetes, that I could possibly have it and not know it. And the mask won’t prevent me from catching it. I’m just not a fan of this precaution. I get the self-quarantining, and the social distancing, but the masks, especially being told I have to, bothers me.
After eating, I wanted to hike a little. I don’t recall the deadline I gave Margo, as to when I would be back, 45-60 minutes. I do recall I only missed it by a couple of minutes. She busied herself by checking out the gift shop.
My hike was a real work out. I climbed the relatively short distance to the Historic Viewing area. I had it all to myself for about five minutes. Mount Rushmore was pretty busy. Looked like a typical summer day to me. This was the easy part of my hike.
Once I returned the short, downhill, distance to the main trail, I soon came upon a sign describing the Grand View Terrace. Well, if it’s a grand view, how could I pass it up? The sign further went on to caution me that this is “a strenuous trail with 250 steps” Lying bastards. It was a strenuous trail with 281 steps. But some were downhill, as if to torture whoever was naïve enough to ignore the warning. Look, we have gained elevation, let’s give it back. The view was almost worth it. You got closer and the angle was different from the main area, but that is a lot of steps, in July heat.
After eating, I wanted to hike a little. I don’t recall the deadline I gave Margo, as to when I would be back, 45-60 minutes. I do recall I only missed it by a couple of minutes. She busied herself by checking out the gift shop.
My hike was a real work out. I climbed the relatively short distance to the Historic Viewing area. I had it all to myself for about five minutes. Mount Rushmore was pretty busy. Looked like a typical summer day to me. This was the easy part of my hike.
Once I returned the short, downhill, distance to the main trail, I soon came upon a sign describing the Grand View Terrace. Well, if it’s a grand view, how could I pass it up? The sign further went on to caution me that this is “a strenuous trail with 250 steps” Lying bastards. It was a strenuous trail with 281 steps. But some were downhill, as if to torture whoever was naïve enough to ignore the warning. Look, we have gained elevation, let’s give it back. The view was almost worth it. You got closer and the angle was different from the main area, but that is a lot of steps, in July heat.
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I hiked back down, texting Margo when I was a minute or so away. She met me at the gift shop and showed me the highlights and the things we would be interested in. I ended up with a t-shirt, and we acquired a few more priceless heirlooms, before making our way back to the parking garage, paying our $10 ransom, and heading north to Deadwood.
It was about 90 minutes to Deadwood. We were staying at the historic Bullock Hotel. Do you know how a hotel gets to be historic? It is old. That usually means without amenities. But, the Bullock had A/C and an elevator. Their parking is across the street, behind the hotel, up against a mountain. But, we pulled the Jeep in right behind the hotel, offloaded everything, and parked. I got the luggage cart, and in a few short minutes we were opening room 211, with a real brass key. This was actually our second real brass key. The Sunshine Inn in Wall had one, too.
It was about 90 minutes to Deadwood. We were staying at the historic Bullock Hotel. Do you know how a hotel gets to be historic? It is old. That usually means without amenities. But, the Bullock had A/C and an elevator. Their parking is across the street, behind the hotel, up against a mountain. But, we pulled the Jeep in right behind the hotel, offloaded everything, and parked. I got the luggage cart, and in a few short minutes we were opening room 211, with a real brass key. This was actually our second real brass key. The Sunshine Inn in Wall had one, too.
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We were starved and decided to try for Mexican food again. The lady at the desk recommended Guadalajara’s down the road at Cadillac Jack’s. Our GPS found it easily. Our GPS could not help us with a parking spot. Who knew Cadillac Jacks was so popular on Wednesday night, during COVOD? But, on our third pass around the lot, we found a spot.
The food was good. I wanted Chicken Mole, but they were out. So I settled for Carne Asada. Like I said, it was good. It was fairly quick, and the service was really good. With dinner done, Margo was ready for the slot machines. She did very well, at first, pulling in $300. I was a little above water, so not complaining. I ran out of steam pretty early, and we were back at Bullock’s by 9:30.
Margo was not out of steam. Slot Machines turn her into the Energizer Bunny. She just keeps going and going and going. Bullocks has slot machines, so she went back downstairs and I worked on both this narrative and maybe a little poking around Facebook. I was in bed by 11:30. Margo was back at the room by then, and she was right with me. Forget factoring in that today was planned at the last minute. It had been a really good day.
The food was good. I wanted Chicken Mole, but they were out. So I settled for Carne Asada. Like I said, it was good. It was fairly quick, and the service was really good. With dinner done, Margo was ready for the slot machines. She did very well, at first, pulling in $300. I was a little above water, so not complaining. I ran out of steam pretty early, and we were back at Bullock’s by 9:30.
Margo was not out of steam. Slot Machines turn her into the Energizer Bunny. She just keeps going and going and going. Bullocks has slot machines, so she went back downstairs and I worked on both this narrative and maybe a little poking around Facebook. I was in bed by 11:30. Margo was back at the room by then, and she was right with me. Forget factoring in that today was planned at the last minute. It had been a really good day.
