Road Trip - Part 3

We decided to stay an extra night in South Dakota. We went to Mount Rushmore, thinking that we would see it and be gone in about an hour. Turns out we spent hours there doing various things. Since there were other things we wanted to do in the area, and we didn't think we'd ever be back this way, we decided to stay.

We stayed in the little town of Keystone right near Mount Rushmore. I didn't realize Mount Rushmore was so far from Rapid City. And the hotels in Keystone were cheaper than the ones in Rapid City. Live and learn. Anyway, the next day we toured Big Thunder Gold Mine, which was lots of fun. Then the kids panned for gold.

After that we went to Crazy Horse Memorial. That was pretty cool. I think at the rate they're going, it will take 200 years to finish it, but I guess it's the thought that counts. This is the view of the how the mountain is suppsoed to look and the mountain in the background.

Then after Crazy Horse, we made a mad dash through Nebraska to Cheyenne, Wyoming to spend the night. While we were driving through Nebraska, besides Chimney Rock (which is on the Oregon Trail), we also saw lots of thunderstorms.

The next day was the Day of Pentecost (Lev 23), so we just took it easy. We had breakfast at the hotel and then hung out until noon, which was checkout time. When we loaded the van and got ready to go, the battery was dead. So we had to call AAA. We got a jumpstart and then headed across Colorado. Colorado Springs was my favorite area. We didn't do much in Colorado, except enjoy the scenery and stop at a hotel for the night. But we did get one pretty picture there.

The next day we drove into New Mexico and visited Capulin Volcano National Monument. That was really cool. You could go down inside the crater.

And, for the more hardy among us, you could walk the whole rim. It was a tough hike. One mile long, with the first half being uphill (I believe there was a 300 foot increase in elevation). I sure was glad for the downhill part. And when we were finishing up, we were also racing a storm. We could see the lightning and hear the thunder in the distance. But we made it back safely to the car before the storm hit. Then it was on to Arizona - a long, long drive.

In Arizona, we just made one stop at Delgadillo's Snow Cap, just off the 40 on Route 66. We love this place. We stopped for lunch and then hightailed it home.

We arrived home just before dark after 3400 miles. What a blessing to be home safe and sound.