After a night of even more torrential rain, we had a good breakfast in the company of a very nice local couple, of Dutch heritage. Unbelievably, it appears that the brand new sports bar and restaurant that we had enjoyed on the previous evening was in fact financed by Vets, a massive locally based farming company, and the reason? They entertain a lot of international clients! Well having taken in all Pipestone could offer, we set off on a three and a half hour drive through hundreds of miles of soya bean crops, tractor equipment, and grain silos.
We stopped off briefly at a small town, for coffee and cinnamon roll, and then continued until we hit the twin cities. We arrived at the AC Hotel (Marriot) at midday and were pleasantly surprised, as it was brand new! Having checked in, we went back to the Mall of America and shopped for those close to us, before having an early dinner. The end of another memorable trip!
Finally, a musical piece by The Byrds, singing a song written by Bob Dylan, who hails form this part of the world .... "Mister Tambourine Man":
On our final leg of the trip, as we headed east form Rapid City SD, edging our way towards Minneapolis. We had decided to break the long drive to Minneapolis by making a stopover in Pipestone MN, famous apparently for being the centre of Indian peace pipe making! This activity is still carried out from the red stone quarried locally. In fact there is a National Memorial site in Pipestone. Predictably, it was another wet start, middle, and end of the days journey along I90E and I24 N. We made a couple of brief, obligatory, stops for coffee etc. but the drive was largely grey, through a vast acreage of prairie land (which was very green!). We also lost an hour moving back into the Central time zone. We arrived at 3:00pm. and the desk clerk informed me that a biscuits and would be available for breakfast. I was relieved that toast was an alternative! The rain throttled up again as we drove down to Main Street and parked up. The town has seen better days and the historic Calumet Inn (originally a bank) certainly had. Apparently its haunted, but not by many discerning tourists!! We had a coffee in its coffee shop and then crossed Main Street to have dinner at a newly opened bar and restaurant, a wise decision.
And today's musical note? "California Sun"! (Already planning for 2019!!)
A brighter morning today, but the odd shower never far away. Our first destination was to revisit Mount Rushmore, the impressive National Memorial site. I appeared that everyone in the region was on the same mission and the tailback to the site entrance was one mile long! We chugged our way up the hill, feeling sorry for the caravan haulers who'd broken down, and eventually caught sight of the impressive heads, carved (by dynamite and bulldozer!) into the rock. Very impressive.
But soon, the rain showers came and the famous heads were shrouded in mist. We drove on another seventeen miles through the Black hills country to towards the Crazy Horse (work-in-progress) site. When finally completed, this may be even more impressive than Mount Rushmore, not least because it will have been crowd-funded.
With the day looking ominous, again, we decide not to drive up into the pinnacles, but headed back to Rapid City, to the AMC 7, to see the film 'Hereditery'. The cinema was probably the worst we have visited over here. Expensive tickets, no coffee and limited food options. We enquired about hot dogs and were told that they'd be ready in fifteen minutes. Thirty minutes later, they still weren't ready and it was hard to believe that only two had been placed on the hot plate! And the film? Good beginning and middle, poor ending!
And as for something musical to end on, I decided on "The Peter Gun Theme", as heard on the the Blues Bothers.
Another day of torrential rain, unusual in this area at this time of year, but true! So what to do! Well, after breakfast, we ran for the car and headed for the Badlands, driving through a maelstrom. An interesting start to the drive as an I90 access road was closed and the GPS obligingly threw up the message "Unable to calculate route"! But we managed!! Arriving at Badlands National Park we saw very little as it was misty, but things cleared and we took in the the incredible landscape, once again. Apparently, the rain brings out the colours in the rock strata. Yeah right! Frankly, I preferred it when we saw it in the hot sun! (I may be inclined to borrow from photographs taken during a previous trip.)
Having completed the drive-loop, we set off for Wall Drug, a nearby tourist trap, dating from an age when a local druggist gave glasses of water to passing travellers. Now, its advertised on classic billboards along the I90 and sells every kind of tourist junk imaginable! A quick hot dog and coffee and we headed back to base, to investigate Rapid City's downtown ...... and discover that England had won their opening game of the World Cup.
As for a musical memory .... "Black Slacks", by Joe Stapleton and the Sparkletones!
Today's journey was a long one, from Cody to Rapid City SD, a six-hour drive. Well, it rainied when we left Cody and was still raining when we arrived at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Rapid City! However, as we traversed the steep, winding, mountain roads at the beginning of our drive, we were spared rain, it being superseded by dense mist!! An apparently very scenic route of which we saw little!!
We stopped off for coffee a couple of times, to chunk-up the long drive, but avoided Gillette, the scene of a past mishap involving a young girl who drove into our parked car, years earlier! On route we passed many notable sights, Devil's Tower, Deadwood, and Sturgis, which brought back fond memories. However, today, the journey was everything, taking us back eastward, on the final leg of our trip.
