Up Against a Wall

Today you can find us in Badlands, South Dakota. When you think "Badlands" you normally think of an area that isn't a good place. A high crime area maybe. Or, someplace that no one would want to live because its "Badlands". Maybe the water is no good. The thought could be that there is too much sun and no water therefore nothing grows here. For 818 people they have chosen to live close by in a small town called WALL.

Main street should really be called, Only Street because it really is the only street in this small community. It has a few shops and restaurants but the big store is called Wall Drug. It is the Pre Wal Mart store. Maybe that's where "Wal" Mart came up with the idea! The store consists of a whole city block. It has 3 restaurants that can feed 500 people in one sitting. The store sells every Nick knack you could ever think of. A small grocery store. An arcade. It even has a small chapel in case you forgot to talk to the big guy upstairs.

Once you get out of this small town the landscape opens up to nothing but open land. As far as you can see hills that look like Ruffle's Potato Chip ridges. During the cold war there was always talk of silo's that contained nukes at the ready. After many years a treaty was signed to reduce these civilization ending bombs. They have since turned this hidden silo into a National Park. Here is one that is only 1/2 mile from a busy Interstate Highway.

In the middle of a huge empty and plain field you can see this gravel area fenced off. Only a few metal poles sticking out of the ground to show that there might be something here.

Once the large metal door opens it would reveal this missile that was capable of flying over the North Pole and striking USSR at that time. There were close to 500 of these scattered around the country with most of them in this northern area. Today that number has been cut down but that number is not told.

Now for the reason this area is called Badlands. The farmers couldn't find any use for the land that lies a few miles south of Wall and the Interstate Highway. With its jagged peaks and soft volcanic soil nothing can be done in this area that encompasses several hundred miles in all directions.

Tomorrow we will hike and explore this area but today we just took time to meet the locals. The buffalo roam free with tons of Prairie Dogs busily digging more holes.

Keep your fingers crossed that the weather continues to stay like it has...warm.

Sound of Thunder

Believe it our not we got out of bed and on the road before 7 a.m. this morning. You're probably asking, Why? It was Buffalo Roundup today! Custer State Park rounds up their herd of buffalo every year at this time. We had to be at the Park before the round up started because they close the roads leading in. Some of us just couldn't handle the sitting around waiting for the herd to appear.

I guess the excitement wasn't enough to keep her up and the warm sun felt good in the early morning chill.

Soon, we saw a cloud of dust in the distance and slowly they started to make their way over the hills toward us. As they got closer the excitement in the crowd became audible. Once they were closer you could hear thousands of buffalo pounding the tundra. The musky smell soon followed as they passed by the fence several feet from us. An amazing sight to be witness to.

Once all the buffalo were in their pens the show was over and we decided to go over to the city of Custer and have lunch. A small town of less than 2,000 people call it home. After a good lunch that consisted of BBQ Buffalo Ribs, which was very good, we headed off to explore.

We drove Needles Highway that takes you through the Pine Forest and through tight tunnels that even in the Pick Up it felt as if you would get stuck.

A walk around Sylvan Lake revealed hidden waterfalls embedded in the rock.

Tuesday morning we are on the road again as we continue our journey east. Lets hope the weather continues to stay warm.

Nature Up Close

Today the day was spent watching the locals roam about. There is a place down the road called Bear Country. You drive your car through different sections of the park and have close up looks of these amazing animals. You don't realize how big they are and the different smells that come with each animal.

The scariest part was driving through the Elk, Buffalo and Deer section. It's rutting season and the males can get aggressive if they feel someone is trying to take their women.

The wolf's looked like they were not even paying attention to us. They were more interested in the "feed" truck. It was dinner time.

Some animals, the rams, just wanted to lay around and see who all passed by.

The bears were the highlight of the trip. There were so many of them. Some playing, some sleeping and others eating.

This one was pretty close!

