Day 7 - Wind Cave National Park, SD to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

And yet another dawn awake... But again, being awake that early had its benefits. I was able to leave my campsite in Wind Cave shortly after the sun came up, and I drove through the park and the adjacent Custer State Park, both achingly gorgeous. At that hour, the wildlife seems to be fully out and right next to the road. Here was today's route:


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Unfortunately, I hit 2 traffic jams in the morning commute.



But the traffic was worth it because I was driving through the Black Hills, which are simply beautiful. Next stop would be Mt. Rushmore. Here was the first glimpse of it.


The funny thing about Mt. Rushmore is that it's free to get into the park, but they charge you $10 for a yearly parking pass. I was expecting to be thoroughly underwhelmed. I mean, how amazing can some carvings in a cliff be? Pretty damn amazing, apparently. Mt. Rushmore was well worth the drive and the money. In person, it is simply stunning.




If while standing looking at the statues, you turn around, you realize that the presidents are looking out past the Black Hills into the plains. The view is so expansive it's as if the presidents were looking out on the whole of the United States, watching over the country.


Next up was Deadwood, SD, a pretty, old mining town. On the right, here, is the post office and U.S. court house. While the court house is no longer in operation, Deadwood had a Federal District Court for many years, which I find fascinating for such a small town.


Did I mention there was a motorcycle rally going on? With all the bikers randomly revving their engines, I was struck by one thing by Deadwood: basically the town is full of casinos and assholes, so I guess not much has changed from 1876 when it was an illegal mining encampment in indian territory. As a side note, Al Swearengen was no where to be found, and the Gem was some shitty modern facsimile that looked more Vegas 1973 inside than Deadwood 1876.


The final destination today was Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota (my 48th state!), which is commonly known as the North Dakota badlands. I didn't know what to expect, and I'm so glad I decided to come this way. It's absolutely stunning, and maybe prettier than the more famous badlands in South Dakota. It's also surprisingly abrupt. One minute you're driving along, and North Dakota looks like this...


Then, bam!, you're surrounded by this...




I'm staying at the Cottonwood campground in the park. It's on the banks of the Little Missouri River and a lovely spot to rest for the night.



I'm currently updating the blog thanks to the free wireless at Boots Bar & Grill in Medora, ND, right on the edge of the park. I had an elk burger for dinner with onion rings and a cold beer, a pretty smashing combination.

Tomorrow, Montana! Not sure how far I'll get or where I'll stay. I'm heading towards Glacier National Park, but that's over 500 miles, and because the campsites are first come first serve, I'll probably stay outside the park tomorrow and plan to arrive in the park the next day.