Day Four Dexter MN to Mount Rushmore
In my sleep deprived stupor I did not realize that I had not changed this time to reflect mountain time. It was 7 AM on the east coast but it was 5 AM in South Dakota. I made some breakfast on my camp stove and had some hot tea which helped me feel a little better. After I took a HOT shower and was packed up when I caught my mistake. At this point I was already up and packed so I decided to get going. I stopped in town and gassed up and took the long way to Mt Rushmore.
On my way to Mt Rushmore I found some really nice twisty roads that I had all to myself. I put on the heated vest and heated grips and had a great time eating up some of the best roads in the black hills. At 7 AM sharp I arrived at Mt Rushmore and waited for the clerk at the booth to arrive.
I think I visited at the best time of the day. The weather was also great.
Great Entrance Way
This place is awesome. The monument and surrounding facilities are beautiful. This makes you feel good knowing that someone is taking care of this place for generations to come.
After leaving Mt Rushmore I entered into the Black Hills National Forest.
Great Roads to have fun on!
At the entrance to Custer State Park I found these wild burros that stand in the middle of the road stopping traffic until someone feeds them. As luck would have it the people in the RV had some carrots and helped move things along.
One of many Buffalo roaming free in Custer State Park
The Black Hills
After leaving the black hills I pressed on to the Devils Tower National Monument. This Picture is at least 15 miles away from the Tower. This should give you some scale.
From 5 Miles Away
If you look carefully you can see two people climbing on the rocks at the base. Green shirt.
After lunch I made my way West. In the background is Bighorn National forest.
Route 14 through the Big Horn National Forest
Snow still on the ground in the Bighorn National Forest
At the Summit, it was 45 degrees here. At the bottom in the Valley in the background it was 85 degrees.
East Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park.
Some of the thousands of Buffalo in Yellowstone
ELK in Yellowstone
At the end of the day I found a nice hotel in West Yellowstone Montana. When I checked in I glanced over at the weather report they had on the desk. To my amazement I read that it was going to snow at least 12 inches on Wednesday. It was Monday and I needed to make some changes to my itinerary quickly. I spent the evening on the weather channel and pouring over streets and trips looking for a new plan. Going south looked like the only option.
Day One - Marlborough MA to Ashtabula OH
Day Two - Ashtabula to Dexter, MN
Day Three - Dexter MN to Mount Rushmore, SD
Day Four - Mount Rushmore, SD to West Yellowstone, MT
Day Five - West Yellowstone, Mt to Logan, UT
Day Six - Logan, UT to Cedar City UT
Day Seven - Cedar City UT to Williams. AZ
Day Eight - Williams, AZ to Durango, CO
Day Nine - Durango, CO to Amarillo, TX
Day Ten - Amarillo, TX to Little Rock, AR
Day Eleven - Little Rock AR to Cordova TN
Day Twelve through Fifteen - Memphis, TN