Day 1 of the 38 hour drive home. This drive: 7:12:17 of me, my car, scenery and my thoughts.

When I realized that I had to do the road trip back home from Hastings as there was a snafu with extending my visa, I was looking at the happiness of going through places that I have always wanted to see, like Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park.  The drive that took around 20 hours to head down to Hastings panned out to be a 38 hour trek home.  But lots of sights were seen and many, many, many thoughts and questions were pondered during the trip.

My first stop on my list was Valentine National Wildlife Refuge.  Now, because my mind is how it goes, I was expecting to see animals and animals.  Because you know, it is a Refuge.  A place they can feel safe and secure and not have a fear of being hunted.  However, I should realize that when one wants to see an animal is exactly when one won't see an animal.  I didn't see a single one.  Except dive bombing birds.  But more about those later.  Driving through the Refuge I was looking forward to driving around all the mini lakes and whatnot that was encompassed in the Refuge but I did not realize that the roads around the lakes were basically dirt paths.  And when one has a car that is packed full, one does not want to get stuck somewhere and that was a fear of mine so I sadly bypassed all the lakes.  Which if you know me was sad because I do love me my lakes and rivers.  So I finally pull up to a lake that I can safely go and see as it was right off the highway.  I pull up and grab my camera and think that I am going to get some really nice pictures of the sun glistening off the lake and the vast hills and valleys around the lake.  Nope.  Enter the dive bombing birds.  THEY WERE FREAKING EVERYWHERE.  At first I thought I could handle them but nope.  When one swooped and almost hit me, I decided it was high time to get the heck outta dodge.  I was slightly disappointed that a) I saw no animals b) I didn't get a picture of sun glistened lake but those dive bombing birds were vicious so I am glad I got out with my life intact.  And eyeballs.

Next stop was Smith Falls in Valentine.  It took me a little to figure out where they were and when I was finally on my way to them, I felt like I was heading out to the middle of nowhere and something bad was going to happen.  I most of the time feel like something bad will happen.  I am a optimistic pessimist that way.  I get out to Smith Falls, and do the 'hike' to the falls.  I was expecting a hike hike (but kind of glad I did not have to as packing and loading up my car twinged something in my old lady body).Get up to the falls and my first thought was 'well they aren't no Nigara Falls'.  Although I have never seen Niagara Falls so I shouldn't be too hasty on comparing the two but I thought they would be better than what they were.  Don't get me wrong, for Nebraska they were pretty good but when I think Falls, I think of whooooshing, splashing, smelling the goodness of water, crystal clear pile of water, etc etc of a water fall.  Over all, it was pretty and I am glad I could say I saw the only waterfall in Nebraska.  

After Valentine was to high tail it up to South Dakota and cut through the Pine Ridge Reservation to get up to the Black Hills National Forest.  Going through the Reservation wasn't too bad.  Some nice sights.  Went through Buffalo Gap National Grassland.  I only saw 1 buffalo and he was at the end when I was turning out of the Grassland.  I would have to say though that this is where I started noticing all the bikes.  And they just got more and more the more north I went.  By the time I hit Hot Springs, they were everywhere.  By the time I got to Custer, they have overtaken the earth.  Like ants.  Ants everywhere.  I think I would have enjoyed the Hot Springs to Mount Rushmore drive a whole lot more if there wasn't so many bikes around.  I swear I passed over 5000 of them.  Dr. Suess could write a poem about Sturgis - bikes of every size, of every color, of every make and model.  Men and female, old and young. Some very very attractive, some not so much.  Humans of every size riding the bikes.  Bikes freaking everywhere.  I am not a huge people person at times and even though I was driving by myself, I was people tired of being just in the same driving vicinity of all of them.  Custer was like the grand central station for them all.  And I was thinking of kicking up to the Crazy Horse Memorial but the line up to get up there was insane.  Stupid bikers.  They kind of ruined a lot of things for me.  I shake my fist at them (now that they can't see me and potentially beat me up).  

So I finally get up to Mount Rushmore.  And almost miss it.  First off, being stuck behind a newly biker is kind of frustrating.  Secondly, be climbing up a mountain and twisty turvy roads at the same time.  And then by the time I get to Mount Rushmore, the line up to get in and to even get in was mayhem.  But I eventually got in.  I told myself that I am coming through this way for a reason and I am not going to let these bikers take away my experiences.  I get into Mount Rushmore and it is pretty fantastic.  I wonder who looked up at the mountain and said 'hey, lets chisel in some faces on this mountain'.  And how much booze was involved in that decision and how many friends laughed at that person with that crazy idea.  But now look at what happened.  It is amazing.  One could go along the Presidential Walk but it involved 250 steps and I was far too hot and tired to do that.  Maybe next time I go through there I will do the walk.  But I am glad I went and saw Mount Rushmore.  It was amazing and kind of inspirational to just sit there and look up at something that somebody created.  Especially back then with no technology that we have now.  I applaud you gentlemen who created that.  

Next up was heading north to Rapid City, bypassing Rapid City and cutting through the Black Hills National Forest to make my way to my destination, being Gillette, Wyoming.  And I hit rain.  Big rain.  Hard rain.  Rain severe enough that while driving through the mountains, there was a sign that said 'Severe Weather Ahead.  Be Cautious'.  The sign might well of said 'Be Crazy or Stupid To Venture Forth'.  Rain plus crazy curves and mountains is a fun time.  And it rained basically straight form the Black Hills to Gillette.  And right when I get on the interstate and was able to actually pick up some speed without fearing of falling off a mountain or crashing into one, one of those overhead signs says 'Wet Road.  Take Off Cruise Control'.  No word of a lie.  The moment I put on my cruise control I see that sign.  Again, I wanted to shake my fist.  Wyoming though was gorgeous.  It has the red earth dirt.  Or clay.  Or whatever it was.  And the rolling hills and valleys.  Simple gorgeous.  

I finally pull up to my hotel in Gillette and I am wiped and tired and annoyed.  Day 1 is finally done and over with and I have 2 more days to look forward to.  I shall leave you with some of my thoughts I had with this drive:

• what makes a mountain a mountain and what makes a hill a hill?  what is the difference between the two? were I going over and through mountains or hills?  who decides what the difference is?
• what is the capital of Wyoming?  (I took a very long pause trying to remember it and then I remembered I have the song Beaches of Cheyenne by Garth Brooks on my ipod so I turn that on and start to listen to the lyrics).  Is it Cheyenne?  That sounds about right.  But why in the song do they say 'beaches of Cheyenne?  there are no oceans around Wyoming.  Maybe a lake beach?  I haven't passed a lake yet though.  But there has gotta be lakes.  So maybe a lake beach is what they are talking about.  But then also why in the song so they say that he is going up to Wyoming for a rodeo?  If they were already in Wyoming why would he be going up to Wyoming?  Unless Cheyenne is at the bottom of Wyoming and he is travelling up into Wyoming for a rodeo, then it makes sense.  I would still like to know where she died though and where this so called beach is in Wyoming.  
• it would be totally plausible if along this journey I meet a hot biker and we decide to get married.  The Sturgis version of a Vegas marriage.  It could happen.  And solve all my problems.  
• are more people going to be making Mount Rushmore's with different faces on it?  Or is it a copyright thing and nobody else can chisel faces into mountains? 
• all these curves are so fun to go around.  Fun.  Dangerous.  Nerve wracking.  But fun.  Makes me feel like a formula 1 racer.  In a Ford Focus.  
• oohh my car tells me when I am hydroplaning.  Cool.