Day 60 & 61 - Coeur d'Alene, ID to Beaverton, OR

Well here it is, our final day of our Grand Adventure II.  It's funny, it seems just like yesterday when we were in Moad, UT, New Orleans, etc. but at the same time it feels like a very long time too.  Hard to explain.  Lots in between from when we started until now.

One of the questions I'm sure we will get often will be, "what was your favorite spot/activity"?  That is going to be very hard to answer.  It will likely be a combination of answers.

For me the best and worst part of the entire trip is the same thing.  The best part was the sheer number of places we got to visit and experience.  The bad part is the same thing since we didn't have many opportunities to stay more than a day or two at any one place and explore further.  I guess we'll just have to go back to those places again!  :-)

The drive home was uneventful.  It is always nice to drive alongside the Columbia River.  Great scenery.  We got home and got our vagabond stuff out of the truck.  You have to remember, all of our stuff was/is in the trailer.  We grabbed the things we thought we would need for a couple of days, but the vast majority of our stuff is still in MT.  We put things in garbage bags, which looked funny when we moved into the couple of hotels we stayed in.

It was nice to be back in our house again, even though we would like to stay for a couple of days and start another portion of our trip.  It gets into your blood.  Faithy and Rio were very happy to be back in the house.  Rio was scampering all over the place.

I spoke with one of the guys from the Cardinal RV club Tuesday night.  We talked about the various options I had and I was able to bounce a number of questions off of him.  I decided to move ahead with the 7000lb axle upgrade as the price quoted to me now didn't seem that far off (after further investigation).  I also decided to get 4 new wheels and tires.  Both have a higher load capacity than what I had on earlier and combined with the new axles, should provide me with a better load capacity overhead on the trailer and hopefully help ward off events like the one we just went through.

One Wednesday (Day 61) I called to the tow shop and gave them the go ahead for the repairs.  I also ordered new wheels and tires.  They'll be drop shipped directly to the tow shop.  We are planning on heading back to MT on Friday, August 23rd.  We'll pickup the trailer that afternoon and then take the next 2 days to come home.  We'll probably stay at the 2 campgrounds originally on our itinerary, but were cancelled due to the trailer issue.  See, our GAII isn't over yet!

The repair costs are starting to add up quickly.  The axle upgrade was $1700, which included a $300 labor cost.  The labor cost would have been around $1000 here in OR, so I was pretty happy about that.  The new wheels / tires were $2100, which included shipping.  I also ordered new front legs for the trailer.  One of the legs started giving me trouble the last few days and there isn't any easy way to fix them other than a complete replacement.  That only ran another $450!  We spoke with our insurance agent.  They likely will cover the damages caused by the wheel coming off, but not the failure itself.  That's good, as that is probably another $2000.

We traveled 11,237 miles during our Grand Adventure II, over 60 days.  I'll be tallying actual daily distances and fuel used.  That post will be in the next few days.  We'll try to summarize our final thoughts then as well.

Cathy and the boys headed down to CA this morning.  Cathy's mother is hosting a family reunion in honor of the anniversary of Cathy's father's death. Unfortunately I have to face reality and go back to work.

Day 56-59 - Glacier NP to Coeur d'Alene, ID

Well we're down to our last few days of our Grand Adventure II.  Sad to see it coming to an end. 

We stopped at the Chevy dealership in Kalispell.  I thought I had fuel leaking from the filter area and given the roads we were on yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised.  The tech came out and took a quick look.  He didn't see any residual fuel and said I probably saw water dripping from the A/C.  That was good news, so we continued on our merry way.  We did stop at another marine dealership to checkout their pontoon boats.  More education for us.

From there we headed south to approximately 1/2 way down Flathead Lake and then we headed SW.  Nice road.  We were traveling on Rt 135 approximately 14 miles from I90 when we heard a loud "bang" and I saw white smoke coming from the left side of the trailer.  I assumed we blew a tire and I pulled over quickly.  The car behind us didn't pass us so I wasn't sure what was going on.  Once I got the rig stopped and got out to see what happened I understood why.  The entire wheel/tire/drum was missing from the rear axle.  Not a good site to see.  After closer inspection I could see that the outer bearing had completely failed causing the entire wheel assembly to come off the axle.  The wheel stayed outside the frame I-beam and inside the outer wall, exiting out the back of the trailer causing quite a bit of damage to the walls all the way back.  Let's just say it's not a good thing to look at.  I was able to drive the trailer another 100 yds to a pullout along the river we had been following, which got us completely off the road.

