Head for the Hills!

I woke up refreshed and giddy again to hit the road. It was a short ride to the Black Hills National Park. The soothing, cool breeze from the dense trees and higher altitude was a nice reminder that not all of this travel will be in sweltering hear in vast spans of boringness. The first stop was the famous tourist attraction Mt. Rushmore. I paid the 8 bucks to park and walk up the monument deal they had going and to gain a better appreciation for it... all said and done the huge sculpture was just as good for free from the road (as seen in the background here.) I went to a nearby picnic area and a had a lunch of trail mix, cheap cereal and... well that's it, some water too. Which is why I chose to sit at the table next to the boyscout troop. I hoped that after their large, well planned meal that they would offer me some left overs but, alas, no dice.

The next stop was Crazy Horse Mountain. This mountain is a work in progress to become the worlds largest sculpture. So far only Crazy Horse's face is the only thing done but you can start to make out the shape. What made this stop worth it was the Native American History Museum that was attached, I recommend it.

This touristy stuff was fun and all but the best part of the day was when I braved to rain to find get what I really wanted from the state of South Dakota: An up-close look at a buffalo. I heard of a wildlife park attached to the one I was in where such sightings were common. I paid the 5 bucks to get in and started out on my safari. A multitude of low, thick rain clouds had just came in giving the roads that misty forest feel. Once the cloud had passed I say my first indigenous creature: a deer. Whoopdy doo. I wanted a buffalo! I rode on through the mountains, mist and across the grassy valleys and spotted another large hairy creature: an antelope. Never seen one of those so I snapped a picture and got back onto my quest. Almost an hour of riding went and I had accepted the fact that no buffalo was going to rear its ugly head so I-- Slammed my breaks to avoid the heard of buffalo that I had just come to over a bend. They have been known to charge people that get to close so I parked the bike and flagged down a passing car, I wanted the extra protection of a steel cage around me. I got about 20 feet from the big things and got my photo!

Feeling accomplished I checked a couple motels to see what the rate was, about 40 bucks for the cheapest. I refused to pay more than 20 because that is how much hostels cost in Europe. I decided I would be able to find a better deal if I got out of the national park and into a rural town so, I jumped onto the cycle and got the heck out of South Dakota and said hello to Wyoming, a little industrial town named Newcastle to be exact, but that is my next story...