Day Six---Thursday, July 16, 2020
We were up around 7 AM. No alarm, it just worked out that way. We were going to have breakfast at Bully’s, the hotel bar and restaurant. But, there was only a dirty table available, and after acknowledging that they would get that cleaned off, they didn’t. Today, patience was not by strength. I was confident we would find someone else who was more anxious to take our money.
We walked down Main Street a couple of blocks and came to the other historic hotel in town, The Franklin. We made our way to their bar, Legends, which had a decent breakfast menu. They also would have a Bloody Mary, something I have not had for a while. Vacation sounded like the time to renew acquaintances. The breakfast was decent. The Blood Mary; god awful. I don’t know how you screw up a Bloody Mary, but they did. The managed to bleach all of the tomato taste out. I could taste pepper, some spice, and celery.
We walked down Main Street a couple of blocks and came to the other historic hotel in town, The Franklin. We made our way to their bar, Legends, which had a decent breakfast menu. They also would have a Bloody Mary, something I have not had for a while. Vacation sounded like the time to renew acquaintances. The breakfast was decent. The Blood Mary; god awful. I don’t know how you screw up a Bloody Mary, but they did. The managed to bleach all of the tomato taste out. I could taste pepper, some spice, and celery.
I had made a reservation for us to take a bus tour around town. Our tour guide/bus driver was Bus Driver Dave. He was full of terrible jokes, and a lot of history. He made a joke about turning in a book report towards the end of the tour, so I am thinking he is actually a local teacher. He did an excellent job keeping us entertained, and passing along his knowledge.
Actually about the first ten minutes, before we even moved, he was telling us about the history of the town, and the Lakota who lived on the land for hundreds of years before a group of soldiers, sent by the US government, and lead by Lt Col George Custer, confirmed gold in the area. That led to a gold rush, the Treaty of Laramie being tossed out the window, and the founding of Deadwood. He told us of the two fires which destroyed the downtown, the major floods, and how Main Street is about ten feet above where it originally started, due to constructing on top of the remnants of these catastrophes. I imagine the engineering is a bit more complicated then that, but we later went down in the basement of Wild Bill’s Saloon, site of the Old Saloon #10, where Hickok was killed.
Actually about the first ten minutes, before we even moved, he was telling us about the history of the town, and the Lakota who lived on the land for hundreds of years before a group of soldiers, sent by the US government, and lead by Lt Col George Custer, confirmed gold in the area. That led to a gold rush, the Treaty of Laramie being tossed out the window, and the founding of Deadwood. He told us of the two fires which destroyed the downtown, the major floods, and how Main Street is about ten feet above where it originally started, due to constructing on top of the remnants of these catastrophes. I imagine the engineering is a bit more complicated then that, but we later went down in the basement of Wild Bill’s Saloon, site of the Old Saloon #10, where Hickok was killed.
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Looking north on Main Street
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I would be remiss if I did not tell that story. Wild Bill, with his law days behind him, was making his living as a gambler. From what I have read, he was not a great poker player, but must have been good enough to get by. He ended up in Deadwood after joining a provisioning wagon train from Cheyenne to Deadwood. His friend, Charlie Utter, had organized it, and invited Bill along. Calamity Jane was also on this wagon train. This was in July of 1876. Bill was supposed to be working a gold claim belonging to Charlie Utter. Charlie was going to keep running back and forth between Deadwood and Cheyenne, generating additional revenue through freight and transportation. Bill was not a miner, not even a placer miner.
On August 2nd, a month later, he came into the #10 Saloon owned by Mann and Nuttall, and set down at a card game. The entrance was to one side and behind him. A drifter-type named Jack McCall came in. Jack and Bill had played cards the day before, and Bill and the others had cleaned him out. Bill gave him enough for breakfast.
When Jack came in, he was noticed by Bill, who actually got out of his chair, guns drawn to confront the man behind him. When he saw who it was he sat back down to his game. Jack, for reasons that are not clear to this day, pulled his gun, yelled “Take that!”, and shot him in the back of the head. McCall was eventually hanged in Yankton, SD. Hickok was buried in Mt Moriah Cemetery.
I knew this story, and Bus Driver Dave told it very well. He likely tells it three times a day, multiple times a day, for the whole summer. Bus Driver Dave’s main goal was to take us to Mt. Moriah Cemetery where we could look around for about 10-15 minutes. It was a short drive and he managed to tell more history, pointing out a statue or historic building. He showed us the neighborhood, where the cemetery used to be. He pointed out the white house, which like sits on Wild Bill’s original grave. That land, where the old cemetery lies, is a bit flatter than Mt Moriah, so they moved the cemetery in 1879, three years after Wild Bill was put into the ground.
When they moved the cemetery, Wild Bill was exhumed. His fried, Colorado Charlie Utter, was there to make it happen. But, they were in for a surprise. The accounts I have read say his body was poorly embalmed, and between that, the ground water, and high mineral content of the soil, his body was petrified. Literally turned to stone. Estimates range from a new weight of 400 to 500 pounds. Should they ever dig him up again, they will find him still, literally, solid as a rock.