We didn't have any cell service, so I dropped the trailer and we drove to St. Regis, MT, which is the town along I90.  From there we called the Good Sam Roadside Assistance folks.  Cathy did all the talking and after a few call backs, they found a towing service right in St. Regis that could come out and help us.  We drove back to the trailer and met the tow truck driver there.  The interesting part was that he was in a truck no bigger than mine and it wasn't a tow rig either.  I'm now thinking how is he going to get this trailer to his shop?  After speaking with him, his plan was to block the trailer over the axles to take the weight off the springs.  He also noticed the curb-side spring was broken, likely when it took all the load when the wheel came off.  The Good Sam folks said we would be able to stay in our trailer once it was in the tow lot, but I took a quick peek when we were in town and that didn't sound all that great to me.  Given it was a Friday afternoon, the tow folks would not have a chance to better inspect the damage until Monday morning so we needed to find a place to stay.

We had just passed a small hot springs resort, with cabins, so while the driver was getting the trailer ready, we drove back up the road to see if they had any vacancies.  Fortunately they did and they also would accept animals.  The only downside was that the vacancy was only for 2 nights and we would have to find another place to stay for Sunday and likely Monday.  That was fine and we booked the cabin.

After that we headed back to the trailer to check on the driver's progress.  He had everything ready and confirmed I would be the one pulling the trailer to his yard.  Some tow service, huh?  On top of that since the opposite spring was broken, he took the other wheel off, which left the entire 14k lbs of the trailer supported on only one axle.  Pretty dicey if you ask me.  Well, off we went.  He was behind me with his lights on and per his suggestion I drove around 15 mph.  The good news was that the road was pretty smooth so we didn't hit any bumps, which would have put additional strain on the remaining axle.  After almost an hour of white knuckle driving, we made it back to the tow yard.  They brought out an extension cord so I could plug the trailer in and keep the fridge going.  From there we headed back up to the road to our new, temporary digs and believe me, a few drinks were in order!

Cathy and I felt pretty bad since it was the boy's birthday.  They were excited about going to Coeur d'Alene and the fun things in the area.  They also wanted tacos for their birthday dinner.  They were good troopers though and didn't really complain.  We had dinner in the tavern that night and the meals were pretty good.

The next day (Day 57) Cathy and the boys headed to the pool, while Faithy and I went back to try and find the wheel that came off.  We hiked approximately 1/2 mile of road on the side where I thought the wheel probably went, to no avail.  We then switched to the other side and just before I was going to turn around I saw the wheel a good 75'-100' in the woods.  I was hoping we would reuse the wheel and tire but the tire was damaged and the wheel had a dent near the tire bead line, which pretty much meant both were useless.  Oh well.  I put it in the back of my truck and dropped it off at the town yard, figuring they could decide what could be used and what couldn't.

We had a nice dinner in their restaurant that night and since it was the boy's birthday yesterday and mine today they brought out desserts and sang for us.  Nice of them to do so.

On Sunday (Day 58), we needed to pack up and move out.  On Saturday, we made a reservation a little further back up the road but Cathy suggested we instead head to Coeur d'Alene.  Made sense since there was a good chance the trailer would not be ready for many more days we would have to head home without it.  The drive up was nice.  We went to a Cabela's to check things out.  Cathy was thinking of getting me some new Maui Jim sunglasses and knew they carried them there.  I found a pair just like mine, but with a slightly darker rim but decided to hold off.  From there we drove around town to check things out and find a place to stay.  After a few phone calls we found a Days Inn, which would accept animals.  We never had a chance to walk around the downtown area but it looked really nice.  We also decided to go to Silverwood on Monday (Day 59), which is a theme & water park just north of town.

