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| Yellowstone East entrance |
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| North Fork Highway East of Yellowstone |
After four nights of state parks we were ready for a resort style RV park with laundry and full services. We've stayed in some not-so-great KOAs, but the Greybull KOA was not one of them. We finally learned the significance of the KOA President's Award and now will only frequent the KOAs with high honors. The owners were uber friendly and maintained the campground very well. It was lovely to swim in the pool, and Lukas was ecstatic to play in the playground and ride the coin operated train. I awoke super early the next morning and found the trail along the river for a run. It was a really cute town, all the houses nicely kept and surrounded by large lawns. I am quickly becoming a fan of the small town, at least while traveling.
We had planned to take Highway 14 over the Bighorn mountain range, but it was closed for several weeks due to a rockslide. Instead we headed south on Highway 16 and hit the southern end of the Bighorns. It was still a pretty intense climb over the mountains. Snow was in effect and the creeks looked much higher than normal. We hit 9,600 feet at the Cloud Peak pass, then descended toward the town of Buffalo.
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| Bighorn mountains |
Buffalo was a great town to visit. We got our car washed by some high school students raising money to attend a business prep course out of state. Then we hit up historic Buffalo, where we found some organic ribs made by a guy who used to work for Amy's Organics label. The ribs were killer, but so was the sage macaroni and cheese, and the homemade chocolate peanut butter banana ice cream made with cream top local milk. Holey moley, that was a good meal. Then we visited the Occidental Hotel where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid used to hang out. The hotel is still decorated like it was in the 1880s. There are numerous mounted heads of bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn deer, etc lining the walls. The saloon is just like you would expect, all dark wood with a piano in the corner, and wooden rockers sit on the porch out front. Back at the RV Park, Brian attended the campground ice cream social and met one of the camp hosts who was a CB expert from California. Brian was able to pick the brain of his new friend about all things CB and learned a little more about his newest hobby.
The next morning we stopped by a team roping event. Two adults on horseback chased a calf into the ring, one tried to rope the horns then the other tried to rope both feet. I'm not sure how the scoring worked, but this sport was only for the serious cowboy/girl types. We were one of two parties watching the show go down. Lukas has decided he wants to be a cowboy. We'll have to see how that plays out once we're back in SF.
Next stop: Rapid City, South Dakota! We had been trying to get a baseplate for our Mini Cooper ever since we got the dang car. Now our made to order plate had been shipped to an installation place in Rapid City and we were off to return the U-Haul tow dolly and get our car ready for four-down towing. We pulled into Rapid City early enough to drop off the tow dolly and pay the ridiculous fees for taking the thing half-way across the country. Then to another KOA, where we heard about the last few days of golf-ball sized hail and experienced a five minute wind storm.
Early the next morning we stopped by the KOA's pancake breakfast and experienced the cowboy poet. Lukas had a Sponge Bob pancake made by the poet, and now my pancakes will never compare. Then off to the maintenance shop, soon to explore the town in a loaner car. We had mediocre coffee then spent hours at a playground. Highlight of the day was buffalo burgers at the Firehouse Brewery which was located in an old firehouse, brass pole included. Lukas got a complementary fire hat which has been an outfit staple ever since. Around 2 pm, tada! the installation was complete.
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| Cowboy Poet showing off his pancake skills |
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| Lukas the fire fighter |
We were ready to leave Rapid City immediately after the install. It was so great pulling the car without a tow dolly. That dolly weighed several hundred pounds and really slowed us down. Now it was a simple thing to hook and unhook the car, versus the five to ten minute process it had been for the last few weeks. Finally done with the appointment, we found ourselves within a half hour of Mt Rushmore. Though I had no interest in visiting the site, it seemed a shame to just pass it by. So on we went into the Black Hills of South Dakota.
We spent the night at a giant RV resort. The Black Hills are one big tourist trap. From the moment you enter you are besieged with offers to visit various sites: Reptile World, Bear Country, Old MacDonald's Farm, helicopter tours, wineries with rhubarb wine (I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted), Crazy Horse (the in-progress Native American equivalent to Rushmore), and the list goes on. The Hills were pretty, but... nothing that special. The problem is that it takes approximately half an hour to visit Mount Rushmore. But people want to make a vacation out of it, so all these other sites spring up to fill in the void. Our campground was fine, but busy with kids and families celebrating the start of summer. I went running the next morning and the trail was nice, but right along the freeway.