On August 2nd, a month later, he came into the #10 Saloon owned by Mann and Nuttall, and set down at a card game. The entrance was to one side and behind him. A drifter-type named Jack McCall came in. Jack and Bill had played cards the day before, and Bill and the others had cleaned him out. Bill gave him enough for breakfast.
When Jack came in, he was noticed by Bill, who actually got out of his chair, guns drawn to confront the man behind him. When he saw who it was he sat back down to his game. Jack, for reasons that are not clear to this day, pulled his gun, yelled “Take that!”, and shot him in the back of the head. McCall was eventually hanged in Yankton, SD. Hickok was buried in Mt Moriah Cemetery.
I knew this story, and Bus Driver Dave told it very well. He likely tells it three times a day, multiple times a day, for the whole summer. Bus Driver Dave’s main goal was to take us to Mt. Moriah Cemetery where we could look around for about 10-15 minutes. It was a short drive and he managed to tell more history, pointing out a statue or historic building. He showed us the neighborhood, where the cemetery used to be. He pointed out the white house, which like sits on Wild Bill’s original grave. That land, where the old cemetery lies, is a bit flatter than Mt Moriah, so they moved the cemetery in 1879, three years after Wild Bill was put into the ground.
When they moved the cemetery, Wild Bill was exhumed. His fried, Colorado Charlie Utter, was there to make it happen. But, they were in for a surprise. The accounts I have read say his body was poorly embalmed, and between that, the ground water, and high mineral content of the soil, his body was petrified. Literally turned to stone. Estimates range from a new weight of 400 to 500 pounds. Should they ever dig him up again, they will find him still, literally, solid as a rock.
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Anyway, we made it Mt Moriah, which is very much a mountain. It would remind you a lot of the Kretzer Cemetery in Carter County. Luckily, or maybe intentionally, Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, Dora Dufran, Preacher Smith, & Potato Creek Johnny, most of the town’s most noteworthy citizens, are all buried right there on the bottom of the hill.
The exception is Seth Bullock. Seth, the first sheriff, of Deadwood, was also a close friend of Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy and Seth had met in 1884. Seth was serving as a deputy sheriff our of Medora, Dakota Territory (ND, now), and bringing in a horse thief. They were in the area that would become Belle Fourche, SD. Seth was approached my three mounted cowboys, and was wondering about their intentions. The leader of that group was Teddy Roosevelt. That meeting began their friendship.
Shortly before his death, Bullock worked to get a 30 foot tower built on what would be named Mount Roosevelt, as a memorial. Bullock wanted to be buried at a spot where he could gaze from his final resting place on that tower. So, he is buried 750 feet up the mountain. It did not look like an easy walk. We did not even have time to attempt it.
But, after our allotted time in the cemetery, and a couple of more stories, we were back on our way to Main Street. We arrived back about 11:30. I tipped Bus Driver Dave and thanked him for a memorable tour. Margo asked what we were doing next. I didn’t hesitate. I told her we were going back to Mt Moriah, so I could climb a mountain.
Margo had no want of through of joining me on walking the steep cemetery road to get to the top. But, I wanted to pay my respects and see the tower on Mt Roosevelt. I could see a dirt path, while a little steeper, also seemed to be considerable shorter. I took it. That was not a good idea. It was shorter, but it felt straight up. It wasn’t up course, but I could not make more that 50 steps or so until I had to stop.
This short cut only took me to the point where, we exit the official grounds of the cemetery. From that point it was, according to the sign, “778 feet up the road from this marker”. The road was dirt, unmaintained, and “up” was not a whimsical direction. A 778 foot walk on flat land would take me about three minutes. It took me between 10 and 15 minutes. The two breaks I took added much to that total. There was no grave marker that was going to be “worth” this hike, but I did it anyway. I wanted to, which is good enough. The marker was a large one. Someone with a wagon, and likely a team of animals, brought that impressive stone up, something just over 100 years ago. His wife, Martha, is buried with him, along with an unknown Deadwood pioneer, whose remains were found around the old cemetery in 2012, and a marker from the local historical society, which has two inscriptions, one in Chinese (I think) and the other in Lakota (I think).
The exception is Seth Bullock. Seth, the first sheriff, of Deadwood, was also a close friend of Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy and Seth had met in 1884. Seth was serving as a deputy sheriff our of Medora, Dakota Territory (ND, now), and bringing in a horse thief. They were in the area that would become Belle Fourche, SD. Seth was approached my three mounted cowboys, and was wondering about their intentions. The leader of that group was Teddy Roosevelt. That meeting began their friendship.
Shortly before his death, Bullock worked to get a 30 foot tower built on what would be named Mount Roosevelt, as a memorial. Bullock wanted to be buried at a spot where he could gaze from his final resting place on that tower. So, he is buried 750 feet up the mountain. It did not look like an easy walk. We did not even have time to attempt it.
But, after our allotted time in the cemetery, and a couple of more stories, we were back on our way to Main Street. We arrived back about 11:30. I tipped Bus Driver Dave and thanked him for a memorable tour. Margo asked what we were doing next. I didn’t hesitate. I told her we were going back to Mt Moriah, so I could climb a mountain.
