Rapid City, SD

What can I say about seeing Devils Tower up close and personal? 

My first view

My favorite view

It must be just about impossible to take a bad photo of the Tower.  I still tried.

Although the day continued blustery with intermittent rain and winds that ranged from mild to howling, the drizzle stopped long enough for me to amble around the entire base of the Tower.  This took about an hour and every step was met with wonder. 

An immense boulder field surrounds the base.

What an extraordinary experience!  Later, while eating a turkey sandwich and ogling the Tower to my left and Prairie Dogs to my right, I pondered upon my unaccountable good fortune to have a day like this. 

No question that all was going splendidly when .... my Check Engine Light came on.  I was too bummed out to take a photo even though I stared at it for a long time. 

I pulled over, consulted my Chevy manual which reassured me that I could continue to drive.  This was welcome news as I was absolutely 40  miles from any services.  

Route from Devils Tower to Spearfish

 

My GPS guided me to a Chevrolet dealer in Rapid City 2 hours away. 

The diagnosis: slippage of the torque converter.  The way Neil (my new best friend and Chevy service manager) explained it to me made perfect sense.  The part I most enjoyed hearing is that the repair and part should be covered by warranty. 

So, the new torque converter will be ordered from Denver tomorrow morning and should arrive early Thursday.  Neil estimates it will take half a day to do the work.  In the meantime, I will have at my disposal the courtesy driver.  I wonder if he'll drive me to his house so I can shower and do my laundry?  Maybe his wife's a good cook.

But hey, there are worst places to be stranded.  And I can still drive.  Tomorrow I will probably visit Mt. Rushmore some 20 miles away.   The weather forecast for tomorrow is warmer with partly sunny skies. 

I'll take it!

Good night from ....

Gillette, WY

My travel day was brief and soggy.

State Highway 59-N

116 miles
37-degree windchill
28 mph winds
40 mph gusts

Add all those numbers up, whaddayagot?

Yuck! 

It's a relief to be off the road.  Now I know why you folks with the big rigs avoid the wind.  The GDB was blowing all over the road the last 30 miles. 

Even the locals are complaining about the wind.  And they live in Wyoming!

I'll hunker down at Camp Wal-Mart for the night, safe and snug in the GDB. 

Here's to a better forecast tomorrow ..... !

Douglas, WY - Day 2

Hello again from Douglas, WY

 

I've seen many Sinclair stations here in the Midwest.  I always notice because I remember them so vividly from childhood.  Some stations have lost their dinosaurs and some still have them on roof tops.  Well, in Douglas, they take them down and saddle them up!

 

Cold and rainy here today.  More of the same tomorrow, so the sightseeing is on hold.  I may make the 2-hour run for Gillette tomorrow, depending on how heavy the rain is.  That would put me in good position for Devil’s Tower on Tuesday. 

I realized last night I was in the wrong camping spot!  Boy, was I embarrassed.  

No - not the fairgrounds

 

The free camping is at the City Park across the street. 

 

 

 

My bad.  I thought that was a lot of amenities for free.  This is better anyway.  No hook-ups but ... it’s a well-tended little park right on the North Platte.  I have my own geese and everything.

 

 

There is also a dump station, potable water station, restrooms, and showers.  All located right next door to the Police station.   Score!

I’m completely enjoying this day of rest.  Since leaving home 11 days ago, I’ve traveled 1,928 miles through 6 states and visited 6 National Park Sites. 

Whew!

So I’m spending the day between rain showers taking care of housekeeping tasks such as  dumping the completely full tanks, filling up with water, and organizing my storage bin.  Inside, the GDB’s furnace is keeping me nice and toasty.  This is one comfortable cocoon!

I’m also catching up on finances, getting my photos in some kind of order, doing a complete crossword, and learning how to upload videos from my phone to YouTube.  I’m hoping to post a video of the GDB interior soon. 

Hope everyone is staying safe from those nasty storms! 

 

Douglas, WY

After consulting the weather this morning, I decided pretty quickly to make a LEFT!  My plan was to make the easy drive to Wall, SD today.  But the weather said otherwise. 

My original destination was right in the heart of that heart.

We had a rip-snorter of a storm in Valentine last night.  Heavy winds, either large raindrops or small hail, along with thunder and lightning.  The persistent thunder sounded like a freight train (which sounds like a tornado).  I had to make a decision.  North, south, and east didn’t look so good, so I headed west.

It wasn’t so much the hysteria at the Weather Channel or even the severity of the forecast along my route (softball-sized hail …. really?), it was the duration.  Violent weather expected over the Plains through Monday.  3 days of worry is 3 days too many!    

And, as John wisely pointed out, that’s the advantage of being on wheels – you can go where the weather suits your clothes.    Here's where I ended up.

Douglas, Wyoming

Apparently the forecast was spot-on and some 280 miles later, I seem to be out of the path and settled for the night.   

The big bonus was continuing along scenic US 20 for another 3 hours.  The landscape changed from serene rolling sand hills to this ....

And this ...

 

To this ....

I passed through many small towns, but none smaller than this ...

 

Here for the night at the Wyoming State Fairgrounds.  The campground itself is not long on aesthetics but the surrounding scenery is beautiful.  And the skies are clear! 

 

Just remember

 

I’ll leave you now with my Dust Bowl photo.   I've been waiting for just the right windmill.

 

Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge

Today I kept my date with the bison!!!

 

My first view of them from the GDB

 

So I get to the NWR visitor’s center this morning.

Me to the ranger: I’d like to see your bison, please. 

She: Oh, they were just here!

Me: Oh no!

Seeing my disappointment, she took me outside, quickly spotted a herd of about 30-40 on the horizon, and I took off.

Spent a long time among the herd watching their behavior.  Fascinating! 

Can you see the calf nursing on the upper right?

 

This one seems to be the dominant bull. 

 

 

They were completely unconcerned about my presence.  They grazed and I had coffee.  What an experience!  Just me and them. 

 

 

Eventually I went in search of Prairie Dogs.  I found a little town of burrows.  It was great fun to watch them run around barking. 

These 2 chatted for a while.

 

And I managed to capture the Nebraska state bird – the Western Meadowlark – in full yodel.

This NWR is so beautiful I can’t even describe it.  Stop and see the Sandhills if you can - an ecosystem like nowhere else on earth. 

Here are some photos of the NWR, surrounding hills, and the Niobrara.   (I wish Blogger allowed slide shows).

Visitors' Center

You can see the hills are composed of sand that moved in after the last Ice Age.

Swallow overhead.  To the right is a river launch.

See the Niobrara River in the center.

The Cowboy Trail.  It will eventually stretch 321 miles.

Came back to town in the afternoon, stocked up on groceries, got gas ($3.99/gal.!!!), and topped off my generator oil.  I’m staying the night once again at the Comfort Inn.  For an extra $5 I get shower privileges.  Money well-spent! 

But first, I had to get dinner at Valentine’s oldest eatery, 2 blocks away.  They’ve been in business since the 40’s. 

Cheeseburger and fries, what else?

 

Tomorrow I head toward The Badlands. 

But for now .... good night from my Little House on the Prairie.

Or as Judy would say ….

 

The End.