Journeys: Bozeman Bound

I woke up at 7 AM. The windows of the redneck RV were frosted, but my sleeping bag cocoon was warm. We brushed our teeth and set off for Minnesota. A short hour later we were across the border and filled up on gas. We started west on I-90 and were greeted with a ferocious wind. A wind that would keep up all the way to Bozeman and drop the miles per gallon to 8. South Dakota was an expensive state for the trip, but scenic. The flat boredom dissipated as we entered the high plains. The sky got bigger and ranch land rolled out in all directions as far as the eye could see.

Somewhere in South Dakota.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We were making good time despite the wind and I decided to add some stops to the later part of the trip. I did some quick research on my phone and found out that we could visit Mount Rushmore even in the dark since it would be lit up for two hours after sunset. Mount Rushmore would be our first stop. After Mount Rushmore, we would finish the night by driving to Devil's Tower, WY and camping. That way when we woke up in the morning we would be able to visit Devil's Tower in the sunlight before making the final push to Bozeman.

Not long after sunset we pulled into Rapid City, SD and were only 20 miles from Mount Rushmore. It was a steep haul to Mount Rushmore and the town at the base of the mountain, Keystone, reminded me of Pigeon Forge, TN.

Mount Rushmore. Cold.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We did not go into the park, because it looked like we had to pay $11, so we took photos from the road and turned back to Rapid City. Soon we were in Wyoming. It was dark, snowy, and cold. We exited I-90 at Sundance and were on our way to Devil's Tower. As we approached we could just barely make out the silhouette of the monolith off in the distance. We pulled into the scenic overlook area and made our beds. I took the redneck RV again and Lewis remained in the cab.

Five hours into the night it was too cold in the bed of the truck. The windows were iced over and my cold feet were keeping me awake. I guess my thirty degree bag, liner, and blanket were not enough for 20 degree Wyoming. I will have to invest in a good winter bag ASAP. I moved to the cab of the truck and ran the engine with the heater on until 7 AM.