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| Cow in Wyoming |
Hello Blogosphere! We started yesterday from Cody Cowboy Village at 11:20am. Unfortunately the town had NO STARBUCKS so we were forced to drink a starbucks double shot energy drink from the local drugstore. The drive consisted mostly of bleak terrain, with very few memorable stops (lots of gas stations and rest areas). The one exciting thing we encountered was a collection of ancient petroglyphs on a cliff face wall. Some of the Native American pictures on the stone are estimated to be 11,000 years old. Unfortunately the camera didn't pick up these ancient drawings well, but we did get some great shots of cows crossing the open range on our way to the site.
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| The Crazy Horse Memorial being built |
The rest of our drive yesterday was uneventful. We made it into Evansville (a suburb of Casper), checked out the local mall, ate taco bell, and slept. When planning our trip, Casper seemed to be the biggest and best city for a respite between Cody and Rapid City. Unfortunately our travel books failed to inform us that Casper is in essence a truck stop multiplied by 55,316 people. One cannot fathom the greatness of a hotel whose amenities include but are not limited to: hand-made cigarette burn holes for bedspread, artisanal rust water for shower, craftsman built paper-thin walls and doors, and deluxe 20-ply sheets conveniently pre-stained for sleeping pleasure. Evansville is a true gem. On the bright side, they do have Starbucks.
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| Mount Rushmore |
Today was a much more pleasing day. Though it started out with more of the wide open (and sometimes boring) terrain, we had the opportunity to see both the Crazy Horse construction site, and the famous Mount Rushmore Memorial. Crazy Horse is an amazingly huge undertaking, and this privately run and funded memorial is a testament to the power of a strong vision and hard work. Near the monument is a fabulous visitor's center that offers an informative movie, a Native American museum, lots of hand-made jewelry, and a restaurant. Mount Rushmore is equally striking, though after seeing the epic Crazy Horse, the four presidents look small in comparison. It was exciting to experience this national landmark in person however, and it's definitely worth a visit.
This evening we met up with one of Nancy's friends from her college years. Steve had us over to his house for a few drinks and Nancy and Steve shared some funny stories from the past. It's pretty cool to drop into people's lives for a night and spend some time with them. Tomorrow we continue to head east. It's hard to believe, but only five more days till our trip comes to an end.
Miles covered both days: 535.9
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