We packed up camp and headed for Rushmore. It was as underwhelming as I expected it to be. I apologize for being such a horrible patriot. While it was impressive that these faces had been carved out of rock, I found myself shaming the artists for defiling the beautiful rocks that nature had created. We took some pictures and skedaddled.
As we drove east through South Dakota, we quickly entered the grasslands. Gently rolling hills, crops, grass, cows... that was about all we saw on our drive toward the Badlands. The only exception was Wall Drug. They advertise for several hundred miles in either direction and take up an entire city block in the town of Wall. The store includes a restaurant, gift shop, boot store, and curio shop, all with a Western theme. I liked the plaza with a giant Jackelope, hungry T-Rex, piano playing gorilla, and free water stand. I almost got sucked into the boot store, but am holding out for a true fitting in Texas.
Wall, South Dakota is named after the wall of stone that makes up the Badlands National Park. This area was once a shallow inland sea. 500,000 years ago it began to erode, and in another 500,000 years all of these sandstone towers will be gone. As we drove we saw many prairie dogs coteries: individuals on sentry, eating, and diving into holes. Off in the distance we could see herds of bison.
We settled in at the park campground and Brian quickly made friends with the CB hound next door. Lukas and I scouted out the motorcycle riders, then Lukas flashed his smile and weaseled a ride on a Harley. Sunset over the rock formations was amazing. I ran off to a ranger talk about the Lakota people and their study of the constellations. It was a moonless night so I stuck around after the talk to view the stars through my binoculars. One thing I forgot to bring to the talk: a flashlight. After being told there are rattlesnakes in the park - but don't worry, they hide during the heat of day and come out at night - I walked toward the RV with wide eyes on the pavement. Of course I walked the wrong way and wandered for over half an hour before actually finding the RV. I did have time to appreciate the density of the stars and how close the are to the horizon when there is no light pollution. I was also quite relieved to find my family without being bitten by a snake.
It was flippin' hot that night, so we slept with the windows open. I woke bright and early at 5 am and went out to watch the sun rise. The birds were in full effect and the clouds only amplified the coloration of the sunrise. What a gorgeous morning. I got back and Lukas was lying lengthwise across our bed, so I made coffee and decided to enjoy the cool of the morning. We left early and cranked the AC. It was the first heat of the summer for the Badlands, and the first hot night of many for us as we cross the country.
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| sunrise in the Badlands |
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| Badlands spring wildflowers, late June |
After the Badlands we were at a bit of a loss as to which direction to go. We randomly picked the towns of Chamberlain/Oacoma because they were two and a half hours away and on the banks of the Missouri River. Previously unbeknownst to us, the Missouri River is experiencing the worst flooding in recent history. Half of the sites at our campground were closed due to flooding. It was striking to see barbecue grills out in the water and stairways leading into water. The nearby pool and restaurant were open, restoring our spirits for the evening.
Goodbye Oacoma, we were headed for Yankton. I called the state parks in advance, but it being Fourth of July weekend they were completely booked. We stayed at a relatively new KOA with a pool and a bouncy pillow like a trampoline. Thank goodness for the pool, because the temperature was pushing toward a hundred with 85% humidity. Finally we had a good WiFi signal, so we decided to stay here a couple nights.
RV PARK REVIEWS
Greybull KOA, Greybull, Wyoming: A
Pool, playground, super friendly staff, close to walking trail along river.
Deer Park Campground, Buffalo, Wyoming: B-
Ice cream social, camp host knowledgeable about CBs, great historic town.
Rapid City KOA, Rapid City, South Dakota: B-
Tight spots, road noise, pancake breakfast made by the cowboy poet, two playgrounds and game room, pool.
Rafter J Bar Ranch, Hill City, South Dakota: B-
Freeway noise, nice space between spots, huge resort - had to drive from site to pool, hike/bike trail along road.
Cedar Pass Campground, Badlands National Park, South Dakota: A+
Gorgeous scenery, friendly people, ranger talk, morning birding.
Cedar Shores Resort, Oacoma, South Dakota: B+
Friendly staff, could use amenities at hotel next door, playground, sites on the Missouri River.
Yankton Missouri River KOA, Yankton, South Dakota: A-
Pool, bouncy pillow, playground, laundry, good WiFi.
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