Arriving in Rapid City we checked in and soon made our way (on foot!) downtown and located the Firehouse Brewery, where we had dinner.
Another great find, relaxed atmosphere, good dining, and nice company. Waiting for a table, we sat at the bar and got chatting to a couple from Arizona who were Winnebagoing their way round the States! Nice people!!
As for a musical memory, today, it has to be Creedance Clearwater Revival's "Have you ever seen the rain?". We have!
Whilst Wyoming is known both for its low population (circa 500,000) and rainfall, this morning we got some fairly substantial showers.Fortunately, we had a plan. First, we went for breakfast, which was not within the hotel, but a short (very wet) distance away in the Buffalo Bill Gift Shop. Walking through the mountain of souvenirs, Stetsons, jewellery, and western apparel, in order to get to the breakfast room was a first. The breakfast room itself was treat. It had once been the venue for Western dinner review evenings and was full of pianos, a huge wooden bar (extracted from Montana in the 1960s, and other paraphernalia. All very interesting and the breakfast was good, too. Still raining, we headed to the Buffalo Bill Centre and meandered around its interesting exhibits, until our trolley tour bus arrived at 11:00 am.
Then we took the one hour tour, during which we learned much about Cody's history. The town owes its existence to Buffalo Bill and his entrepreneurial instincts. An early picture of the town shows little more than his first house and the Irma Hotel, which he built at enormous cost and named after his daughter. In this venture he was right on the money, as Yellowstone had only recently opened and he convinced the government to add the park's east entrance and anyone using the latter would have to pass through Cody. Buffalo Bill's life story is an interesting one, too; from a cow puncher and pony express rider, at an early age, to being one of the world's most renowned showmen.
We also passed the first bank to be robbed by the 'Hole in the wall gang", a robbery in which the cashier was shot and no money was taken!
Back at the museum centre, we had a look round the Western artifacts again and then walked to the site of the annual Plains Indian Pow Wow. In effect, native American Indian families come to this event from all over North America and represent many tribes. During the day they hold dance competitions and everyone dresses in full ceremonial costume. An amazing spectacle! Of course, by then the sun was shining again!
As for an appropriate piece of music, maybe Apache (although they were from Arizona!) by the Shadows
It started grey and quickly turned wet as we left West Yellowstone. Of course, on the bright side, we had enjoyed the breakfast room to ourselves and the queue for the Park entrance was non-existent. Nevertheless, once into the park we were soon held up by some bozo on a motor bike who drove in the centre of the road, way slower than the modest speed limit. Being cold and wet , the steaming geysers and vents were shown off to best effect! We stopped by Old Faithful Village and had a coffee in the hotel and then beat a retreat, off to Cody. Driving out via the East entrance was a first for us, as we had previously been prevented from doing so by massive fires. The drive surpassed our expectations, We expected little and got a lot! The scenery between the Cody turn-off and the East gate was spectacular. Rivers, huge lakes, snow-capped mountain passes, forests and sheer rock cliffs. And a sighting of a grizzly bear!!
The journey took around three hours to complete and after passing the impressive Buffalo Bill Dam, we entered Cody, home to America's oldest rodeo. We located our hotel, checked-in early, and then decided that Friday was washing day. The local laundrette was immaculate, where the staff were friendly and helpful, and free wifi and coffee was on hand! We met another couple of road trippers there, whose next stop was Jackson Hole. They were searching for nearby accommodation, that had less exacting room rates than the Hole, itself. We were able to suggest they look at Driggs, which answered a similar problem wed encountered some time ago. We went for dinner at O'Hara's, a nearby Irish brewery bar that boasted good food and drink. They were right to and the service was excellent, too! Afterwards, we walked amongst the local shops, noting its Old West heritage and current national pride.
And what musical memory will we take from today's spectacular, if a little wet, trip? Well, something by Duane Eddy .... "Forty miles of bad road" (in our case, considerably more!)
An early start was needed as we planned to spend the day seeing the entirety of Yellowstone Park! A big ask!! Anyway, we got to the West Entrance at 9:00am and entered the park without too much difficulty .... the queues can be fearsome!We headed for the geyser basin and Old Faithful, stopping off a couple of times to see the amazing steaming sites. Yellowstone is a truly amazing place, where else could you see such diversity of scenery and wild life? Answer .... nowhere!
Old Faithful performed, right on cue and thereafter, we walked along the boardwalk through the other bubbling geological performances. (Yellowstone has over half of the world's total geysers!)
Time slipped by and by midday we decided to move on, heading south on the lower loop road. We drove past rivers, the great lake, and through high mountain passes, some still bearing snow. But did we see wildlife? Well, yes we did. In fact, we saw a wolf, lots of Bison, Elks, and a Black Bear!
