Quick catch up

I may have only missed a day or two, but a lot has happened.
I'll make this quick:

I awoke on my 28th year to a dreary and dark day in Sioux Falls, SD in an equally dreary and dark motel room provided by the Rodeway Inn (though the dinner the night before at Mama Ladas was amazing - worth the trip).

Heading back on the long and expansive I-90 we were eager to have any excuse to hop off and see if our legs worked. That excuse came in the form of The Corn Palace and 1880 Town. I don't know if you are supposed to have expectations for a corn palace, but it's safe to say that this one did not quite live up to whatever hopes we could conjure up between the exit and the parking lot.

eh...


Though I did meet this fella and we had a very nice heart-to-heart.


1880 Town was advertised for miles prior and certainly lived up to its self proclaimed hype. The buildings were pulled from other places all over South Dakota resembled here and possibly used to film parts of Dances with Wolves.


Next stop off/destination was Wall Drug. The highway marketing for this place rivals but definitely surpasses those used for 1880 town. It must have been 200 miles out that the billboards started popping up - buy this, we sell that, etc etc. Wall Drug was awesome in the way that it tickled my buy-crap bone and I wanted to buy everything and anything. We had a delightful lunch, took some choice photos (L riding a Jack-a-lope, R looking frightened beneath a T-Rex), bought some fudge postcards and got on our way.

Last stop was the badlands where we walked and wondered around these strange wet sand castle formations in awe of whatever this place was.


We camped, ate dinner, played a few hands of cards and went to bed. It was the first night that we really felt like we were on the road. Waking up to the sun and enjoying some very dark coffee just sealed the deal.

The next day was a quick pit stop at Mount Rushmore - I know, one isn't supposed to rush through something like that but we had 11 hours ahead of us. It was amazing and huge and just, wow.


Eleven hours later - barring one quick stop at some mineral hot springs where we took a quick rotten-egg-smelling soak - we arrived in the stunningly beautiful Tetons national park. And here we are. The mountains just dwarf you and put you in your tiny human place. Last night we stayed in a hand-made cabin below the mountains and met some lovely people who actually live here, like year round. Every time I turned around I got a: "so I hear you're from Minnesota?" "Aren't you from Illinois?" "Oh I've got an aunt from Tennessee maybe you know her?"
Suddenly I am the every traveler and that's pretty awesome. I said yes to everything and fought the urge to introduce myself as Donna, Brenda or Kelly, because I did actually know one person there and I don't think he would have been too pleased.

So today it's hiking and swimming and canoeing. But first breakfast.

The computer did not take to my herbal remedies so it will be random updates sans photos until I can find a mobster to take it out.

More soon.
~L & R