Kicking Back

The day started overcast and windy. The motor home would rock and sway with a strong gust of wind. The sun was warming but the cool wind canceled out any heating effect from it. We woke up and lazily flopped from chair to couch to lazyboy. With plans in place to explore other areas around us they quickly evaporated with the naps that ensued. OK, so we didn't do anything on Saturday but we did have plans in Sturgis Saturday night that we had to attend. While we were visiting Sturgis on Friday, we saw an ad for a comedian/hypnotist. He would be playing in Loud American Roadhouse. We got there 1/2 hour before the show started thinking we would find good seats. The place was packed with big hair, tattoos, cigarettes and bandannas. Finding a space to sit was like watching a three legged dog trying to bury a bone on a frozen lake. Impossible. Back in the corner, we found a place next to the bar and settled in. We discovered that the Comedian was having a drink right next to me. I started a casual conversation with him and at one point said "We have come a long way to see your show!" He inquired as to where we had come from. Maryland, was my response. His reaction has been seen and replicated a few times now. A quick shake of the head as if to clear cob webs that have suddenly clouded the mind. The squinting of the eyes and finally the puzzled look. He finally said, What's the catch. Maryland what? No, I replied, the state. You couldn't hear it but you could see him mouth the word to himself...WHY?

The show was great. He had people on stage doing things that if they only knew what they were doing would be so embarrassed. All around us we could hear people saying "Oh no, he'll never live that one down." I guess living in a small community where mostly everyone knows each other, you don't want to be seen doing unmanly things or unlady like actions. Click on the link below to watch part of his show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPlKnfxpAT8

If you want to watch more just go to Youtube and type "Sailesh" in the search box. You'll find yourself laughing hard.

We made it back to Road Hazard close to 1 this morning. The cool air made our steps quicken as we gathered our stuff and retreated into RH.

Today, I am sitting here in the lazyboy watching a coulple of bunnies round around outside. It is a beautiful sunny day with no breeze. Still, so much to see.

Sturgis and Deadwood

Today's history lesson took us to visit two cities. The history of one city dates back to the early 1900's while the other is a much more recent history taking us back to the early 1930's.

We began our journey back in time to the 1930's. The backdrop is Sturgis, South Dakota. Several guys got together who enjoyed riding their Indian Motorcycles and decided to invite people from the surrounding cities to come out one weekend to compete in some drag racing and hill climbing. They had so much fun that every year since then they continued to have these gatherings and well, the event grew. This past August they had close to 600,000 people come out to celebrate riding their motorcycles around town. Today, we walked down Main Street and tried to imagine what the sights and sounds would be like during the rally. The pictures below show what it looked like today while the other shows what it looks like during the rally. (The rally picture was taken off the Internet.)

Today, the streets are quiet with very little traffic. Most stores are closed with signs hanging on them that they will only open next year for the rally. It almost becomes a ghost town.

Not too far down the road, however, is another town who's history dates back to the early 1900's. You may have heard of it and the famous people that once walked these streets.

Deadwood, South Dakota.

The recent HBO series was about the everyday life in this city. Gold prospecting was the big commodity and the law of the land was strapped to your waist securely tucked in your holster. Wild Bill Hickok walked the streets and would often be found in the gambling houses playing poker. Calamity Jane was another character that was notorious in the area. Ahead of her time for being a women that could handle a gun with the best of them. Today, the tomb site of both of these characters sits high up on a mountain overlooking the city that they once roamed. Buried right next to each other as if still sharing stories to one another.

The city is still vibrant with activity as the Main Street is lined with gambling houses and saloons. The cobblestone streets don't echo with the sound of hoofs but of people running across and cars passing by. Having been rebuilt several times because of fires and floods the city still seems to hold the old town charm of yesterday.

The big draw seems to be the slot machines that you can find everywhere. With no shortage of Senior Citizens pulling on the levers for their shot at the jackpot. Tucked away in each gambling hall there seems to be a little piece of history. A brief conversation with the bartender will draw out the history of that building. In this room we have the spot where Wild Bill was shot. In this room we have where the shooter of Wild Bill was captured. This gambling house is owned by Kevin Costner and has behind the scene photos of when he filmed "Dancing with Wolf's" displayed throughout. In this saloon we have the area where the "Ladies" would work over the supervision of their Madam. So much history. The stories are straight out of the wild west movies that we grew up watching.

