On the road to Yellowstone

On the way to Yellowstone I stopped to take in some of Wyoming's scenic views. This was right by a dam. The water was a greenish blue color that reminded me of the Caribbean!

Beer before Bears

Before heading into Yellowstone (ie bear country) I stopped in the last sign of civilization - Cody, Wyoming. I fueled up again (only had to buy 4 gallons, but again, I'm paranoid about running out in the no cell phone zones.) Then while driving down the road I saw a sign for "Pat O'Hara Brewing Company." I quickly did a u turn and went in to sample some beers and get a cup of green chili. The sample came in the cutest shot glass sized mug. So cute I had to ask for one as a souvenir.

Turns out the brewery only opened in July! I went with a glass of their Amber Ale and am seriously considering buying a growler for the road.

Turns out the Rodeo will be taking place tonight in Cody... We'll see how the day goes and whether I end up here or on the northern side of Yellowstone tonight.

Had a great time talking with the bar tenders at the brewery. Here I thought no other place other than the South had great hospitality. Turns out these Western states are pretty hospitable!

Deer in the Headlights!

Driving along through Wyoming in the Bighorn national park I was busy paying attention to the scenery (and trying not to get car sick even while driving). I hit a flat stretch and saw a sign that warned of stock roaming free. So I was on the lookout for a cow crossing and all of a sudden saw a BIG deer in the road. I SLAMMED on my brakes and there it stood just looking at me. My heart was pounding since I'd nearly hit it.  Luckily after inching forward a bit with the car it bolted.

Enjoyed the scenic drive and stopped at a falls along the way to enjoy the view. Also stopped at Dirty Annies for a milkshake!

The forest fire threat today is VERY HIGH. Let's hope I don't encounter any!

Santa is on Vacation in Wyoming!

Stopped for breakfast at Flagstaff Cafe - a tobacco shop with a great restaurant attached. I didn't take up smoking... just went for breakfast. The food was great and very hearty... I get the sense it needs to be as everyone in town appears to work long days in the fields, etc.

While at breakfast an amazing thing happened. The table next to me had a mother and daughter eating. The daughter was probably around 7, around the same age as my niece. I heard her whispering and pointing to her mom. I glanced in the direction she was pointing and saw a man wearing a red shirt and shorts with a big white beard and glasses. Wait a second, is that Santa?! In Sheridan, Wyoming?! The man saw the little girl glancing his way. He got up from his table and walked over to her. As he sat down at her table he asked her if she was on the good list or naughty. Her mom confirmed good list. He then pulled out a card and autographed it for her! He explained he's on vacation in Wyoming and will be heading back to the North Pole soon. All of the wait staff also got excited to see him and soon all the patrons, young and old wanted to say hello... incluiding me! I stopped Santa and we got to talking. Turns out Santa also has a home in Mount Vernon,  Washington! He also goes frequently to Mariners games... and here I thought Santa would be a Braves fan!

Santa was kind enough to autograph a picture for my niece and nephew (although he misspelled my niece's name! Oops!)

Wyoming!

I entered Wyoming right around sunset and boy was it gorgeous. In the back of my mind though, it has some big shoes to fill as South Dakota,  despite taking forever to drive through, was amazing.

I stopped for dinner at a cute little restaurant and then continued on to Sheridan. As it was dark, I couldn't see much... although it appears a lot of people were working at night as a lot of freight trains were going through along the side of the highway. I started to get tired and just my luck, the exits were getting further and further apart. I finally made it to Sheridan and found a hotel room.

Bad Decision to enter Badlands?

I'd been hearing from friends that I must go through badlands national park. Id been debating whether to skip it to get to Mt. Rushmore earlier. When I got to the entrance in South Dakota, the gas station didn't have diesel and I didn't have data service to be able to look up where the next station was, how long the Badlands loop was, etc. So I took the chance I'd have enough diesel and entered the park, wondering if it was a bad decision. Five minutes later as I approached the first scenic overlook, I knew it was not! This was one of the most beautiful places in the world I've ever been (seriously!) I did a bit of hiking around and drove the scenic loop. As I was driving a bunch of clouds rolled in and the lighting was just gorgeous. It was hard not to drive off the road as the views were spectacular. I even saw a little prarie dog!