Monday (Day 59) at the park was fun.  We left Faithy and Rio in a kennel near the park.  We spent the afternoon at the water park and then moved to the theme park for the early evening.  Fun place all around.  When we first got there, I needed to call the tow yard folks and get an update.  I asked them to quote me on 2 new, higher rated axles.  I figured that since one was going to need to be replaced, why not both and do the upgrade at the same time.  The price they came back with was a bit higher than anticipated, so I said I call them back a bit later.  After discussing it what Cathy, we decided to wait another day or so before deciding what to do.  I wanted some more info before making my final decision.  I called the tow guys back and they were good with that, which then let me concentrate on having some fun with my family.  After leaving the park, we went and got the animals.  Not sure if Faithy had been out of the kennel at all as she was covered in urine and it looks like Rio never got out of his enclosure either.  Oh well, live and learn.  We picked up a couple of pizzas on the way back and ate them in the room.  Everyone was tired so that turned out to be a good thing.

Long couple of days.  Tomorrow we head home.

Look Ma, no wheel!

Days 53-55 at Glacier Park (cont).

On Thursday, we decided to see some out of the way places in Glacier.  Someone Jim met during our trip recommended Bowman Lake.  Since we got a later start than usual, the line into the park was crowded so we decided to take the outside road.  Wow, were we in for an adventure!  The road is not maintained (meaning it was not paved) so we rode maybe 30 miles on gravel.  Good thing the black beast could handle it.  Along the way on this outside road, the scenery was awesome.  We were also amazed at the number of houses in this remote area... we could not imagine what these people endure during the winter.  We saw a deer along this road, which would turn out to be our only animal sighting of the day... very different from the previous day.  Anyway, we were driving along this remote road and suddenly we saw signs hanging from the trees advertising ice cream, pizza, huckleberry pie, etc.  We laughed because we thought it was a joke, but sure enough, a bit further down the road was an oasis in the middle of this isolated area.  There was a main building with a store and bar/restaurant area, as well as several smaller cabins.  Of course, we went in to check it out.  There was a guy who runs the place with his brother... they live in Ohio during the winter.  He makes 8 huckleberry pies each day and sells out:)  It was interesting to visit with him and hear about how he used to come to Glacier as a kid and always loved it.  Jim had pie, the boys had ice cream and I got a new spiral, woven rug for the trailer!  He recommended that we take a ride to this remote lake outside the park, where we would be sure to see grizzlies and moose.  Yay!

So, off we went... more gravel, narrow roads filled with pot-holes, that seemed to go on forever.  We eventually found the lake and it was well worth the drive.  We had a picnic lunch there and waited patiently for the moose to appear but no luck.  We drove further along the road but it got too narrow so we eventually decided to turn around.  Back on the outer road again, we took the turn into the park... assuming that once we got into the park, the road would be paved.  Not so!  We got to Bowman Lake but the entire ride was bumpity bump.  Several times during this journey, we had to pull over as far as we could to let other vehicles pass... this made Jim very nervous and also resulted in quite a few scratches on his truck:(

Bowman was beautiful so we relaxed there for several minutes before continuing on.  We headed back towards the main area of the park but this entire road was gravel and narrow.  Breathtaking scenery to be sure... but no animals came out to say hello.  Bummer.  We were thrilled to be back on a paved road, believe me! We stopped in Apgar Village to check out the shops and have more ice cream (hey, we're on vacation, right?!?).

Deer heading to door in fence

No Moose Lake

Bowman Lake (GNP)

Day 53 - 55, Glacier National Park

On Tuesday, we left Missoula for West Glacier, MT.  On the way out of Missoula, Cathy and I decided to stop by the same RV / Marine dealer we went to on Monday (to check out the pontoon boats).  This stop was to check out a fifth wheel trailer we hadn't see before.  Nice but we still think the new Cardinal trailers are better. 

Once we got that out of our system, we headed north for West Glacier, MT.  Along the way, we passed Flathead Lake.  Huge lake and just beautiful.  I belive it is one of the, if not the largest lake in the continental US (not counting the Great Lakes).  We'll definitely be coming back to see it again some time.