Yellowstone simply doesn't disappoint and today was no exception. The only downside of the day was those few people who simply 'don't get it' ..... those who stop traffic because they've 'seen something', those who can't keep up with the general traffic speed, and those who feel that they can simply step off the boardwalks and photograph geysers full-on! It has to be said that I would happily use bear spray on any of the aforementioned groups, to disperse them!
Today it has to be Duane Eddy and 'Forty Miles of Bad Road'!
To be precise, today's drive from Whitefish to West Yellowstone began a little after 8:30am, as we pulled out of Safeway's car park. During this incredibly picturesque (300+ mile) journey, we retraced some of our earlier drives, passing lakes close to Flathead and between mountains and forests. Montana is an incredible place. Also, as we turned onto the Highway at Whitefish, a small bear ran straight across it and survived! We didn't see many cars en route, but managed the odd surprise, one being a trailer in the shape of a radio!
An hour out of Whitefish we stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere and was surprised to find on entering the adjacent store that it was a full blown supermarket and deli! (In the back and beyond you could buy large fresh pineapples for 99 cents). Closer to the end of our trip and desperate for coffee we called into a gas station at Ennis. We sat outside, drinking coffee and chatting to a couple who had lived in Tampa, but now dowelled permanently in a forty foot motor home, travelling the US .... not that unusual here. Pulling out of the gas station we noted our surprise that the town only served coffee at the gas station. Then we turned a corner, only to discover there was a full blown western tourist town! But the weather was good and we continued, arriving at our hotel, The Ctrosswinds, without incident.
And today's musical treat ... Bill Black's Combo, again. "Teenage Millionaire"
Today was brighter and despite a fairly brisk breeze, the drive to St Mary's, the eastern gateway to the Road to the Sun, was a pleasure. The driving was easy and the scenery spectacular. Fast flowing glacial rivers, snow-capped mountains, wide skies, and rolling green plains!
Despite the Park's magnificence and it is special, one can't forget the poor deal that the Black Feet nation got when it was displaced from its traditional lands, to the nearby reservation. Having said that, the Park is a wondrous place and although we could only drive some ten miles along the Road to the Sun, the views of the lake and surrounding mountains were worth the effort. Returning, we stopped off to take photographs and take in the scenery.
At one stop-off, we met and chatted to a lovely German couple (Jurgen and Katia) who, like us, enjoy road-tripping the States. They were travelling in a camper van and had started their journey in Canada. We wished them bon voyage, parted company, and before leaving the park, stopped off at the Sun Point Trail. Absolutely stunning and a place often frequented by bears! We didn't spot any!!
The drive back to Whitefish was straightforward, along a very pretty route, including parts of the Black Feet Reservation. On arrival, we headed down to the Craggy Range Bar and Grill for another great dinner. (The chili dip is incredible!) and as it was Tuesday, the Farmers Market was in full swing ...... we couldn't resist!
We heard a lot of old familiar records en route, today, but Johnny and the Hurricanes have it with "Red River Rock"!
We left Billings, uncannily on the day of its Strawberry Festival, just as we did several years ago, and shoild have known that when we got to Whitefish and Glacier National Park, we would inevitably be a couple of weeks early for the Road to the Sun to be fully open. Sure enough only sixteen miles of the road was drivable from the park's west entrance. But we would have time to visit the park from its West and St Mary's (East) entrance, tomorrow. Today it was the West entrance, a twenty mile drive from our hotel, on a day that was cloudy, but remained dry. Arriving at the park we listened to Ranger Bill give a talk about what to do if you encounter mountain lions (very unlikely) or bears (more, but not very, likely). In short, there was no easy answer, but he did try a hard sell on a bear repellent spray ...... not many takers! It has to be said that the spray would probably be effective against pretty much anything! Bill explained that he once left a can in his car on a hot day and returning to it, noticed a small yellow ring on the seat, near the can. He opened the door, threw the can out, and found he couldn't breathe. Inadvertently, he brushed his eyes with his hand and then couldn't see, either! Well, we didn't buy the spray and fortunately, didn't encounter a bear! We drove the Road to the Sun, up to Avalanche, where the snowline was and parked the car in the picnic area.
It was busy!! We decided to hike the short Avalanche trail, an easy walk through the Avenue of Ceders, and were rewarded by sighting a deer and the impressive Avalanche Falls.
After lunch we headed to Kalispell, a nearby town which has a nice historic area. We called in the Western Antiques Centre and the adjacent Norm's News. In fact, the latter is housed in what once was a theatre and is now an old-style ice cream parlour, come soda fountain. We couldn't resist and plumped for 'Huckleberry'!
Then it was back to base where the WiFi connection was back to normal!!
Whilst driving the Road to the Sun today, we heard the following oldie, which I confess to not having heard before ... "Quiet Village" by Martin-Denny:
