August 26, 2010 - Finally leaving South Dakota - Miles 454-786

Mile 454 - Spearfish, SD
We made a not so quick stop at a coffee shop, at Joe’s recommendation, before heading out on our next path.  We’ve received quite a bit of advice on where to go and how to get there, but we hadn’t really sat down and really decided which route to take.  Time for some game day decisions!

We decided to head out to see Bears Lodge, more commonly known as Devils Tower, in Wyoming.  On a suggestion from Joe, this led us through…

Mile 469 - Belle Fourche, SD - Geographic center of the US
Center of the US, what?!  No way?!  Yes way…don’t forget Alaska!  :o)

We barely brushed Belle Fourche, but still felt pretty important that we were at the center of the US.  Since we had both been to the town before, we decided against stopping to take our picture…we were far to anxious to travel onto land that was unfamiliar.

Shortly after passing through, we found ourselves at the South Dakota/Wyoming border.  It was impossible to resist slamming on the brakes and stopping for a quick picture with the state signs.  Dan had to get the camera just right, so we ended up with 5-6 shots with each sign…here are the best ones:

Here we are leaving South Dakota  :o(

And entering Wyoming!

And here's a picture of the well-packed Vue, heading west!

Mile 487 - Aladdin, Wyoming - Population 15
A few years ago, I stopped here with two mentors of mine as we were driving across the state.  I had to show Dan.  This town is tiny!  But very proud of being small!  The town seems to revolve around the general store/tourist trap with the only public restrooms (see picture below) in town.   Totally makes you think of the “good old days”.

Mile 492 - Bears Lodge (Devils Tower) - Wyoming
Its amazing really, this very large rock, in the middle of nowhere.  The weather was beautiful so we decided to get out and walk the trail around (a little over 1 mile).  President Teddy Roosevelt proclaimed this the first national monument in 1906!

On our trek around, we stopped to look at the climbers, scaling the steep walls on all sides.  We were also startled (yes startled) by a baby deer, less than 2 feet away from us on the walking trail.  It was a nice relaxing walk, where we could talk and stretch before getting back in the Vue!

Mile 559 - Moorcroft, Wyoming - Time for some chow!
Note to all small restaurant owners:  Make sure you can be found on Google. 

We searched for a place for some food, a little off the beaten path.  We ended up finding an entry for Donna’s Diner in Moorcroft, WY.  We thought we’d stop in for some home-cooked food.

It was PACKED and poor Donna was running around like a hummingbird, cleaning tables, taking orders, making shakes, and possibly even cooking (we weren’t quite sure if there was help back in the kitchen).  The food was worth the wait though, fried in grease, nummy!  And the shake was great to top it off!

Mile 616 - Somewhere (not sure where) west of Gillette, Wyoming
Just a quick post to say that the weather has been beautiful and we can finally see the outline of the mountains in the distance.  BEAU-TI-FUL!

Mile 721 - Bighorn National Park
This post comes after we made it through the Bighorn Mountains.  Not much cell service in the area, but so beautiful!  My poor little Vue sounds like she is struggling up some of the hills, and Dan and I are learning how to mountain drive.

Now I thought South Dakota had vast expanses of nothing, but apparently, I had not been to this area of Wyoming!  Wow…there were times we couldn’t see a single house (or even another road) in the distance, and yet, Dan still had internet at times!  It was fun to hypothesize why people would move out here, and what it would be like in the winters!

Mile 786 - Thermopolis, Wyoming
Now this stop was not part of our original thoughts.  We thought we would take a more northern route and head through Yellowstone.  However, the night before we left Vermillion, a good friend, Jason, recommended a stop through Thermopolis, with a drive through the Tetons before heading into Yellowstone.  Back in Moorcroft, we thought…why not?

Thermopolis was definitely very cool.  It is the self-proclaimed, and possible true, Home of the World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs.  The town is set up around these hot springs, including a water park, a spa, outdoor pools, saunas and even a bath house.  One word of warning though, definitely smelly (gotta love sulphur)!

We decided to make Thermopolis home for the evening and pitched our tent at the Eagle RV Park and Campground, a Good Sam Park.  We were excited about the free, warm showers, and the friendly people at the desk.  The tent went up in minutes and after a quick phone call, we headed into town to find something to eat.  Only one spot was still selling food - with only 10 minutes until close, a wonderful waitress at Pumpernicks Family Restaurant allowed us to come in, have some food, and a few local adult beverages.


On the way back to the campsite, we noticed the check engine light was on in the Vue.  We stopped at the gas station to check the oil and everything seemed to look alright.  However, my poor little Vue was still running pretty hard, and she sounded like she was really working.  I was scared that it would be a big expense, but we couldn’t really do anything until morning, so we headed to bed, after looking for places we could stop in the morning.

