Yellowstone: July 5-9, 2010

Deadwood, SD and Buffalo, WY

We stopped in Deadwood, SD hoping to see an “Old West” town. Mostly we saw “grownup arcades”. We tried to explain gambling to the kids. My take was that it’s like those claw games with the wonderful prizes. It looks like you will absolutely win, but of course you don’t. The kids insisted on a demonstration. I played $5 on $1 and $.25 slots and lost every time.  This is a picture of the kids watching me play the slots.

We stayed in a very interesting/slightly scary hotel in Buffalo, WY. We arrived around 9:30 or 10 at night and were led up creaky stairs down a long dark hallway, around a corner, down another dark hallway and finally down another set of creaky stairs to our rooms. Each of us had our own room, but none were adjoining. We didn’t have keys for the outside of any of the doors, but we might have been able to lock ourselves in. There were signs in each of the rooms stating the hotel was not responsible for our valuables and we should lock them in the safe at the front desk. But as our hostess settled us she said, “We have an excellent security system (?), so the kids would be perfectly safe in the rooms if you two wanted to go have a drink at the saloon.” So I shouldn’t leave my cell phone in the room, but my kids would be fine? We noticed an unlocked door to the basement next to our rooms. There was a light on down there but neither of us was brave enough to investigate. Andy showed me a closet in the hallway with an upper window that looked into our shower! The end of the hallway was a fire exit, which theoretically would only open out to an alley. The entire hotel was like a museum with old photographs everywhere and dinosaur bones and petrified wood in the library. We ended up sleeping with all our doors open. When was the last time you slept in a hotel with your door wide open? Andy ended up in the middle room and Henry with me. Andy went out the next morning to find a laundromat while the kids were still asleep. While he was gone the fire exit door opened from the outside and a HUGE man came in. Without a word he proceeded to change the light bulb in the hall.

More SD-Hill CIty

Our 2nd big bike ride took place in Hill City, SD. We had someone shuttle us and our bikes 10 miles outside of Hill City. There is a beautiful 100 mile rails to trails bike route “The Michelson Trail” in the area. We planned it so our 10 miles was a gentle descent with a view of the Crazy Horse monument in the distance. I could coast most of the way. But somehow Emma and Henry still had to do a fair amount of pedaling. I’m not sure if they haven’t figured out their gears or if there is just a physical law: shorter legs, smaller wheels mean you pedal more. On our last major ride in MO, Henry tried to set me straight. He looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion. “You don’t understand. I have a little body. It only has a little place to store energy. You have a big body. You can store lots of energy.” We bailed on that ride midway through. Andy got the car and rescued us. But this ride was in the shade and downhill! We finished it just in time to grab the last two remaining slices of pizza at the pizza shop and a couple of beers and lemonade for our 1880 train ride.

South Dakota July 1-4, 2010

CORN PALACE

Wall Drug--Just as crazy as we expected. But who would have thunk the best maple donuts ever?

Andy said the motel we stayed in reminded him of the ones he stayed in during his trip west in the '70's.  I believe it.  I doubt it's changed at all.  No frills.  Had to request shampoo and an alarm clock if you wanted it.

Henry taking Junior Ranger pledge in the Badlands

Emma and Henry with Ranger Rick.  That was his name.  Really.

MOUNT RUSHMORE

It was the first time in 15 or 20 years that there were no fireworks at Mount Rushmore!  There is some sort of a beetle infestation which makes fireworks a fire hazard.

De Smet, SD--Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead June 29-July 1, 2010

The most surprising thing about life on the prairie was the wind. It is CONSTANT. We were lucky enough to spend two nights sleeping in a covered wagon. It was slightly disturbing that the improvement that the facility bragged about most was their newly build combination bathroom/storm shelter. Luckily we only needed it for its toilets and showers and not the concrete walls built into the side of a hill.

I loved the philosophy of this place: you were welcome to go anywhere and touch anything. There were barns and garages and Ma’s little house to explore. In most of the buildings there was someone in period clothes to show you how to make rope or a corn cob doll or wash clothes the old fashioned way. We took a wagon ride to the school house on the property where we were met by a teacher who led the kids in a typical lesson. The kids answered questions and rang the school bell.

There were 2 month-old ponies that wandered around freely. They would drink milk from their moms and then flop on the ground and pass out in a food coma. The kids loved the litter of kittens in a small barn. Because we spent 2 nights there, they could go play with the kittens whenever they wanted.

Omaha, NE---June 28-29, 2010

Omaha was a big walking day. We walked all over the waterfront and Old Market. The 4 of us enjoyed the Durham Museum, another great museum in a converted train station. While Andy took the car to get an oil change, the kids and I checked out the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Center. It’s right next to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge that crosses the Missouri and connects Omaha to Council Bluffs, IA.

Hannibal, MO-Mark Twain's hometown: June 26-28, 2010

We rejected the campground where we had a made a reservation. Injun Joe’s Campground’s toilets weren’t working and the whole place seemed in sad shape. Instead we found a campground near Mark Twain Cave that had clean working toilets and shade. It was HOT-105 degrees. The mosquitoes were vicious. We were faced with a tough choice:-outside there were bugs but some air flow; inside the camper there weren’t any bugs, but it was HOT. It was not a comfortable night’s sleep.



The next day we toured Mark Twain’s cave led by a goofy tour guide and saw the spots made famous in “Tom Sawyer”. This is another cave that claims that Jesse James stayed there. For lunch we enjoyed our first “Made Rite”, which is a seasoned loose meat sandwich, similar to a “Sloppy Joe” but no sauce. I’m sure I had some of you at “loose meat”.  We toured the Mark Twin museum and took a ride on a riverboat. Second night in the camp ground was not as hot or crowded.

St. Louis, MO-June 25-26, 2010

City life: nice hotel and sushi for dinner !! It will prove to be a strong contrast vs. the next campground. Can’t beat the rooftop pool!

The City Museum in St. Louis is unlike any other museum I have been to. Imagine a giant free-form artist created jungle gym. On Friday and Saturday nights it is open until 1 AM so the grownups can play on it. We went during the day when Andy and I were some of the only adults braving it. Some spots were not friendly for big bodies or claustrophobics. Seemed like a liability nightmare, but so much fun.