This area has so much to offer that we extended our stay to make sure that we had an opportunity to see it all and I am sure that we won't see everything.

Rock History

As we ascended the black hills of South Dakota we made a sharp turn and were exposed to Mt. Rushmore Memorial. Nestled in the jagged peaks of the Black Hills sits Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. Each with his own contributions that helped shape the country to what it is today.

You walk down the Avenue of Flags towards the monument with the sound of 56 flags slapping in the stiff breeze. As you walk, you look for your home state flag among all the states, District of Colombia and the Territories represented here.

A trail leads you through the tall Ponderosa Pine trees with glimpses of the granite faces. The sound of the wind cutting through the pine needles gives you a sense of peace. As you make your way to the base of the cliff, huge boulders that were thrown about when they were blasted or chiseled, tumbled down the mountain. Scars in these boulders show the amount of energy required to dislodge these rocks to reveal the faces beneath them. You look up at these huge portraits with a sense of pride knowing that you are walking through a part of history.

Once in the gift shop we met Nick Clifford. Many years ago he worked on the monument. He chiseled the chin of Abraham Lincoln and other features of Roosevelt. Today, his still strong hands greets you with a firm handshake as his soft voice retells stories of working on the monument and getting instructions from the designer and sculptor Gutzon Borglum.

The small town of Keystone, South Dakota is only a few miles down the hill from the National Park. With a population of only 311 those numbers swell when the bike rally in Sturgis goes into full bloom in August. The area gets over 600,000 people on their bikes. For now, the city is a quite oasis for a cold beverage and sitting on the porch watching the traffic crawl by. Imagining how it used to be a hundred years ago when the gold rush ruled the land.

Big Number

We have reached a milestone in our journey. This stop makes the 50th place that we have stopped since we started our journey 289 days ago from the deep mud in Solomons Island, Maryland.

After having rolled 9,938 miles through 22 states and endured 179 hours behind the wheel the 50th stop seems like a small number. In our journey we have had a few mishaps. The most memorable one being the Pick Up truck we tow cutting loose and trying to pass us on the on ramp to the highway. I could literally see it in the side mirror. I was expecting to see the blinker come on the Pick Up truck as it tried to pass me on the left. One tire blow out that caused some damage but we have another good story to tell from that. Countless discoveries in and around the RV of how things work.

Our 50th stop brings us here to Rapid City, South Dakota. The weather should be nice the next few days and we expect to go out and see Mt. Rushmore, Sturgis, Deadwood and a few other places around here. Oh, if you think we are "experienced" RV'ers because the number of miles we have logged, think again. The latest blunder I did was to forget to turn off the defroster fan in the Pick Up truck when we were towing it. Result was that the battery was completely dead when we arrived. Had to jump it!

Thanks Road Hazard for bringing us this far but we still have a ways to go.

Over the Hills

We left Yellowstone early this morning and as luck would have it the day was sunny and warm. The snow on the side of the road was melting with the rising sun. Elk, bison and we think we saw bear, were coming out to feed and enjoy the bright day.

As we entered Montana on I-90 to head east we encountered Yellowstone River a couple of times. Each time with a different backdrop. The road will eventually take us back into Wyoming as I-90 curves back around to head due east.

I always imagined Montana to be flat with the horizon visible all around you. Today was a surprise as I discovered the it is in fact very hilly. The rolling hills with their autumn colors of dried field grass and the backdrop of mountains already displaying their snow caps for winter.

We drove for a little over 6 hours today and stopped for the night in a small town in Wyoming called Sheridan. From here it is only a 4 hour drive to the Badlands of South Dakota. Home to Mt. Rushmore. Not too far is Sturgis, the mecca for Harley Davidson riders.

At an altitude of 3,500 feet the weather here should be a little nicer. We are sitting in Road Hazard right now with the windows open and listening to a train blow its whistle in the distance. Nothing but rolling hills around us.

