7:15 and ready to leave, Jack, Don, Bill and Bob checking the route and lollygagging around in the parking lot. “For heavens sake, get in your cars and leave!” 30 minutes later, we hit the road, decisions, decisions, decisions.
Sights of the day, white mountain goat, white kid; Crazy Horse, antelopes, Devils Tower, rock climbers on Devils Tower, prairie dog town, two cross-country cyclists resting in the shade of an overpass (100 deg +), a Subway/florist shop/gift shop/ice cream parlor/card shop, a mama cow standing over her calf making shade for the calf, a huge open pit coal mine with a 100 foot vein of coal.
Prairie dog trivia, downward tunnel, 3 to 10 feet, then horizontal 10 to 15 ft. They are vegetarians, maximum lifespan 4 years, active during daylight hours only, very social.Still flirting with vapor lock, but our contingent of 6 cars all still moving. Ray lost his air for a while when the mounting bracket broke, but after arriving in Gillette, found the “Auto Clinic” and had it rewelded.
Here are Lucky Ray stories. Ray got a Golden Age Passport for nothing, while Bill paid $10 because he forgot that he had one in his wallet. His AC bracket broke and the guy welded it twice for FREE! And then went to Taco Johns and got two free tacos and a large free pepsi, Bob and Pat got charged for Ray’s large pepsi and two mediums.
Jack and Don, Bob and Pat, Ray and Linda, Bob and Shirley, John and Judy, and Bill R. all here in Gillette and leaving real early tomorrow morning to beat the heat. It was only 106 here today.They sold blasted rocks at Crazy Horse, and so several cars are now heavier, as if we were not having a tough enough time on the hills. It was mentioned that maybe John could carry them in his truck, but he shook his breaker bar at everyone.
Just like old touring times, everyone is in our room, trading tales.
11 comments:
Day 24, July 29, 2006
When it’s hot outside, she gets real hot inside the cab
Nice motel in Keystone. Somehow, one of us got the idea that this place was sitting at the foot of Mt Rushmore…so we thought we could see the heads right out our window. Har! Four miles up the winding, curvy highway was Rushmore. The Innkeeper had a daughter with two little ones and another on the way…husband is serving in Iraq. We took a luxurious departure around 8 AM, after having a continental breakfast…no rush, no Bob & Patti, because they left early to beat the heat and get out ahead.
Through the Black Hills we zoomed on to Crazy Horse Monument. Ten bucks a head at the booth, but worth every penny to see the artifacts, paintings, and sculptures. Someday there will be a university at the base of the monument, as well as a research facility and the visitor’s complex. Wish we had more time to explore this site.
Hot, hot ride to our next point of interest: the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. That’s the big rock outcropping featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. As we dropped down into the valley, we could see this odd formation from twenty miles away, and it was impressive…imagine the wagon trains that used this as a landmark in their trek across the country. As we approached this massive natural monolith, I saw the inevitable toll booth looming ahead. I advised Bill over the CB, that I’d seen enough and wasn’t going to pay ten bucks to see it close up. We made a U turn as the ranger clutched for my money.
That was my second mistake…first was taking Judy along in an un-air conditioned car. As I pulled into the Souvenir shop, I was treated to a detailed synopsis of my questionable ancestry and some choice adjectives referring to my twisted idea of traveling. She was right, but she didn’t have to be so mean. I didn’t even do anything. I think she was just a little hot.
So we motored on toward Gillette in a Model A registering 105 degrees in the cab, but very cool on the passenger side. We are in the “Trains Go Hoot in the Night Motor Rest Lodge”, across from multiple railroad tracks with lots of trains coming and going, but the air in the room works, we’re drying out, and I’m hoping we’ll be talking again in the near future. After all, we saw the darn rock for twenty miles…why pay to see it up close? It was a hot day in Wyoming…
J&J, R&L, B&S, B&P, J&D five weary travelers on a quest for home
Gillette, Wyoming
Glad to hear everybody is ok. Please tell Don I got his new itinerary: Leave SF Aug. 5 to Indianapolis (he wants to attend his family reunion), and leave for Florida from Indy on Aug. 19 (best deal I could get; the airlines are booked solid!) - 2 extra weeks of vaction!
Question for John, how does B&P,R&L,B&S,J&D,J&J only add up to five people? I think his brain has been fried in that 105 degree heat. I am nominating Judy for a Pulitizer prize! Hope you have a break in the heat soon.
Janet
Got a voice mail from Don after I had left for church: please tell him the itinerary has already been changed - Last nite he said "Go ahead and change it", so I did; fees paid, etc; too late. Going to Indy on the 5th, like it or not.
Thanks.
Carol S.
Hello to all from Buffalo Bill Cody Museum,
We have arrived and all are here even Jack and Don. Thanks for all the comments. On to Yellowstone tomorrow.
SCVC adventurous people
Don Stewart: Please Call Home ASAP
The number is: 1-863-688-0147
You think YOU are having fun. Not only am I the lizard whisper, I am now the squirrel relocater, i.e. catch the little darling in my Havahart cage and drive them up into the hills.. Of course it is costing us at least a gallon of gas each trip. Count is now 9 squirrels moved from Duval Way. Do you think I could use this on a resume for a high paying job?
Mary J.
Don Stewart: Forget the phone. Time difference + poor communication = disaster so far; no need to slide into chaos. From now on we will rely only upon the printed word.
Got your msg. on Sunday about making changes, but already cost many $$ and will cost many more $$ to change anything else at this late date, but that is your call.
I will FedEx your flight #'s, receipt, confirmation #, etc. to Jack's house & you will have it Thur or Friday. Look it over, and if you want/need to make changes, you can do it at the ticket counter.
Looks like everybody is having a really great time, in spite of the heat. The pix look really familiar - same places we went last year. The West is beautiful.
Don: talked to Lee & Susan - they are OK with you staying for reunion. They are going to talk to Nancy and she will probably be the one to pick you up if you don't want to rent a car. Lee & Susan have an extra car if you really need one. I gave Susan all the flight #'s, times, etc. so there is no mix-up. She will make sure Nancy gets the info.
Susan said Bob Matthews is not good. 2nd surgery did not fix problem - worse than ever - so good thing you are going to the reunion. Will tell you more details later.
You need to call:
1. Nancy
2. Lee & Susan
Crazy Kids!
Patti,
I was here, but where were you?
Ha Ha. Hope there was no update
because you're all having too much
fun and not because of having problems to take care of.
Kim M.
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