Way Out West: Day Three (27 July)

We awoke to a beautiful morning in Hot Springs, South Dakota, and slowly got ready and left for a day in the Black Hills. Our final destination that evening was Rapid City, where my cousin Bob and aunt Sonia live.

Hot Springs has a picturesque main drag, and we couldn’t leave town without some pictures. At one of our photo-op stops near the end of town, we went into a little guitar shop run by a woman named Allison Swan. She was standing outside the front door smoking as we walked up but finished her cigarette and went inside with us. She had some sweet-sounding guitars, no doubt, but I wasn't tempted—my old Guild suits me just fine. The best that Ms. Swan had to give us was her suggestion of a little side trip along a dead-end road just at the end of town. It led to a beautiful canyon colored with that reddish rock and soil that characterizes so many western landscapes. As we made our way out of the canyon, Leesa called to say thanks for the suggestion, which shocked Ms. Swan, I think. She says she often advises people to take that short drive but never gets a thank-you call.

Our next stop was Wind Cave. Of all the typical touring things we did on this trip, this one was probably our favorite. The cave is a sacred site to the Lakota, but of course that means very little to white America. A couple of cowboys "discovered" the cave—a small hole in the ground was the only visible entrance—back in the late 1800s. You can read up on the whole history if you like, but suffice to say that it is now a national park and a wonderful experience.

We took one of the three tours offered, lasting close to an hour and a half. The temperature outside was approaching the 90s in the early afternoon, but underground the temperature is a steady 53 degrees. Leesa had her hoodie that she wisely carries into restaurants and grocery stores, so we bought me a long-sleeved t-shirt. The design on the back is a map of the known 200+ miles of Wind Cave. Below the map is a caption, a quote from the earliest and most avid explorers of the cave; he says that he has given up on finding the end of its passages. Scientists measuring the volume of air moving in and out of the cave—the characteristic that gives the place its name—and determined that there are likely 1,000 to 1,200 miles of passages that make up Wind Cave. Amazing!

We continued throughout the afternoon to explore the southern portion of the Black Hills, which includes some prairie dog towns, the town of Custer, the in-progress mountain-sized sculpture of Crazy Horse and, of course, Mt. Rushmore. That evening we checked into Big Sky Lodge, located on a ridge looking over Rapid City and out across the plains and badlands to the east. Bob and Sonia came to pick us up and take us to supper at the Golden Phoenix, where we had a good meal and a good time for a couple of hours. We left there around 10:00 (MDT), after making our plans for our Saturday.

Way Out West 2012: The Plan and Days One and Two

We'd never vacationed like this together. By "like this" I mean that we'd always gone to a single destination and stayed there. By "like this" I also mean that we'd never made a trip this long, not even our honeymoon. Our destination was the West, within which we had a list of destinations: fly to Colorado Springs, CO, pick up our rental car and stay the night in Castle Rock, CO; drive all day to Hot Springs, SD (one night); drive to Rapid City, SD, where my cousin Bob and aunt Sonia live (two nights); drive to Bozeman, MT (one night); drive to Stevensville, MT, just south of Missoula (two nights); drive to Ennis, MT (one night); drive to Cody, WY, via Yellowstone National Park (one night); drive to Cheyenne, WY (one night); drive to Colorado Springs (one night); fly home. Our departure was Wednesday, 25 July, and our return, Sunday, 5 August.

Wednesday, 25 July—Still on a high from the Cody reunion in Nashville on Sunday 22, we were first surprised and elated on departure from home to find that we seemed to have everything packed in two suitcases, one big and one small. Leesa had small shoulder bag with her purse inside. I had my book bag and my guitar. We left home around 1:00 in the afternoon and caught our flight out of Knoxville at 4:55 pm EDT. After the obligatory layover in Atlanta, we flew to Colorado Springs (cheaper than Denver as a destination), arriving there around 8:30 pm MDT. We picked up our car—a Chevy Aveo—and hit I-25 headed north.

Thursday, 26 July—We woke up in the Super 8 in Castle Rock, CO, and meandered around in that area for much of the late morning, looking for Curves in nearby Parker. (I must say at this point that we never got in a big hurry at any time. I don't think we ever left an area in route to our next destination until noon or well after.) Eventually we found it and, after Leesa's workout, found I-25 and continued north, through Denver and then Cheyenne. Just north of the latter, we left I-25 for a US Highway (85 or 87) and traveled up the eastern border of Wyoming. Of course, the West was in evidence as soon as we were out of the airport in Colorado Springs, but this drive through Wyoming really began to show us what we were in for, both the sights and the driving.

Wyoming towns of note were Torrington and Lusk—not because they were the only noteworthy locations along our route but because towns are few and far between in this part of the world. We couldn't decide what or where to eat. I'm sure there were good places, but we passed them up every time. But passing up a place to eat or get gas or use the restroom in eastern Wyoming means that you're likely to be driving a good long time before another opportunity arises. Early in the evening and still unsuppered, we turned east and crossed into South Dakota, and within a little while we were again at a Super 8, this one in Hot Springs, SD.

The Super 8 was right beside the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, and we didn't even go visit it. I'm still a little embarrassed about that, but the day was long and the trip was new trip was just beginning. I was more interested in the steakhouse next door. Finally, with supper behind us, we took a brief stroll on the riverwalk in Hot Springs, bought some necessities at a local grocer and a couple of unnecessaries at Dairy Queen and then went to bed.