2008 - Monday, July 14

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Departed camp around 8:30 and drove to Mt Rushmore, outside Keystone. We were in and out within 30 minutes, but it was already very full of tourists. We explored the interpretive center, and looked at the monument, and that was the extent of the visit. It was impressive, but less so than either of us expected. It seemed smaller, less grand than we had envisioned. In fact, the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial was massive in size in comparison to Rushmore.
• After Rushmore, we drove to Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns - home to the world's largest intact collection of dogtooth spar crystals. We were with a small group led by a young, fairly knowledgeable guide who took us through part of the cave and its extensive passages, explaining some of the underground formations and the science behind their creation. About 45 minutes later, we emerged from underground and made our way back to the highway.
• We stopped at a Ruby Tuesday's in Rapid City, the second-largest city in SD (at ~60,000 people). Had a shitty quesadilla and a couple salads, all for the low, low price of $30!
  
• We then made the trek to the Badlands from there. Badlands National Park is pretty cool - it reminded us quite a bit of Bryce Canyon National Park (click link for 2007 entry). It was HOT! Temps were in the 90s. We wanted to camp here, but there was nothing - just desert and RVs. And no fires were allowed, even in the limited amount of campspace available at the park. We don't tend to enjoy camping at a national park anyway, so we returned west via I-90, which is the longest interstate in the country.
• After driving (and driving) we found a place to camp back in the Black Hills at Roubaix Lake, about 15 miles outside of Deadwood. We were the only campers in this area of the national forest, but camping was the most expensive we've experienced so far, at $19/night. It's fairly quiet and peaceful here.
• Filled up gas tank in Rapid City for $75 (at just $3.99/gallon!). BOD: Breckenridge Amber, Boulevard Wheat (KS City), and PBR. Dinner: BBQ chicken, with grilled potatoes and onions. Mileage: 873 total/309 today.