Further north we entered Kalispell.  Cathy and I passed through here once a while ago when we flew in on our way to Big Mountain to go skiing.  It is now called Whitefish Mountain to better align it with the town it is located in.  In any case, Kalispell is a nice town.  Big for a town.  I needed to make a couple of stops in search of a new polarizing filter for my big lens.  I lost it at Mt. Rushmore and it would be usefull while we are in Glacier.  Unfortunately none of the stores we stopped at had one, so we continued on our way to the campground.  We are staying at the West Glacier KOA.  Very nice campground and close to the park.  We got setup and the boys and I headed to the pool.  Where have you heard that one before? :-)

We decided to get up early on Wednesday and hit the park early.  Unfortunately so did a lot of other people as there was a line-up of cars waiting to get in.  Once we were through the turnstile, we headed to the "Going to the Sun" road.  If you haven't been on this before, it is quite the trip.  It was built in the 20's/30's by the CCC.  It starts out very tame and then the fun begins.  It snakes along a cliff for the majority of the assent.  It is very narrow and not much room for opposing traffic.  Let's just say I was concentrating as the road was not designed for a big butt truck.  The road has a 21' length and a 8' width restriction.  Both of which I measure at!  The views were breathtaking (when I could look).  We stopped at a few of the turnouts to take a longer look and snap some photos.  The morning sun presented us with some great photo opportunities.  Near the top at Logan Pass, we stopped in a small parking lot.  Right in front of us, maybe 30' away, was a big horn sheep.  He just stood there while we took a number of photos.  Quite the animal and fun to see fairly close up.  After looking around some more, we went up to the pass and stopped in the visitor's center there.  The ranger there gave us a tip about making sure we went to Many Glacier, another location in the park.  She indicated we would have a good chance to see grizzly bears and moose.  One of Cathy's goals was to see a bear, a moose, and a wolf.  Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad, so off we went.  The drive up to Many Glacier was simply fabulous.  Just before Swiftcurrent lake, there were a bunch of cars pulled off to the side so we stopped to see what they were looking at.  Turns out there was a bear a couple of hundred yards up the slope eating berries.  We thought it was a grizzly, given its color, but after looking at the photo, it looks like a blonde, black bear.  Even from a distance, it was very cool to watch.  A little later we make it to the hotel right along Swiftcurrent Lake.  This is another of those old hotels (like Timberline) built in the 20's/30's and the mountains are right there.  Just unbelieveable.  We had lunch there and got another suggestion as to where we might see some moose.  It was a short hike up at the end of the road, so off we went in search of moose.  Unfortunately this one didn't pan out.  It was a nice hike but the moose were no where to be found.  Oh well.  We got back to the car and headed back down.  Along the way we encounted 2 more grizzly viewings.  It was getting late then so we hustled, as much as you can on the "Going to the Sun" road and headed back to West Glacier.  Faith had been the trailer for almost 11hrs and I'm sure she was ready to explode.  We had dinner in a cafe right in the campground.  The operator, was very friendly.  He serves BBQ trout, chicken, ribs, and ribeye steaks.  Cathy had the ribs, while I went for the ribeye.  It was probably the best steak I have had since my days of traveling in Texas.  Cathy's ribs were not to shabby either.  We got the boys pizza in the campground store, so they were happy campers too.

Swiftcurrent Lake w/hotel

Big horn sheep

Blonde Black Bear

Thursday's update to be done later, I have to go to bed.  :-)

Day 52 - Missoula, MT

Today was an uneventful day. No problems getting the trailer ready and on the road. The drive was pretty nice as we are climbing higher and the country-side is getting more dramatic.

We got to Missoula and started following the GPS directions to the campground. At 3:00pm in the afternoon we were in the worst traffic of our trip. I couldn't figure out if everyone started work at 6:00am and were getting off work or if no one had a job? We got a little further down the road and the directions had us going behind a series of big box stores (TJ Max, etc.) and at that point I started wondering if I really investigated this campground or not. Well we are directly behind the aforementioned stores but they do a pretty good job of camouflaging everything so you don't really know you are in the middle of a busy city.  Missoula is home to the University of Montana.  It definitely has the feel of a college town.

