Today we were going to try to make it to Billings. it didn't happen. However, instead, we saw (from a distance) the Crazy Horse memorial, which promises to rival Mt. Rushmore. I can't help but vaguely wonder, however, if any Native American tribes would be in favor of this blowing up of the mountain. Without actually going in, I may never know.
Breakfast was at a nice little bakery in Custer, followed by a scenic loop through Custer State Park ($10) where we saw a great many pronghorn antelope, as well as the occasional lone bull bison. There was a bison herd, but I'd seen 'em before, and these were too close to corrals and paddocks for me to bother trying to get their photos.
Lunchtime (2:00, notice the slipping schedule...) was at Cadillac Jack's in Deadwood. Meh. Casino. My Caesar salad was OK, but mom's sandwich didn't cut it.
We drove on 'till we hit Devil's tower, where we hung out in the KOA store, munching ice cream and filling out postcards. Actually, we were stalling, 'cause the heat was a little overwhelming. By the time we got to the visitor center, it was after 5pm.
My first impression was that the tower wasn't all that big. My second impression, as we got close, was that the tower was somehow related to Moby Dick. There were a huge number of birds (vultures?) circling around, taking advantage of the thermals rising from the mountain.
The mountain is absolutely gorgeous. Mom and I took a walk around the base (1.3 mi), after I'd set up a camera to do time-interval photography hoping to catch the shadows crawling across the monument. As of this writing, I haven't looked at 'em yet.
Total mileage for today: 255. Tomorrow will be at least double that as I work my way towards Alaska.
No comments:
Post a Comment