Last day in Yellowstone

With a warning of snow falling tonight we decided to explore as much as we could and leave early Tuesday morning. Our exploration took us to the northern section of the park. On our way to the northwest corner of the park we passed some beautiful water falls that have been carved deep into the cliffs.

The park seems to be divided into different sections. Each section has its own characteristic. The Southwest corner is home to Old Faithful and its many geysers. The northwest corner of the park is home to a large number of hydrothermal areas. They form stair steps from sulfur deposits and have shallow pools of light blue water. While standing along these pools the steam washes over you. The smell of Hydrogen Sulphide at times can be very strong until the wind pushes the vapors in another direction.

The northeast corner of the park is filled with deep gouges in the rock carved by Yellowstone River. The deep blue color of the water is a sharp contrast to the light colored cliffs and evergreen trees. With the cold weather approaching the trees have begun to change into their winter colors.

Along the journey of Yellowstone River it dumps over majestic waterfalls. The sound of roaring water echo's throughout the canyon.

While at Yellowstone we have experienced the four forms of precipitation. Rain, Hail, Sleet and tonight, snow. I think we have reached our limit and tomorrow morning we are packing up and moving on. Yellowstone is definitely a place that has nature on full display. Wildlife here seems to thrive knowing that they are protected. Here, nature determines the outcome and man is only a spectator.

The Greatest Show on Earth!

We awoke this morning with much anticipation. Being on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park and knowing what is behind the gates is enough to perk you up without the morning coffee. After we entered the park we must have driven 10 minutes and we saw a bunch of cars pulled off to the side of the road. That usually indicates that someone has seen an animal. Sure enough a herd of elk were grazing not to far from the road. Here in Yellowstone nature is on full display along with mankind on "who has the biggest telephoto lens". Where you find wildlife you are also going to spot a person carrying what looks like a small cannon mounted on a tripod.

Why do they need closeups? What are they trying to see? Are they checking the dental records of these animals? I just stood shoulder to shoulder with them and pulled out my Sony Digital camera that makes a cute sound when I take a picture. Sure I turned heads but I think I got some beautiful pictures and when I was done I put my camera in my pocket and walked away.

The day was cold and the wind coming down the mountain cut right through the multiple layers of clothing we had on. What kept us going was the views and the heat coming off the thermal pools.

We stood around for 45 minutes to watch one of natures events that is predictable. It started as small gushes of water and tons of vapor. As the excitement in the throngs of people out to see the event grew so did the height of steam. All of a sudden as if someone had turned a switch on a geyser of water shot up a hundred feet into the air. The sound of escaping water being pushed through the earths crust could be heard. In the 1 1/2 minutes this geyser pushed out close to 3,700 gallons of water. What an incredible sight to witness.

All around the park are pools of bubbling water and steam. The different colors framing the pools are created by different algae that thrive on these scolding hot waters.

In our first day in Yellowstone we saw Elk, Bison, Mule Deer, and a Wolf with her pup. We saw countless hot springs and stood in the steams from these pools as the wind shifted around. In Yellowstone you tend to forget the crowds of people around you and become absorbed in the breathtaking views all around.

Three out of Four

We left Twin Falls, Idaho, early this morning because we knew a storm was brewing on the horizon. When we hit the road the clouds were already forming to create a massive storm. Checking in with the national weather forecast was our only indication that we were going to miss the heavy stuff, at least until we got there. We still were accompanied by rain most of the drive to Yellowstone and I think God must have been walking on his shag carpet and creating sparks because lighting bolts were exploding in the distance followed by the deep rumble of thunder.

Its amazing to see all around you when you have so much sky to observe. No buildings, no tall trees, nothing in your way to see the horizon all around you. On the one side the gray clouds getting together to form a massive storm cloud. On the other side blue skies and a few clouds.

We finally arrived in Montana, the 19th state of our travels.

