On June 13th, I flew across Montana toward South Dakota in hopes of making it to Mount Rushmore. The clouds had been following me throughout the previous couple of weeks, and they were waiting at Mount Rushmore when I arrived just before the sun set behind the mountains. Fortunately they had already dropped their load upon the mountains, which allowed me a night of dry camping. I was happy to enjoy what would be my last night of camping on this trip. I celebrated in grand style with a roaring fire, scrumptious (but slightly too bloody pink) hamburgers, and nice cigar. It was a great feeling to be camping so near to Mount Rushmore.
I got an early start the next morning and headed straight for Mount Rushmore. On the campground host’s recommendation, I hit up the cafe on the park grounds for what is the best breakfast deal in the area. I highly recommend the Monumental Breakfast; it’s a steal at $5 including coffee. I enjoyed the next couple of hours learning all about the creation of Mount Rushmore. It is a spectacular sight to see in person, and the story behind its construction is uniquely American.
I left the park 12:30. It was the 13th of June and I had 900 miles to drive in one day in order to make my final destination. I pulled it off, flying across South Dakota, stopping only at the legendary Wall Drug, then through Minnesota, into Wisconson, and stopping early Friday morning in Madison.
After a few hours of sleep, I was up bright and early. I had only a few hours to get to my final destination of the trip: Chicago. The day was beautiful; the midday sun was bright and the warm air blowing through the top-down Mustang felt great. The only letdown was the ever-present Chicago traffic that caused me to be an hour and a few minutes late to meeting with friends at Wrigley Field for an afternoon baseball game.
Boy, it was a grand ending to my trip. Sitting in the bleachers– looking out over Wrigley field at 37,000 other fans, Sears tower in the distance to the left, hot dog and beer in-hand– a day does not get more perfect. 11,000 miles, 24 days, 16 states, 2 provinces, and 1 territory. It’s more driving than even I anticipated. But you cannot put a price on the memories of a great road trip.
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Posted by: The Big Cheese