August 25, 2010 - Heading Out on the Trail - Miles 0-454

Deciding when to start this blog posting was quite a challenge.  There were quite a few events that led up to the actual departure day.  Like those on the trail years ago, we had to prepare the wagon, pack things up, and say goodbye to the family and friends we had the opportunity to live so close to in the past.  But rather than harping on the goodbyes, I instead choose to start on the day of departure…

Our wagon, my 2005 Black Saturn Vue, was all checked and readied to go by the friendly people at the service place in Sioux Falls.  Our clothing, vacuum-packed in Space Bags; our most needed belongings were packed; and our bikes, hooked onto the back hatch, were all carefully packed, shoved, and squished within the Vue, or in “the bubble” on loan from Dan’s parents.  There was hardly room for Dan (boyfriend) and I to fit, but we somehow made it happen.  PLUS, I managed to convince Dan to let me squeeze one more thing in, my food dehydrator!

Why are we leaving?
Well, life is about taking advantage of opportunities when the become available, right?  Right.  Ever since I graduated from BVU, I knew I wanted my Master’s degree in something…the question was, in what?!  I started several different programs (Adult & Higher Education Leadership, Public Administration, Communication Studies, etc), at 4 different institutions (some online), and never found anything that quite stuck.  In part, the demands of the job, coupled with my incessant need to do things perfectly, the desire to do things right, and my involvement in things like HOBY, Welcome Table, and clowning, it seemed I never had the time, or, was willing to commit the time, to pursuing a degree, and getting it done.  After 7 years of working at USD, I finally decided it was time.  There is definitely more to the story than that, but I started looking at programs, and came across one that I REALLY liked since it melded the higher education and non-profit pieces, and was in an area of the country I’ve loved when I visited.  Plus, having a friend applying to the program helped quite a bit :o)

Then you bring in Dan to the mix.  He always wanted to go on an adventure, just looking for what.  He recently took the big jump and started his own company with a college/fraternity buddy, so why not throw more change in the mix?!  Dan’s company allows him to work from anywhere with an internet connection, and from what I heard, Oregon had internet.  Now this guy loves biking, and outdoors stuff, so moving out west just sounded great, compared to the other schools on my top 5 list.  When I told him I had a strong preference for Portland, you could just see his eyes light up.  I mean, how could they not?  Bike friendly, mountains, nearby beach, adventure, internet, and me.  Perfect.  What better way to go on an adventure than to have someone to share the experience with…really?!

So off we go!

Mile 0 - near Prentis Park - now leaving Vermillion, SD
We left Vermillion slightly later than planned, finally pulling out of the parking space on Main Street at 11:20am.  We waved goodbye to our home for the past 7 (me) - 9 (Dan) years and stopped for a quick picture to have “Vermillion in the rearview mirror”.  The first part of our route was not all that exciting, since both of us had made this drive several times in the past decade.  BUT, we were off, moving out of the “Vermillion Vortex” as many doubted that either of us would do someday.

Mile 43 - outside of Worthing, South Dakota - our first stop
We stopped here to drop off a few things at my family farm.  Everyone was gone except my youngest sister Jaimee, whom I was able to give one last hug, and a handful of things that we just didn’t think we could squeeze in the entire way out west.  I found it harder than I thought to say goodbye to the fam.  Granted, I’ll probably see them just as much as I did before I moved, but just the thought of not being able to drive “right up the road” to see them when I wanted, was a little difficult to grasp. I waved goodbye to the dogs, the farm cats, the house, and my sister, then on we went again…

I twittered along the path the whole way, so some of these random stopping points will be places where I tweeted along the way, nothing significant necessarily…

Mile 222 - Interstate 90, exit 242 - Middle of Nowhere, South Dakota
We passed a lot in the miles since my last mention, but things were so “normal” that I hardly felt the need to explain.  Plus, Dan was working in the car (the wonders of technology, allowing internet access at 75 MPH in the middle of SD!), and I’m not a fan of texting and driving.  We’ve seen a lot of scenary, and not much more.  For the majority of my life, I didn’t realize how beautiful South Dakota really was, but a few trips with some good friends and an amazing mentor helped me to appreciate the rolling hills dotted with the occasional grove of trees and gathering of cattle.

I found my mind drifting from thinking of what this must have looked like to those who traveled over this land before roads and power lines were inserted, to thinking about the amazing students I was leaving behind at USD, to the look of my family members the last time I saw each of them, to the anticipation of what great adventures this trip out west would lead to.  Thank goodness for my imagination serving as some entertainment across the middle of the state!

Mile 399 - Interstate 90 Exit 57 - Ellsworth Airforce Base
The sun was starting to fall, casting that beautiful orangey-reddish-light over the rising buttes and ledges present in the Black Hills.  It was funny to think that we had been in the car over 6 hours, and still had not left South Dakota!  But, our destination for the evening was finally near, and wow was I ready to get out and stretch!

Mile 454 - Residence of Joe & Brandie - Spearfish, SD
Our gracious hosts for the evening, Joe & Brandie, had a nice cold beverage and a wonderful meal, about ready for us when we drove up the hill to their residence.  Joe has been a friend of Dan’s since grade school, and until he moved to Spearfish with his wife Brandie, they had never lived more than a 10 miles from each other.

Our evening was full of great conversation, some memory sharing, grilling, and well wishes for us on the new adventure out West.

What a day…what an emotional roller coaster of a day!  Ready for more?!