If you're ever in South Dakota, don't miss badlands. It's badass.

Naked Wine??

Coming down from Mt. Rushmore I hit a small town and on the main street there was a sign saying "Naked Winery".... huh?! The sign caught my eye so I pulled over and went in not really knowing what to expect. Turns out it's a tasting room for a winery actually located in Oregon. I figured why not do a tasting... has to be better than the South Dakota wines from the state fair! The man running the tasting was very nice and funny. He picked the wines based on what I said I like and didn't like and how I reacted to the prior tasting.

They aren't naked in the tasting room if that's what you're thinking. Instead, they call it naked because the skins of the grapes are removed and they use no additives, etc. The wines were pretty good. They had a great cab and a fun series of wines made in plastic bottles so you can take them camping, etc! Soon the tasting room filled up with some locals and the discussion turned to me driving across country.  I loved how friendly everyone was and how they gave me great advice. For example I was warned that last night I shouldn't drive past Sheridan towards Yellowstone because there wouldn't be any hotels so I'd be sleeping in my car. Very good advice. I was given suggestions on a few things to see and do.

Time Travel to 1880

While driving I discovered a way to travel back in time - to 1880 to be exact. Along I-90 in Murdo, South Dakota there's a tourist attraction called 1880 Town. The town was built when a movie company needed an 1880s town set (it's the set from the movie Dances with Wolves). There are about 30 outbuildings and you can explore all of them. There's even a saloon you can go into and grab a drink. While there a variety show also was going on. Walking down the street in the town I imagined someone would likely xome out and there would be a shoot out.  You definitely feel like you've traveled back in time!

Rushing to Rushmore

After exiting Badlands, you end up right at Wall, South Dakota - home of Wall Drug Store... which has signs leading up to it for some 300 miles. So I stopped in quickly for a snack. It's very big and has a few restaurants, shops selling souvenirs and props like large animals you can take photos with.

I downed a sarsparilla (locally brewed) and hit the road, hoping to make it to Mt. Rushmore before they closed.... and before it rained. I fueled up on gas (again)... scared I'd be entering stretches where you worry about whether a station will have diesel.

The scenery changed from flat pprairie and grasslands to mountains and trees! After a drive that would have made me car sick if I weren't driving, I entered the Mt. Rushmore Monument... which is free, except for a hefty parking fee!! It's a short walk up from the parking lot to the monument. While it's a national landmark... I'm not sure it's something to go out of your way to see. If anything,  spend more time in Badlands and skip Rushmore completely. Or maybe that's just me thinking it's not that different from Stone Mountain in Georgia, something I saw a lot of growing up.  There was an evening show to light up the monument... however, I wasn't going to wait around 2 hours for it, so I hit the road.

South Dakota State Fair

Woke up and turned on the tv in Mitchell, South Dakota to discover the State Fair is going on this week. After asking locals, I learned it was about an hour north... and out of the way. However, when else am I going to be in South Dakota while the state fair is going on?! So I took the detour north. I arrived in Huron early and walked around before the rides opened. I toured the livestock areas and saw the 4H competition - pretty cute seeing 7 year olds walk around with the goats and cows they raised. I also witnessed a demonstration on how to rescue someone when they are trapped in grain - something I'm sure will come in handy.

After looking at all sorts of animals (including a camel and a kangaroo) I went to see the food vendors. When at the fair, you cannot try to eat healthy...  or at least why bother? So I went for the deep fried oreos (it was still well before noon...) They were balanced out later by a bbq bison sandwhich.

As soon as 11am rolled around I went to the South Dakota wine tasting tent! For $5 I got a souvenir glass and a few tastings. The wine was nothing to write home about. In fact, it was pretty horrible. However, they did have rhubarb wine! I gave it a taste, and it wasn't all that bad. I made my way then to an information booth to ask about the rides. A nice older couple was working there and started to ask where I was from, where I was going, etc. They ended up giving me a state fair tshirt as a souvenir to take with me on the road!

I walked around the rides and gave one a go and then decided it was time to hit the road. Pretty exciting start to the day!

Before leaving Mitchell and heading to the state fair I stopped by the Corn Palace. They love their corn so much they built a palace for it!