Rapid City, SD to Buffalo, WY

Driving vs. Biking
We cover so much ground by driving that its unbelievable how much other time you have to check out new places. However, I do miss seeing the ridiculous amount of banana peels on the side of the road (I wish I kept a tally when I was biking - there are more than enough for some slap-stick humor).

We took today to check out several sights. The first big one was Crazy Horse Monument. It was a much more interesting stop than I had anticipated. The project is family run and they have refused any government funding for it. I applaud that because the integrity in the process of building such an immense monument is awesome. From their we headed onto 16 and rounded our way through the Black Hills. Easily the most beautiful road I have ever been on, thus far in my life. It just snakes around, forcing me to emit little squeaks of elation at each new sight. Poor Adam will be sick of hearing "I am so excited! This is amazing!" by the end of the trip, I have no doubt. We were stopped by a herd of buffalo along the road at one point. Really huge. Really wild looking. And Really not fans of motorcycles. They were charging a few of the guys riding them... eeks! Eventually however, we got a move on and rode through tunnels that place you right in view of Mt. Rushmore. WAY better way to see that monument than paying to ride up to the base of it. But the day doesn't end there!

We made our third big touristy stop of the day by going to the Reptile Gardens. It was absolutely worth it. We danced with a parrot, learned about snakes, and cuddled giant, OLD, hissing tortoises. By evening, we got to see a different kind of attraction: Deadwood. Home of casinos encased in Wild West decor. Such a crazy place, it overstimulates and yet has a little bit of wild charm. After much needed nourishment, we raced to get to Devil's Tower by sunset. And although the sunset was a splendid streak of vivid color along the foothills and grasslands, it was already dusk by the time we hit our destination. Undaunted, we hiked our way up to the alien, mammoth, rock formation. Armed with a light and my big knife we crawled up along the rocks to the base and took one picture (that didn't turn out in the dark, and then the battery ran out) and noticed the signs all around us: Hiking above the trailhead without preregistering is a FEDERAL OFFENSE. Oh snap. Perhaaaaaaps we should head back down....

My record remains clean. Phew. Putting in a few more hours, we finally succumbed to sleep in a hotel parking lot in Buffalo, WY, amidst the glow of street lights and orange construction cones.