After a quick bite to eat and a walk around town we decided to head back to Road Hazard and enjoy the beautiful sunny skies while they lasted. To the southeast the storm clouds were building and this storm looked worse than the one that followed us most of the trip. We were able to sit outside in our lounge chairs for an hour and enjoy the hot sun before the thick black clouds covered up the hot ball in the sky.

Hold on tight because the storm that hit us brought with it hail the size of peas. The ground looked like it was covered in a light dusting of snow. The hail came down sideways and bounced off Road Hazard creating a symphony of percussion sounds inside with every hit. In the span of only a few hours we experienced Rain then Sun Shine and then Hail. The only thing missing is Snow. Tonight they are expecting the temps to drop to 25 degrees. All I can think of is, why are we here?

Twin Falls

On our way to an Ice Cave up the road we noticed that we were passing mile after mile of what appeared to be lava fields. It can't be. We're out here in Idaho. There aren't any volcano's around here! Our 45 minute drive took us to the entrance to an Ice Cave. "What is an Ice Cave?" I asked Reta when she discovered it on the Internet. An old lava tube that has water in it and because of the air flow through this tube the air is chilled to 30 degrees. The guide that was going to lead us into this cold chamber greeted us by introducing herself and listing the rules of our excursion. Imagine, if you will, a very heavy version of Brittney Spears. Big round sunglasses, a tight white tank top that reveled her many curves, along with a pair of short shorts that had the writing across her butt: Just Do It! Did I mention the open mouth gum chewing? Ok, this is going to be interesting.

She began by explaining that this area used to be inhabited by cave people. Not like the one you see on the Geico commercials but a much smaller version. They lived to be a ripe old age of 17 and stood about 5 feet tall.

We walked along this lava field that has countless lava tubes that have since crumbled under their own weight. It was at this point that "Brittney" told us that 1/3 of Idaho is covered in Lava. Some is only a few feet thick and other sections can be several hundred. We descended the patchwork of lava rocks assembled to work as steps. Down and through a narrow doorway the cold air hit us like a cold January morning.

We walked along a shaky bridge that followed this narrow lava tube to the back of the cave. All around us drops of water falling from the cracks in the ceiling and turning into ice on any surface that it lands on. The ice below our feet was several feet thick and remains like this all year. Once back on the surface the sun greeted us with its warmth and we followed "Brittney" around the twisting path until we returned to the shack that is the Gift Shop.
Having tasted a slice of small town America we decided to head back into Twin Falls to see why they named the city that.

Only about 10 minutes from downtown Twin Falls sits this oasis. The green water is a sharp contrast to the black volcanic rock cliffs that line Snake River. This name may ring a bell for some of you that remember Evil Knievel. He once tried to jump this river on a rocket bike. He wasn't successful and his parachute failed him also. Leaving him stranded along the cliff face until they could rescue him. Another treasure in this city is Perrine Bridge. It is 475' off the water and at the time of construction it was the highest bridge in the world. Today, base jumpers use this as their platform to get their fix of adrenaline. If anyone is interested after a short "crash" course you to can take the leap.

Twin Falls, Idaho is a small town. The sign into the city states that there are 34,469 people that will admit to calling this home. I say this because at the local grocery store the young girl asked us where we were from. Maryland, I responded. Her head swiveled from side to side as if she was trying to understand what I had just told her. Maryland, she said, what are you doin' here? Just passing through, I responded. Good, was her reply, there ain't nothin' here! Sort of reminds me of Holbrook, Arizona, when the young clerk there responded by saying "Welcome to nothing."

We leave Saturday morning for Yellowstone. They have informed us to dress warmly because it is already very cold there. Maybe Portland, Oregon doesn't sound too bad after all.