Margo had no want of through of joining me on walking the steep cemetery road to get to the top. But, I wanted to pay my respects and see the tower on Mt Roosevelt. I could see a dirt path, while a little steeper, also seemed to be considerable shorter. I took it. That was not a good idea. It was shorter, but it felt straight up. It wasn’t up course, but I could not make more that 50 steps or so until I had to stop.
This short cut only took me to the point where, we exit the official grounds of the cemetery. From that point it was, according to the sign, “778 feet up the road from this marker”. The road was dirt, unmaintained, and “up” was not a whimsical direction. A 778 foot walk on flat land would take me about three minutes. It took me between 10 and 15 minutes. The two breaks I took added much to that total. There was no grave marker that was going to be “worth” this hike, but I did it anyway. I wanted to, which is good enough. The marker was a large one. Someone with a wagon, and likely a team of animals, brought that impressive stone up, something just over 100 years ago. His wife, Martha, is buried with him, along with an unknown Deadwood pioneer, whose remains were found around the old cemetery in 2012, and a marker from the local historical society, which has two inscriptions, one in Chinese (I think) and the other in Lakota (I think).
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I was disappointed that I could not see the tower. I could not even tell which mountain was Mt Roosevelt. There were just too many trees which had grown in the last century. Having accomplished what I set out to; I took the much easier trek downhill. I was planning to visit a few other notable spots in the cemetery, but I was hot, tired, hungry, and had left Margo downhill, at the cemetery gift shop.
I was back down about 10 minutes later. It was coming up on 1 PM. I am sure we left money at the gift shop, and by this time I was looking for a book on Deadwood history. Nothing they had jumped out at me. Margo saw a book on local prostitution that caught her eye, but the cover was bound in an off kilter way, so she passed it up. She ordered it on Amazon before we pulled out of their lot.
I was back down about 10 minutes later. It was coming up on 1 PM. I am sure we left money at the gift shop, and by this time I was looking for a book on Deadwood history. Nothing they had jumped out at me. Margo saw a book on local prostitution that caught her eye, but the cover was bound in an off kilter way, so she passed it up. She ordered it on Amazon before we pulled out of their lot.
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There was a 2 PM gunfight scheduled on Main Street. Deadwood does three of every summer day for the tourists. This was the first one of the day. It was based on a true story. A card game goes wrong, and a guy ends up short in the head. What makes this unusual is the guy did not die. At least not for another two months. He walked around with a bullet in his forehead for 67 days. He died at that point because the wound basically became infected and that killed him. They were also selling tickets for Deadwood’s long running play, the Trial of Jack McCall. So, I paid $12 and got two. The seats are first come first served, so we would need to make a point of being up front when they were letting people in.
By now we were good and hungry. We decided on a place across from our hotel, Mustang Sally’s. We must have hit at shift change, because our menus were brought by one person, drinks another, food order a third, our food a fourth, and we had to ask for refills from someone who looked surprised that we needed help. I wasn’t sure who I should tip, so I left something around 15%, because between the five of them, it was just adequate. |
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Deadwood has stagecoach rides that run each day, so we decided to see when the next available ride was. 4 PM was the answer. We had no other plans, so we bought our tickets and were told to be back at 3:45. It was shortly before 3 PM. We easily killed that time checking out the shops. Also, helping to kill that time was text from my boss, apologizing for bothering me, but also asking what account to have something posted in. At least it was something easy, and nothing was wrong.
There was little social distancing practiced on the stagecoach. I think there ended up being six of us inside and one girl on top. Considering the merciless sun, which I understand paled to what was going on back home, she was very brave. My hip would have been an obstacle to me going up there, had I been so inclined. I wasn’t.
There was little social distancing practiced on the stagecoach. I think there ended up being six of us inside and one girl on top. Considering the merciless sun, which I understand paled to what was going on back home, she was very brave. My hip would have been an obstacle to me going up there, had I been so inclined. I wasn’t.
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It was about a 20 minute ride, at a nice leisurely pace down Main Street. I paid just about zero attention to our route, but we ended up right where we started. In between, the driver, though the advancements in modern technology, gave us a running commentary. Again, not a lot of attention paid on my point. My mind was set adrift at a point after he described lift on a real stagecoach. He painted a picture of utter boredom, compounded by temperature extremes, cramped company, with the highlight of the trips being the stops to change horses, and get a very quick meal. Bathroom breaks were not allowed.
But, I enjoyed our trip. The windows were down, and while the sun was beating down, inside the shaded comfort of the cab, it was almost pleasant. Certainly several steps away from tolerable But, all and all, I am thankful for the internal combustion engine, and air conditioning.
By now it was 4:30. There were still shops in Deadwood that we had failed to contribute to. We did out best to remedy that. During one or more of our passings of the Wild Bill Bar, which in 1876, was the site of Nutthal and Mann’s Saloon #10, the place where Wild Bill was assassinated. The last time we were in Deadwood, nearly 20 years ago, I don’t recall if we even made it inside. This time I saw a thriving business, with a set of stairs in the back, which led to a suspended pair of batwing doors, and the place where Wild Bill was killed. For $10 a person, you could see it.
