Statistics and Observations - all "so far" of course

Distance travelled - 5718 miles (9202 kms) - 99.8 % of it on the correct side of the road :)
Have visited 10 states plus British Columbia
Feel good town - Monterey California
Place I would like to go back to and explore further - Portland Oregon
Nicest people so far - Kyle, Larry & Ang in Crescent City
Worst drivers - Vancouver
Worst traffic - Vancouver
Turning right even when the light is red if the road is clear is a great idea
Seeing a car drive by and the driver is on the left side still makes me think OMG - that car doesn't have a driver
Things across the board are a lot cheaper in USA
RV parks restrooms are generally not very nice
Pokies don't pay out as much as in Oz

Today drove 318 miles (511 kms) heading to Minneapolis - got as far as Alexandria Minnesota. The rest of North Dakota was fairly flat  farmland. Minnesota is supposed to have a 1000 lakes (still counting)
Bugs #543

Reflections

Whilst I was in East Glacier National Park I got up early one morning and sat outside and had a coffee or three.  I looked around and I lost count of how many different shades of green I could see. It was so quiet and still and the sky was a brilliant blue with just a few wispy clouds and the hillside was covered in tall pine trees. Opposite me was a cut in the hillside half way up and a very very long train was chugging along - Union Pacific.  There was just the hint of a breeze and the sun was pleasantly warm. Nearby was a white steeple of a church and the mountains in the distance were snow capped.  The houses that I could see were made of timber and were very picturesque. I felt so at peace with everything. Have I done the right thing in throwing everything in and taking this trip?  Yes!! I have no doubt at all.

White shoes after Labor Day...?

Labor day holiday on Monday in USA...............will have to get rid of my white footwear :(

Drove 426 miles (685 km) . Went through Rapid City but it didn't  "speak" to us so  we travelled on to Spearfish SD.  Claim to fame....

World record temperature change

Spearfish holds the world record for the fastest temperature change. On January 22, 1943 at about 7:30 a.m. MST, the temperature in Spearfish was -4°F (-20°C). The Chinook wind picked up speed rapidly, and two minutes later (7:32 a.m.) the temperature was +45°F (+7°C) above zero. The 49°F (27°C) rise in two minutes set a world record that still holds. By 9:00 a.m., the temperature had risen to 54°F (12°C). Suddenly, the chinook died down and the temperature tumbled back to -4°F (-20°C). The 58°F (32°C) drop took only 27 minutes.

Had a great steak at Applebees. and thought the whole town was pretty. Drove on and we are now in Bismarck North Dakota - our 9th state. Had some stormy wet weather as we were driving but the roads are excellent.. Country side is mainly agricultural - lots of giant hay bales and tractors and bears dressed as cows :)  Bugs #  538

[edit]

What's worse then looking up a President's nose! Looking up 4 President's noses

Drove to Mount Rushmore to see the four President's faces carved in granite. I thought it was a great sight and I realise the huge difficulty in carving these faces on the side of a cliff...BUT....all my life I had the impression that they were huge and in reality they were only 60 feet tall. Now....I know if you are suspended from a rope with a hammer and a chisel, bashing away into a sheer cliff carving out cheeks and noses and eyes etc you would think 60 feet is plenty. It's just I thought they were bigger. I did enjoy seeing the setting for Cary Grant's movie "North by Northwest"....one of my favourite movies.

Next we drove to a similar site where they are carving out the face of Crazy Horse. This is a work in progress and was very imposing. Loved the tourist centre on site which has an incredibly detailed history of the Indians and I am embarrassed to say history and the movies have changed a few facts into fiction.

On to a town called Keystone - beautiful little place - where we went down a gold mine. This is one off the bucket list for me as I am claustrophobic and I actually went through the hour tour (200 ft down) with only a couple of OMG's followed by a quick WTF. Once again very intresting. Took them almost 30 years to drill this mine and really didn't get a lot out of it. Seems every time things looked promising someone would jump in and buy the claim right next door so they couldn't proceed. :(

Then we drove to Hot Springs (still in South Dakota)...Lonely Planet gave this town a good write up but I wonder exactly what Planet they were on!! Scrappy little place....ugly in places...biggest and best buildings are the old folks home, the courthouse and the jail. We did have a very nice filet mignon in a nasty looking place - only cost $8.95.  Have back tracked 5 miles now and in the KOA RV park just out of town.