After setting up we sent the boys off to the pool, while Cathy and I went in search of a CVS pharmacy. Greg needed his prescription updated. We got the prescription filled and then we headed over to a RV / Marine store to check out the pontoon boats. Yeah, we still have an infatuation with them! The good news is that we really didn't like the ones we saw.

After that it was back to the campground and dinner. After dinner Cathy and the boys headed off to play miniature golf while I finished washing the dishes. I headed over and got in 9 with the boys. When we were leaving we saw a man walking his cat on a leash. Cool but funny at the same time. Cathy went over to see how he went about getting the cat comfortable on a leash as we'd like to do the same with Rio. We'll have to give it a go at some point. Speaking of Rio, he seems to be a bit under the weather. We put flea/tick topical medicine on him last night and the little sucker is very flexible as he has been licking it off from between his shoulder blades! Little twerp!

Tomorrow we head up the Glacier NP. Looking forward to that as we have only heard great things. We'll be there for 3 days, which should give us enough time to check things out.

County courthouse in Missoula, MT

Day 51 – Livingston, MT

Got up and dumped the tanks before we got underway.  We also needed gas so got that on the way out to the highway.  We’ll be on interstate 90 the entire way again.  The first half was not that pretty but the 2^nd half was much more interesting. 

We stopped in Billings, MT for lunch and to shop for groceries.  When I look at the shopping cart, I start to wonder where everything will fit in the trailer.  One way or another it does.

We didn’t stop anywhere else along the way.  I couldn’t remember exactly where the campground was and it wasn’t until we got off the exit and saw the sign that it was another 10 miles down the road towards Yellowstone when I finally remembered.  The other funny thing was that this morning, I mapped out our route on Google Maps and it said 282 miles while my spreadsheet said 292.  I shrugged it off and once I saw the additional 10 miles to the campground I went, “oh yeah”.

The campground is right next to the Yellowstone River along the main road heading to the North entrance of the park.  While heading along the road, I asked Cathy if this was the only way to the North entrance as the road looked familiar.  She checked and told me it was, so this was the same road we were on 7 years ago for our first Grand Adventure!  Funny to be so close to Yellowstone and not heading into the park. 

As I mentioned, the campground is between the Yellowstone River and a mountain range.  Pretty dramatic.  Tomorrow we head to Missoula, MT for another 1-night stay before heading to Glacier NP for 3 nights.
The the boys and I along the Yellowstone River


Cathy and Faithy along the river

Day 50 – Buffalo, WY

We took the back roads out the Interstate 90 and only had to travel one exit before getting off and heading to the Devil’s Tower (Postpile).  I’ve always wanted to see this, especially since viewing Encounters of the Third Kind many years ago.  The ride in was nice and just before we got there, there was a rest area that gave a great view of the tower and surrounding area.  From there we headed to park (it’s the first National Monument in the nation).  Pretty busy as more and more motorcycles riders were showing up for Sturgis.  We went through the ticket booth and headed up to the parking lot near the base of the tower.  When we first got up there, there wasn’t any RV parking available so I figured we would be out of luck.  Fortunately after going completely around the parking lot circle and heading out, an RV pulled out right on the end, which was perfect as parallel parking the rig is not an easy task!  We then took a hike around the base of the tower, which was pretty cool.  We also had the opportunity to briefly watch a couple of technical mountain climbers scale the tower.  Fun to watch.

From there we headed back to interstate 90 and headed west towards Buffalo, WY.   Not a very interesting ride, but we make decent time.  We got there around 4:00pm and the boys promptly headed to the pool. I decided to take care of a few issues inside the trailer and clean up the inside as well.  I also had enough of the inside windows of the truck so I cleaned them as well.