That seemed pretty steep just to walk down a flight of stairs, so I had passed it up. But, it kept gnawing at me. I gave in and we got a pair of tickets from a pretty, and very busy bartender. We ended up getting our money’s worth, as there were not only several nice displays, but also a local historian in period clothing who gave a talk and answered questions. I enjoyed it and consider it money well spent.
But, I enjoyed our trip. The windows were down, and while the sun was beating down, inside the shaded comfort of the cab, it was almost pleasant. Certainly several steps away from tolerable But, all and all, I am thankful for the internal combustion engine, and air conditioning.
By now it was 4:30. There were still shops in Deadwood that we had failed to contribute to. We did out best to remedy that. During one or more of our passings of the Wild Bill Bar, which in 1876, was the site of Nutthal and Mann’s Saloon #10, the place where Wild Bill was assassinated. The last time we were in Deadwood, nearly 20 years ago, I don’t recall if we even made it inside. This time I saw a thriving business, with a set of stairs in the back, which led to a suspended pair of batwing doors, and the place where Wild Bill was killed. For $10 a person, you could see it.
That seemed pretty steep just to walk down a flight of stairs, so I had passed it up. But, it kept gnawing at me. I gave in and we got a pair of tickets from a pretty, and very busy bartender. We ended up getting our money’s worth, as there were not only several nice displays, but also a local historian in period clothing who gave a talk and answered questions. I enjoyed it and consider it money well spent.
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At 7 PM in the new Saloon #10, which is not to be confused with The Will Bill Bar, site of the original Saloon #10, which is down the street, reenacts the killing of Wild Bill, three times a day. Or as Bus Driver Dave told us earlier, “We are going to keep doing it, until we get it right”. We had to see this. So we got there early and found seats.
As we were to discover this reenactment was a two man show, there was an actor playing Wild Bill and one playing Jack McCall. But, in the real story, Hickok was playing poker with three other men, and there was a bartender as well. Those four roles were filled by volunteers. When there appeared to be a shortage of volunteers, I raised my hand, was seated to Bill’s left, at the card table. I was going to get a ringside seat.
The actor playing Hickok gave us the just of what was going to and what to say. I had an actual speaking part when after the assassination occurred, I was to bravely rise from chair and tell Jack McCall to get out. My part was Carl Mann, co-owner of the place, so I just nearly 150 years ago, that was to have carried weight with the murderer. It was really supposed to have happened that way.
Regardless, there were not actors at this table, and it was fun and painless. Margo got video of it, but I have yet to see it. Ordinarily that would be something that would be viewed immediately. But as this was the last killing of Wild Bill for the day, it was immediately followed by the capture of Jack McCall. He had run out, and all of us “actors”, including Jack were all instructed to run to the back, as if in pursuit. It was fun to be a thespian.
As we were to discover this reenactment was a two man show, there was an actor playing Wild Bill and one playing Jack McCall. But, in the real story, Hickok was playing poker with three other men, and there was a bartender as well. Those four roles were filled by volunteers. When there appeared to be a shortage of volunteers, I raised my hand, was seated to Bill’s left, at the card table. I was going to get a ringside seat.
The actor playing Hickok gave us the just of what was going to and what to say. I had an actual speaking part when after the assassination occurred, I was to bravely rise from chair and tell Jack McCall to get out. My part was Carl Mann, co-owner of the place, so I just nearly 150 years ago, that was to have carried weight with the murderer. It was really supposed to have happened that way.
Regardless, there were not actors at this table, and it was fun and painless. Margo got video of it, but I have yet to see it. Ordinarily that would be something that would be viewed immediately. But as this was the last killing of Wild Bill for the day, it was immediately followed by the capture of Jack McCall. He had run out, and all of us “actors”, including Jack were all instructed to run to the back, as if in pursuit. It was fun to be a thespian.
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Margo found me outside and we became part of the audience witnessing the drama of the capture and then the marching down Main Street to the old Masonic Temple, where the Trial of Jack McCall would be held. This was a couple of block jaunt, and as would be expected in real life as we all walked down a crowd followed to see what was going on. We had tickets, so Margo and I made our way to the front and out position to be admitted was three or four.
We had good seats for the play, which had plenty of humor in it. There was one running gag in which each witness, most of which were also volunteers from the crowd, selected by the bailiff at his discretion, were to stand in between a set of short posts. Those post’s purchase was made clear after a comment by the bailiff at the casual and unusual dress of the witness. A hanging was draped between the posts, which hid the witness’ lower half. But, on the front was something to “amend” the witness dress. The amendments were out of character, with dancehall legs on a guy, and things like that. Except for the last witness, who based on how he was addressed by the lawyer actors, was supposed to be male. But, the bailiff chose the prettiest barelegged girl he could find. When it came time to amend her legs, he just hung a stick across, covering nothing. She turned out to have had some acting training, and delivered flawless lines. We had been around her and her boyfriend at the shooting, and were confident they were tourists, and not actors, too. |
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With the play over, we were back on Main Street. Margo had tolerated everything I had wanted to do all day, and now the least I could do was let her pick one of more of the casinos and play the slots. We bounced around to a few of the casinos. I know we played at the Gold Dust and Bodega. I lost a little, but far less than I was expecting. I think Margo came out a head over all.