Self Service

As much as we love our friends in Oregon I have to admit that it feels good to have finally left the state. There must be something they put in the water here that I haven't quite figured out what makes this place weird. You may think that weird is a harsh word to use but the state promotes itself with bumper stickers that say, "Keep Oregon Weird!". Hey, it's not just me. Let me give you a few personal thoughts that have given me these feelings.
If you ever get the chance to meet an Oregonian try mispronouncing the state to see their reaction. Say Or-e-gone. It's like you have just insulted their child. I was corrected on more than one occasion by several people on the state pronunciation as well as certain cities. I think they purposely pronounce their state and cities different because they have to be different than the other side of the country. The early settlers all came from a town on the east coast and they wanted to make this place home and would name it their home town. Lets call it the same but pronounce it different. They won't figure it out. Imagine if you will that Oregone is like our own little Canada. We know its up there but don't really know a lot about it. Here is another way to think of it, you know you have an attic but you really never visit it unless you have to. When you get there you go, wow I didn't know all this space was here.

In the wanting to be different category they are only one of TWO states that don't allow you to pump your own gas. New Jersey being the other and we could spend hours talking about them. It's second nature for most people to pump your own gas. It's something you do without thinking about. Case in point. Our last fuel stop in Oregone for Road Hazard was in a small town. As I have done so many times I jumped out and started to pump. The young attendant, that probably couldn't have a beer but is old enough to pump gas, came up to me and asked what I was doing. I replied that I needed some Diesel for my rig. Uh, he said sheepishly, you can't do that here!" OH JUST PUMP SOME GAS IN THERE SO I CAN GET OUT OF THIS CRAZY RECYCLING, NO PUMPING GAS STATE. I looked it up and found out that you can't pump your own gas BUT it is a self serve assisted suicide state. Can someone please explain the logic there?
Now don't get me wrong, Oregone is beautiful and if it means anything the state has been successful in keeping it weird.

Oh, to see the bright blue sign...

We made it! On our way east.

Nothing now but spuds and mountains.

Tomorrow morning I'm getting up early to pump my own gas. Feel the hose surging with every gallon of liquid fuel that squirts out the nozzle. It feels good to be on the road again.

Saying Goodbye

We have been putting off the inevitable as long as we could. It was time to leave our friends behind and start our journey back east before the white fluffy cotton starts falling from the sky and causes Road Hazard to become a real danger. Spending time with Hossein, Maureen and the girls has been terrific. The evening singing and dance shows that the girls would put on for us will be missed as well as to hear their laughter and see their smiles. I never did like saying goodbyes.

While in Portland I have to admit that I have learned a few things. In a previous blog I mentioned the recycling practices performed here. There is a reason that their football team wears the color green. It's the way everyone thinks here. Green is in. Green is Oregon. I expect to see Al Gore jump out from behind a tree if I mistakenly put an item into the wrong bin. Thanks Maureen for educating me on recycling and now making me feel guilty when I don't.

Wednesday morning, as we packed up and prepared Road Hazard for the asphalt trail, we said our goodbyes to our latest friend we made along the way. Pete and his wife Sarah were staying next to us in the campground. We would sit and talk some evenings and exchanged stories of being full timers. I shared the blog with him and he shared something very valuable to anyone who enjoys camping and RVing. He created a web site that locates and reviews campgrounds around the country. I invite my friends that have "Hazards" of their own to explore his website and contribute. It's a free site so check it out!

http://www.askerv.com

The road out of Portland took us along I-84 which runs along the Columbia River. The calm water twisting and reflecting the tall mountains that frame the river.

At one point in our journey the sky started to turn a funny color. It almost looked like it was gray clouds but there was something different. When I looked at the sun through this cloud it surprised me. An eerie red ball in the sky took the place of what should have been the sun. Then Reta reminded me that there is a forest fire burning out of control in the Southeast corner of the state. This must be the smoke from the burning timbers. Sure enough, when we stopped at a rest stop an hour later I noticed the front of the RV was covered in ash as if someone had taken the ashes from a fire place and thrown it against RH.

A loud rumble and shaking of the RV would indicate that a truck loaded with trees would pass us on the way to the lumber mills. Tree farms line the highway for miles. Cedar is still a big dollar industry as it was hundreds of years ago when these cities were first started in this corner of the country.

Finally, arriving at our home for the night I took a second to relax with these wooden coins the campground gave us. Our journey will continue early in the morning as we continue to push east.