Tweet

Total Mileage: 2594

License Plate Total: 48 (Still on the lookout for Delaware and Hawaii)

We woke up on day 12 ready to head to Yellowstone. We had to drive through Bighorn National Forest, which was so beautiful. One side is the mountainous forest that reminded me of Austria, and then as you travel back down it becomes more like a desert canyon. While driving through one area there we a ton of sheep that were grazing along the road. We got out of the car to take pictures and couldn’t stop laughing at their bleating to one another. As we got closer to Yellowstone the sky kept getting darker and darker until finally the sky opened up with sheets of hard rain. Thankfully it didn’t last too long and the roads weren’t too flooded. After entering the park it was still about an hour or so drive to our campsite at Bridge Bay. Our campsite was located fairly central in the park near the lake. It was ok but after being at the Badlands were there were less people it was crowded. We also could hear traffic from the main road clearly so it didn’t feel like we were really in “the great outdoors.” After dinner and lots of reading of the Hunger Games Trilogy we headed off to bed ready to see Old Faithful before leaving the park.


-Cassie

(Bighorn National Forest)

(Deer eating by the side of the road, before this another deer literally pranced across the road) 

(Lots for sheep)

(Yellowstone National Park) 

(Remnants of forest fires) 

(Yellowstone Lake) 

Tweet

Total Mileage: Approx. 2330 miles

License Plate Total: 48

Day 11 was a busy day of sightseeing in South Dakota. We woke up at our campsite at the Badlands and made a pancake breakfast on the camp stove. After packing up our campsite drove up to the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail. Even though the trail was short we still could see miles and miles of gorgeous views of the Badlands. While walking the trail we actually caught a glimpse of a rattlesnake. Thankfully the family in front of us scarred it off into the trees. We then headed back to the Door and Window Viewpoint for even more views. To get back to Route 90 we took the Badlands Loop. It covers most of the park and plenty of places to pull over and take in the view. The Loop connects back to Route 90 in Wall, SD home of Wall Drug, a family run general store/pharmacy/souvenir store. We had seen billboards since the beginning of our drive in South Dakota, so we figured it was worth to stop. For lunch we spilt a bison burger and a bison hotdog. Both had so much flavor. Along with our lunch we had their free ice water- that saved their business back in the 1930s. Their homemade doughnuts were hard to resist so we took one for the road (Are we glad we did! YUM!) After leaving the Badlands and Wall Drug behind we headed to Rapid City to see Mount Rushmore. While we were impressed with the sculpting process of the monument, however the distance and width disappointed us a bit. From other pictures it looks so much closer. It’s still an impressive monument that was well worth the detour. After leaving Mount Rushmore we drove to Buffalo,Wyoming, where we planned on staying for the night before going to Yellowstone. As we got closer the sun was starting to set over Bighorn National Forest. It was a great way to end a busy day of sight seeing. 

-Cassie

(Thanks Mom/Miss Debby for the bandanas- they helped keep us cool in the heat!)

(The different color rock is remnants from thousands of yrs. ago when a jungle and sea used to be the Badlands)

(Almost there....)

(Inside Wall Drug)

(Wall Drug's T-Rex)

(Wall Drug's "Backyard")

(Sunset over Bighorn National Forest)

Tweet

Total Mileage: approx. 1980 miles
License Plate Total: 45

This morning Cassie and I went to the Corn Palace as promised in the previous post. Since we were going to be driving west to Badlands National Park we didn't have time to tour the interior but we did get some shots from the outside.

As we crossed South Dakota we drove through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands and as we got closer to the Badlands we could see the landscape change from wide open fields as far as the eye could see to a combintaion of prairie and massive eroded rock formations. It almost looked like we had been transported to a desert. On our way into the park we stopped at some overlook sites on the road but we had to get to the campground early in order to secure a site for the night. We got our site at the campground and set up our tent and then went back out of the park to get some ice for our cooler at a shop. On our way back to the campground Americus, our car, decided that she was going to throw her back right hubcap into the tall grasses along the road. Cassie pulled over and the two of us went walking along the road in search of the hubcap. Unfortunately we weren't able to find the it so Americus now looks a bit sad on the right side. She'll just have to wait until we get back to Pennsylvania before she can get a replacement.

After we got back on the road to the campground and packed the ice in the cooler we went out to walk the Door and Window trails, two of the shortest trails, where we were able to climb some of the rocks and get nice views of the landscape.

We went back to our camp site to make dinner and get ready for the Night Program, a ranger talk about the night sky and Native American beliefs. Since the park has very few lights and the sky was clear we were able to see the Milky Way, which neither of us had ever seen, and a few constellations which I bascially never get to see on account of all the light pollution in New York.

The Badlands is a really beautiful National Park and it has definitely set our expectations pretty high for the next parks we visit.

- Rachel



(Corn Palace)

(Buffalo Gap National Grasslands)



(Our camp site)

(Cassie attempting to open a can of peas with a knife and a hammer)

Tweet

Hey there readers,

We wanted to let you all know that we are going to be on a bit of a blogger hiatus this coming week because we will be traveling across a majority of the country. That means mountain areas and no internet access. But don't worry we'll try not to get eaten by bears or mosquitos.

-Cassie and Rachel

Tweet

Total Mileage: approx. 1600
License Plate Total: 41

This morning we went into Downtown Minneapolis to the Sculpture Garden. Last night Cassie said to me, "apparently you haven't been to Minneapolis until you''ve seen the cherry on the spoon," so obviously we had to go see it. The piece is actually called Spoonbridge and Cherry and it sits in a little pond and water sprays out of the top of the cherry stem and runs down over the cherry and onto the spoon. Thankfully today was mild in comparison to the weather we've been experiencing over the past week (it was 75 degrees when we got to the park) so walking around outside was actually enjoyable. The park also has a conservatory and inside there is a variety of tropical plants, palm trees, hibiscus flowers, etc.

We decided to take a little break from all the touristy things we did yesterday at the mall and in Chicago so we consulted Cassie's travel book, Graphic USA, for some shopping suggestions. We love a good bargain so we went to Steeple People Surplus Store. Cassie got a pretty red trinket box for $1.50 and I bought a cross body bag for $3.00! AMAZING! Then we went to a shop called I Love You which sells handmade crafts from local artists. Down the block from that was City Salvage, another second hand store that specializes in architectural salvage items like doors, fireplace mantles, and lighting.

After shopping we stopped for some lunch at the Red Stag restaurant, next door to City Salvage. After being seated we were brought two slices of crumb cake instead of the standard bread basket!

We left Minneapolis after lunch and headed southwest toward South Dakota. We stopped in Mitchell, SD, home of "The World's Only Corn Palace" (http://www.cornpalace.org/) for the night. Tomorrow we are going to Badlands National Park but before that we will be stopping by the Corn Palace.

Stay Tuned!
- Rachel

(Conservatory at Minneapolis Sculpture Garden)

(Beads and baubles at I Love You)

(Scooter outside I Love You with a gold glitter Minnesota state sticker)