But, even she was getting a little tired, and we were both hungry. In all of the excitement, we had skipped dinner. I was hungry at 9 PM, but like I said, she earned her time to do what she wanted, so she was going to be the one ringing the dinner bell. But, by 11 PM, our choices were very limited. After searching for half an hour, we had to settle for some takeout pizza from a Deadwood Pizza, which is in the bar called The Bloody Nose Saloon. I was happy with it. Margo was happy that I was happy with it. I was also happy that it did not upset her stomach. It was after midnight when we were done. I worked on the notes for this travelogue until 1 AM, and then it was off to bed. Tomorrow would be our last real vacation day. Saturday we would drive home, and Sunday we would begin our work at home. |
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Day Seven--Friday, July 17, 2020
We were up a bit after 8:30 AM. Jackie called and woke up Margo. I was worried something serious was going on. It turned out to be the dog was limping. She had a problem with her ACL in one leg. So, if she over does it, or just because, she will limp a bit. She normally just walks a bit sore with kind of hitch in her gait. Jackie wanted to know if she could have a baby aspirin. The vet is sort of OK with it. He says it is not the best thing for her, especially long term, but every once in a while is OK. Based on her weight two is below the recommended dose, so that is what we told her. Jackie was happy to have come up with the correct solution to a life problem.
We were in need of supplies for tomorrow’s drive home, especially ice, so we figured we needed to hit a supermarket. But, first breakfast. We tried to give Bully’s our business, again, but they were full, and the waitress did not seem pleased to see someone waiting. Whatever. Next we walked down to the Lee Street Station, but the wait was something like 30 minutes. I did not feel like waiting. Margo was just following my lead.
We were in need of supplies for tomorrow’s drive home, especially ice, so we figured we needed to hit a supermarket. But, first breakfast. We tried to give Bully’s our business, again, but they were full, and the waitress did not seem pleased to see someone waiting. Whatever. Next we walked down to the Lee Street Station, but the wait was something like 30 minutes. I did not feel like waiting. Margo was just following my lead.
We had identified the market we were going to use as The Dakotamart in Lead (pronounced leed), which is the next town over and about a 7 minute drive. I figured there would be food there. There was, but, the place we found did not start serving until 11 AM, which was still about 10 minutes away. The owner/manager welcomed us to sit at a table, we chose outside, and she would bring us some drinks while we waited. Finally, someone who acted like they wanted our business.
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The place was called the Stampmill Restaurant, as I guess the building used to be an old stamp mill. A stamp mill takes ore and crushes, by stomping, stamping, on it with a heavy iron weight. We found out that the building is for sale. The price was recently reduced to $650,000, and that included the liquor license, so I just the business goes with it. I wonder if it makes money. Deadwood had people everywhere. Lead at 11 AM was quiet.
We had lunch, instead of breakfast, but that was fine. Service was a tiny bit slow, but the waitress was great. We ate, left, and drove to the Dakotamart, a medium-size grocery store, which has multiple locations in the Dakotas. We took our time, and finished up by about 1 PM. A good part of the day had now been “wasted” on sleeping, eating, and shopping. I don’t know why I felt bad about this, but I did. I kept telling myself that this is what vacations are for, but if I am not doing something, I feel like I’m moving backwards. Eating, Sleeping, and Shopping are classified as unproductive activities in my own brain. I think I need to be rewired.
We had lunch, instead of breakfast, but that was fine. Service was a tiny bit slow, but the waitress was great. We ate, left, and drove to the Dakotamart, a medium-size grocery store, which has multiple locations in the Dakotas. We took our time, and finished up by about 1 PM. A good part of the day had now been “wasted” on sleeping, eating, and shopping. I don’t know why I felt bad about this, but I did. I kept telling myself that this is what vacations are for, but if I am not doing something, I feel like I’m moving backwards. Eating, Sleeping, and Shopping are classified as unproductive activities in my own brain. I think I need to be rewired.
Friendship Tower
Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Johnson SouthDakotaMagazine.com
Margo asked “What’s next?”. For Deadwood, I had a list of things I wanted to do, but not a schedule to do them, so this was a legitimate question. I only had a few things left on that list, and seeing the Friendship Tower, on the top of Mt Roosevelt, was at the top. So, off we went.
We went from paved road, to dirt road, to a parking lot. Margo was again, quite content to not hike up a mountain, even a small one by Colorado standards. I figured based on the information on a sign I could get there any back in about 25 minutes. When am I going to learn? It took 40 minutes.
In those 40 minutes, I hike up, and up, again, is not a philosophical term. I was at least smart enough to use my walking stick this time. The trail was decidedly upward in grade. I stopped multiple times, and as I would turn one bend, and then the next, I kept expecting to see the tower. Even when the grade leveled off, I was wondering, so where is this damn thing. Finally, I rounded a bend and there it was. After this hike, the only thing that impressed me was the dedication of the men to get all of those building stones up this mountain.
I climbed the very tall, and winding stairs, and finally got to the place I had set as my goal for the past 30 minutes. The view as actually disappointing. You could not see the town, or at least not a clear view, nor could you see Mt Moriah Cemetery. The past 100 years had seen the growth of many trees.