After dinner, we decided to walk towards the center of town, or so we thought.  We were also trying to find the miniature golf store.  Along the way we saw a poster telling us about the county fair that was going on.  We checked to see where it was and decided we could walk, so off we went.  We got there and learned a couple of things.  County fairs in WY are way different from those on either coast.  None of this carnival stuff, just animals.  There was a cow and lamb auction going on when we arrived.  Let’s just say, we stood out from everyone else there.  Here we were in shorts and t-shirts while everyone else is in jeans, boots, and nice cowboy shirts.  Can you say city meets country? J  We didn’t stay long and headed back to our campground.  Along the way, a yahoo (I’ll be nice) decided he’d have some fun with his Dodge diesel (at our expense) and floored it next to us showering us with black soot.  Jerk.  At that point I was a little worried given it was a Saturday night and it was getting dark.  Not sure what else, or who else, we’d encounter so I hurried our little party along.

When we were just about back to our campground, we saw the miniature golf place right across the street.  Guess we didn’t have our eyes open when we originally left.  We went across and tried to get in a quick game before they closed.  Unfortunately there was a group of 5, including a toddler way past his bedtime, which were in front of us and needless to say they were not moving very quickly.  We ended up just playing 9-holes and calling it an evening.  We headed back to the campground and put the boys to bed.  There was another thunder storm way off in the distance and it was fun to watch the lightning reflect off the clouds and sky. 

Tomorrow we head to Livingston, MT.  The ride will entirely be on interstate 90, but at least we’ll cover some distance.

Not liking the fact that our trip is almost over.  Pretty amazing that we’ve been on the road for just over 7-weeks so far.

Boys at Devils Tower

View along the highway

Days 47-49 – Bad Lands NP & Hill City, SD

On our way from Chamberlain to Hill City, we stopped at Badlands NP and did a short hike, as well as driving the scenic loop.  This was made more interesting since we were hauling the trailer for this visit!    The geology of this area is very diverse compared with the surrounding area.  It was very breathtaking.  The highlight of this stop, however, was the appearance of two big horn sheep at one of the overlooks.  They walked alongside the road and then crossed over to our side, next to the overlook.  They seemed unfazed by the cars and motorcycles in the area.  We watched them graze the grass and then climb to one of the peeks of the overlook.  They seemed perfectly happy to stand and then lie down on the outcropping.  I wonder how long they outlasted the spectators after we left!!
After Badlands, we stopped at Wall Drug.  This is definitely a roadside attraction that has morphed larger and larger over the years.  The boys had their first try at a shooting gallery, we walked through the stores, we watched the dinosaur come to life and of course, we had an ice cream.  It was a bit hokey but fun nonetheless.

We arrived at the Rafter J Bar campground  in the late afternoon and I have to say this is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we’ve ever stayed at.  There were hundreds of sites but they were split up into “camps” with a huge grassy area in the center.  The camps were generously shaded with trees and each site had plenty of space… truly beautiful!  After setting up camp, we hopped on our bikes to tour the campground. Then the boys and I hit the pool.  Well, actually, they hit the pool and I read my kindle.  We had dinner and then went to Mount Rushmore for the evening lighting ceremony.  It was an interesting experience going to Rushmore, having never been there before, and looking at a dark mountain, knowing it was going to be amazing, but not being able to see it yet.  There was a ranger talk, followed by a recording of each of the 4 President’s accomplishments, Good Bless America and then the National Anthem, before the mountain was illuminated.  Definitely worth the wait.  On our way back, we saw George Washington’s profile all lit up… very special.

The next day, we headed to Crazy Horse… I had never heard of this monument until this trip.  Wow is all I can say.  Its gigantic proportions are hard to comprehend.  Plus I have never seen so much Native American history and artifacts in one place.  It was overwhelming to try and take it all in.  This sculpture was started around the same time at Rushmore was completed and it won’t be finished for another 75 years.  It’s going to be a true marvel once everything is completed.  I spoke to a Lakota man who weaves jewelry out of horse hair (I bought a bracelet) and I was honored to be able to speak to him about his craft.  Amazing tradition.