Total miles today only 145.4 (233 kms)  Bugs #526

♫♫Take me back to the Black Hills...the Black Hills of Dakota.....♫♫

Spent the day discovering Deadwood. Did a bus trip around the sites including the graveyard where Wild Bill Hickcock and Calamity Jane are buried. I don't know how they ever cast Doris Day in the movie but the reality wasn't purty!!  We are lying in the camper at the moment and there is a huge storm happening. Very loud thunder and raindrops a bucket full at a time...ok...I exaggerate but it is pretty noisy and those who know me well also know that I am not keen on thunder and lightning. :(  I do like Deadwood - great little town.

We also saw a re enacted gunfight in the main street...very realistic with very loud guns. Was an exceptionally hot day. Bugs # 520

Wild Bill Hickcock

Yellowstone National Park

27 August - Drove 294.5 miles (473 kms) from Hamilton to Yellowstone via Bozeman (nice town - University centred). Stopped at a park where you can see Grizzlies up close. These are bears that have been rescued from captivity. Sheena and Brutus were kept in a very small cage in someones backyard till they were rescued. They certainly seem happy in their new home. Stayed in a RV park in Livingston on the edge of Yellowstone. Pricey but good restrooms for a change.

28 August - Drove 102.2 Miles (165 kms) to stay in the actual Yellowstone Park. Stopped at Gardiner for supplies and saw some amazing scenery at Calcite Springs Overlook - great canyon with rushing river at the base. So spectacular I felt like an intruder even being there. The weather remains very warm - t shirts and shorts and sandals. In Yellowstone there are signs everywhere warning you about bears and our campsite was very remote...only a few vans around and no power. It was so dark that when I did a loo trip (way too far to go) the darkness seemed to suck up the light from the torch and yes...I was damned scared. Lee was too scared to even attempt the trip (mwahahaha)  and once again utilised the back wheel. Hope that one doesn't drop off lol. We kept hearing noises all night and couldn't believe we were actually whispering lol. Like being on a kids camp and telling ghost stories.

29 August - Went on a lake cruise on Lake Yellowstone. Very interesting - the ranger told us the history of the park and some stories about the early days when people went up there in stage coaches - must have been tough  - however when they got there there was a very posh hotel waiting for them. Built late last century it must have been an unenviable task getting all the supplies to build it up there - it is huge. We saw a bald eagle too - brilliant. We went to see Old Faithful geyser which apparently "blows it's top " every 93 minutes. Our timing was perfect - we parked the car and walked to the viewing site and off it went!! Great sight. In the afternoon we drove 266.4 miles (428 kms) through Grand Teton National Park - absolutely spectacular mountains. They almost look 2 dimensional and like a movie backdrop. On through Wyoming and into cowboy country.  Spectacular countryside and looks like every Western Movie you have ever seen. Was waiting for John Wayne to come riding over the hills in pursuit of war painted Indians.- whilst driving a herd of cattle across swollen  cricks!! lol Stayed the night in a Motel 6 in Riverton.

30 August - Big day - 426.4 miles (686 kms) through Wyoming and into South Dakota. The Wyoming we saw today was very flat and mainly agricultural. The roads were very good but reminded me a bit of driving over the Hay Plains - if you know what I mean. As soon as we got into South Dakota the terrain changed - became hilly and lots of trees - beautiful quaint houses. I think I'm going to like South Dakota. Tonight we are in an RV park that is sort of tiered up a mountain and the restrooms are like little log cabins. Love it. Going to be cold tonight to so that will be a nice change. For you western movie fans we are in Deadwood and will be visiting Boot Hill tomorrow. Bugs #518