I did not linger long. About half-way down the trail, at a place that actually did have a bit of view, there was a group of three teenagers, 13-16, I suppose. I had just past their parents, and a call from them to have them catch up was met, with them standing erect, and running up the trail, which had winded me with a simple walking pace. I instantly hated them.
We went from paved road, to dirt road, to a parking lot. Margo was again, quite content to not hike up a mountain, even a small one by Colorado standards. I figured based on the information on a sign I could get there any back in about 25 minutes. When am I going to learn? It took 40 minutes.
In those 40 minutes, I hike up, and up, again, is not a philosophical term. I was at least smart enough to use my walking stick this time. The trail was decidedly upward in grade. I stopped multiple times, and as I would turn one bend, and then the next, I kept expecting to see the tower. Even when the grade leveled off, I was wondering, so where is this damn thing. Finally, I rounded a bend and there it was. After this hike, the only thing that impressed me was the dedication of the men to get all of those building stones up this mountain.
I climbed the very tall, and winding stairs, and finally got to the place I had set as my goal for the past 30 minutes. The view as actually disappointing. You could not see the town, or at least not a clear view, nor could you see Mt Moriah Cemetery. The past 100 years had seen the growth of many trees.
I did not linger long. About half-way down the trail, at a place that actually did have a bit of view, there was a group of three teenagers, 13-16, I suppose. I had just past their parents, and a call from them to have them catch up was met, with them standing erect, and running up the trail, which had winded me with a simple walking pace. I instantly hated them.
Wild Bill Hickok at the Adams' Museum
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Back at the Jeep, Margo again wanted to know “What next?”. I knew that she wanted to go play the slots and that she needed to let me take care of my list. At least the next item would be something she would enjoy, too. We would be going to the Adams Museum.
The Adams Museum is named for W.E. Adams, former mayor and city elder. He donated the building in which the museum resides. We had visited it nearly 20 years ago and I was interested to both see how it had changed, and to see if anything seemed familiar. Last time I was there, they had the reported cards of Hickok’s Deadman’s Hand. I have read several stories about these cards, and I now questioned the veracity of the claim. I wondered if they had, too We paid our admission and walked around for something close to an hour. They have many interesting things. They have the largest gold nugget taken out of the area, a 7 ¾ oz, leg shaped thing. It was found by Johnny “Potato Creek” Perrett, a 4 ft 2 inch, Welshman, who was made locally famous by the find, and became a Deadwood fixture and ambassador until he died in the 1940s. They many items that would be right at home in my great-grandparents home, some of which I actually recognized. Then there were things that would not, like an opium syringe and other drug paraphernalia. |
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There was a small exhibit on prostitution, which was alive an well in Deadwood, until its demise in 1980.
It was illegal, but the madams did a good job of public relations by making many charitable contributions, dutifully paying fine imposed, and contributing to the local economy. But, one of the houses, Pam’s Purple Door, caught the attention of the feds, when in 1978 the murder of Walter Morton, was linked at least to the Deadwood area, and in 1979 a rifle used to assassinate federal judge, “Maximum John” John Wood was traced to the establishment. A closer look showed that Betty Campbell, alias Pam Holliday, had let a criminal element into her place.
That was enough for the feds, who got state and local authorities involved and the last four houses, especially Pam’s Purple Door, were shut down, and shut down permanently. The town was not pleased, as the ladies drew quite a bit of out of town money to Deadwood. But, they soon, well 1989, found another source of revenue, when limited stakes gambling was legalized.
There were many other things, including this smallish train engine that was used to haul ore, a decapitated statue of Wild Bill, playing cards of the era, a meat cleaver used by Charlie Brown, to kill his landlady, and the noose that hung him. Charlie was actually trying to kill his landlady’s dog, by throwing the cleaver at it, but missed and hit her. He sounds like he got what he had coming, accident or not.
As we exited out, we bought three books, one of them a history of Deadwood. We had ticked all of the things I wanted to do and it was 3:30 PM. We were hungry and I think it was Margo who suggested we go back to Cadillac Jack’s and eat at Guadalajara’s again. I was game. I would get another crack at their chicken mole. It was very good. Good, hot, meal, with good service, and out quick.
It was illegal, but the madams did a good job of public relations by making many charitable contributions, dutifully paying fine imposed, and contributing to the local economy. But, one of the houses, Pam’s Purple Door, caught the attention of the feds, when in 1978 the murder of Walter Morton, was linked at least to the Deadwood area, and in 1979 a rifle used to assassinate federal judge, “Maximum John” John Wood was traced to the establishment. A closer look showed that Betty Campbell, alias Pam Holliday, had let a criminal element into her place.
That was enough for the feds, who got state and local authorities involved and the last four houses, especially Pam’s Purple Door, were shut down, and shut down permanently. The town was not pleased, as the ladies drew quite a bit of out of town money to Deadwood. But, they soon, well 1989, found another source of revenue, when limited stakes gambling was legalized.
