Deadwood at 04:30am is a lonely town, although we didn’t leave the hotel room, I can imagine it is unless you’re winning in the casino’s and then I suppose you’d have lots of friends….? We got up with Reagan who upto now has been a star considering she is as jet-lagged as us but she doesn’t know it she just thinks we’ve gone mad! Once everyone was awake and ready to leave we headed to the Tin Lizzie diner just down the road who had a huge sign advertising $3:99 all you can eat breakfast buffet’s but on seeing what was on offer at the counter I would have preferred to eat the sign? Arriving at the next casino just up the block I think we all hit the jackpot because their breakfast buffet was fabulous and just what the doctor ordered with good coffee to wash down eggs potato’s sausages and bacon until you almost burst!
Mount Rushmore just down the road was the highlight of today’s plan and I have to say it was “awesome” (as they say in these parts?) As a spectacle it really is breathtaking but when you go inside and learn about its history and what they went through to create it it become much much more and I was thoroughly impressed!!!
Crazy Horse is a memorial further into the black hill’s but blizzard conditions meant we didn’t feel it worth spending the money to see a white-out because the weather at Rushmore almost ruined the day because of the mist covering the faces at times. I am sure it’s sunny up there today as I am writing this blog the day after our visit but it didn’t spoil our day at all and will be a treasured memory for ever although I would like to return with the “two” kids when they too can see understand and be amazed at it!
If that was the highlight of the day, seeing wild Buffalo roaming by the side of the road was almost as good for me as we drove away from the memorial towards Nebraska. On the way we stopped for lunch at a roadside diner and have to admit having just seen those buffalo felt a tad guilty ordering a buffalo burger but I had to try one just to see what they tasted like…sorry! Just after leaving the diner and still in South Dakota we saw wild turkeys which Cliff admitted he’d never seen before so I was quite excited to see those too but this time I knew what they tasted like so my blood lust never came lol.
Nebraska! What can I say about Nebraska I certainly couldn’t ‘go on on’ about it like the road through it does because there is just nothing in the state just plains… flat vast plains…although we did pass some feeding farms with 1000’s of beef cattle as far as the eye could see and thought I wish me dad was here because he would appreciate what we were seeing although for me if you’ve seen one feeding farm you’ve seen them all. An interesting thing I learned was the harsh snowy winters mean every ranch is shielded by trees on the north side so everytime you saw a group of trees you could tell you were coming up on a dwelling (I could NOT live out there FMD I would go mental)
I385 was our road to heaven and the the end of our road trip but it was very very long and although Reagan had been so good we all found our selves reaching for Denver a little early like a 100m sprinter dipping for the line and once past the Colorado state line we still had at least two and half hours still to go and Reagan was over todays car journey and transport in general I think she was just fed up of the car seat and fed up of being strapped down and so tired her eyes must have stung. The rest of us knew the end was near but she just thought get me to bed and leave me alone I hate you all! It made me sad to think she might think that….
Counting the miles then the blocks and then the steps up to the house we made it to Denver and home at last, we had a brief meet and greet with Auntie Emily and Eric and then bath bottle and bed for Reagan whilst the rest of us drifted off to bed pretty soon afterwards as we were all ready for the end of our trip!
After 3850 miles by plane and 1400 miles by automobile the last thing I need now is a train journey but I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was great to meet up in Chicago with Pam and Cliff and for them to spend 4 days getting to know their Grandchild whilst we all enjoyed seeing a lot more of america than I ever thought, I would thanks to for the experience Pam and Cliff from the bottom of my heart. Read more