After Crazy Horse, we had lunch in Custer.  We were visiting around the same time as a national motorcycle rally in Sturgis so there were tons of bikes around.  It was fun people watching for sure!  After lunch, we drove the wildlife loop of Custer State Park.  On the way, we stopped at Coolidge lookout.  When we got to the top, we saw a couple of lightning strikes on the next peak, which was a little too close for comfort.  The funny thing is we saw deer and pronghorn sheep prior to the loop but we did not see any animals on the wildlife loop until we came upon a herd of buffalo toward the end.  We enjoyed the buffalo antics 7 years ago at Yellowstone so we were familiar with their afternoon habit of crossing the road, making all of the car/motorcycle traffic waitJ

We returned to camp to check on Faithy and Rio and then decided to ride our bikes into Hill City for dinner.  The bike trail was beautiful but unfortunately Greg got a flat so that slowed us down a little.  My engineer husband was well prepared so we were back on our way in about 10 minutes.  We had marginal Mexican food and then walked around town for a bit.  We stayed too long though, because it got dark quickly so we had to ride back in the dark.  This did not sit well with me, since I don’t have very good night vision.  To make matters more stressful, there was a thunderstorm in the distance that we could see on our way home.  Essentially we were racing it.  Fortunately we got back in one piece and before the rain!  We sat outside watching the light show for a while.  Jim took a number of photos and was rewarded with a couple of really nice lightning shots.  Jim was concerned that it was coming our way, so he took in the awning and we watched from inside.  The store never actually “hit” us but there was consistent lightening and we eventually got rained on.

Jewel Cave National Monument was on our agenda for the next day so after a somewhat leisurely morning, we headed over.  Unfortunately, the tours were full until about 1 so we rode into Newcastle (oops, we went into WY… lol) to kill time.  We then headed back to Jewel for our tour.  Now, mind you, I was expecting this “tour” to be like Carlsbad Caverns.  They are large and open and there are many formations to look at.  Not Jewel.  It’s a cave with no light and very tight spaces.  I was somewhat dismayed when the group voted to take the route that would require us to be bent at the waist half the time.  This tour was not about seeing the cave so much as challenging us to climb and descend, and duck and keep our footing, etc.  I had to force myself not to dwell on the fact that I was underground in a very tight, dark space.  It goes without saying that Jim and the boys LOVED it.

After Jewel, we headed back to Rushmore to see it in the daylight.  To get to Rushmore from Jewel required us to drive back through Custer State Park.  During this drive, we were following a motorhome, towing a car, and Jim commented that this guy was too big to fit through the 3 tunnels on the road. He pulled over so Jim thought that the guy must have realized his predicament.  Not true.  We stopped at a lookout and then got back on the road, only to be caught behind a line of cars waiting for the motorhome to get through the tunnel.  The motorcycle guys were wonderful in trying to help this guy navigate the tunnel so everything seemed to work out.  Jim is extremely careful to make sure we don’t get the monstrosity trailer on a road that is difficult to navigate so we couldn’t believe the motorhome guy didn’t do his homework.

Back to Rushmore, we were just as awed by the mountain in daylight and happy to be able to see the exhibits.  We wished we had more time to do the short hike but time was short.  We headed for a drive through Keystone after this, and then went back to camp for dinner.  Of course, another set of storms were coming through but Jim seemed to think they were going to miss us.  WRONG!  At around 2:30 our weather radio went off and the fun began.  We got hit by 3 separate storms for about 2 hours.  I have never seen lightening like this before.  It was like being on the set of a movie with crazy special effects.  At one point, the trailer was shaking from the thunder.  Faith, Rio and Connor were awake, while Jim and Greg mostly slept through it.  Go figure!

The next morning we broke camp.  Jim was worried about the front legs on the trailer.  He thinks we have a broken tooth on one of the legs and he wasn’t sure if we’d get it back up on the truck.  Fortunately things went fairly well and we got underway.  Sad to leave the Black Hills, but the trip continues.  Great place and we’d like to return some day to investigate further.

Big horn sheep in Bad Lands NP (they were really close!)

Mt. Rushmore and state flags

Mt. Rushmore at night

Crazy Horse monument (under construction for ~70 years and it will probably be another 75 until it's done - note the horse's head outlined)

Buffalo jam in Custer State Park