There were many other things, including this smallish train engine that was used to haul ore, a decapitated statue of Wild Bill, playing cards of the era, a meat cleaver used by Charlie Brown, to kill his landlady, and the noose that hung him. Charlie was actually trying to kill his landlady’s dog, by throwing the cleaver at it, but missed and hit her. He sounds like he got what he had coming, accident or not.
As we exited out, we bought three books, one of them a history of Deadwood. We had ticked all of the things I wanted to do and it was 3:30 PM. We were hungry and I think it was Margo who suggested we go back to Cadillac Jack’s and eat at Guadalajara’s again. I was game. I would get another crack at their chicken mole. It was very good. Good, hot, meal, with good service, and out quick.
At the table I had opened the Deadwood history book, to the back, and it fell on a page talking about the death of Seth Bullock, the town’s first sheriff, and builder of the hotel we were staying at. He was very much a town founder, and had a storied, varied, and remarkable life. The page I looked at said he died of natural causes, in his own hotel, in room 211. Margo and I are staying in room 211. But, the only spirits we saw at The Bullock came from the bar.
Margo wanted to gamble. I was hooked on the book, which was very readable. She was happy to leave me at the quiet bar, where I ordered a Mike’s Lemonade, as rent for my seat. She went off to see how Jack was going to treat her. By 5:30 she had decided that it was time to move on. So we did. We did a little shopping, as I had forgotten to get a gift for one of my team. But, mostly we bounced around from one casino to another. It did not seem like Margo’s heart was in it. Maybe she was having no luck
We took a break before 8 PM to make sure we did not run into food trouble like yesterday. We ended up at the Deadwood Eatery. And, I have no recollection of the meal. It couldn’t have been too good, or too bad for that matter. I might have had a sandwich.
We were back at the hotel by 10 PM. Margo had to pack. She is very responsible when it comes to her duties on our last day. I help where ever I am asked, and I also ask what I can go. But, much like the pre-trip packing, I am mostly just the dumb labor, and need to stay out of her way. We went to bed at 1 AM. We were both beat. It had been a pretty great trip.
Margo wanted to gamble. I was hooked on the book, which was very readable. She was happy to leave me at the quiet bar, where I ordered a Mike’s Lemonade, as rent for my seat. She went off to see how Jack was going to treat her. By 5:30 she had decided that it was time to move on. So we did. We did a little shopping, as I had forgotten to get a gift for one of my team. But, mostly we bounced around from one casino to another. It did not seem like Margo’s heart was in it. Maybe she was having no luck
We took a break before 8 PM to make sure we did not run into food trouble like yesterday. We ended up at the Deadwood Eatery. And, I have no recollection of the meal. It couldn’t have been too good, or too bad for that matter. I might have had a sandwich.
We were back at the hotel by 10 PM. Margo had to pack. She is very responsible when it comes to her duties on our last day. I help where ever I am asked, and I also ask what I can go. But, much like the pre-trip packing, I am mostly just the dumb labor, and need to stay out of her way. We went to bed at 1 AM. We were both beat. It had been a pretty great trip.
Seth Bullock portrait inside the Bullock Hotel
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Day Eight--Saturday, July 18, 2020
Today was almost nothing except driving. The worst day of vacation is the day you go home. Before 9/11, it was worse if it was a road trip. Now that you’re are pretty much guaranteed to spend 5-6 hours getting to the airport, returning your rental, waiting the airport, traveling in the plane, and reacquainting yourself with your luggage, eight hours in a car is not much more of a burden. Especially when you can stop whenever you want and have a comfortable seat.
We were up at 5:30 AM. We had to get home early to return our rental, but I could not face getting up any earlier. I was tired when I went to bed, and I would be tired all day. We had just one scheduled stop. I wanted to stop in Cheyenne to visit the grave of my older brother, who died at one day old, David Charles Kretzer
We were up at 5:30 AM. We had to get home early to return our rental, but I could not face getting up any earlier. I was tired when I went to bed, and I would be tired all day. We had just one scheduled stop. I wanted to stop in Cheyenne to visit the grave of my older brother, who died at one day old, David Charles Kretzer
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.The highlight of our drive home was seeing a deer in the Black Hills as we descended to the plains. We stopped at 9 AM, in Lusk, WY for gas. The we stopped in Cheyenne. From a prior trip, I had some directions written down to find the grave. Those got us close enough, but it probably took 15 minutes of searching. I took some additional pictures to help me find it the next time we are in town.
We were home by 1:15 PM, which was plenty of time to return the Jeep. Margo unloaded, while I went to McDonalds to get lunch for Jackie and us. The dog was very happy to see Margo. After some additional errands we got the Jeep returned by 5 PM, an hour ahead of scheduled and we both dropped into bed for a nap. |
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It really had been a nice trip. Not only did we get away from home and got to see and do some new things, but we also got to escape, mostly, the COVID nonsense that taking all of the fun out of life. I have not idea what the next year will bring. I am hoping some sort of return to something close to the normal we left behind in March. But, right now we plan to visit Michigan, likely Detroit, and cross our 50th state off our list. I set this goal 20 years ago, and it is now with in sight. Hopefully, God will see fit to let me achieve it.