2 Miles and 4 Feet from Home: Headed to Rapid City

The sleeping was good again. It cooled off to about 61 degrees overnight. In the morning Jasper and I got up at 4 am and went for a walk. This was really early but our bodies are still adjusting to the two-hour time difference. We usually get up at 6 every morning in Greensboro so we were not really that far off our schedule. After our walk the sun started coming up over the peaks and was really something to see. Most campers were up and going by 6AM as it is hard to ignore the day is starting when the sun comes up. Our plan for the day was to drive through the rest of the Badlands and head to Rapid City with a quick stop at Wall Drug Store a famous landmark in this part of the USA. We fixed breakfast and then headed out of the park. It was a 30-mile scenic route, which included about 15 miles of gravel road. We saw bison, prairie dogs and even few antelope. Once we got out of the park the city of Wall was just a few miles away. Finally a visit to Wall Drug store was in order. We left the dogs in the car and went to take a quick look. We had some ice cream and then my Dad and I decided to go back and get the dogs while Lyn and Joanne went shopping. Did I say shopping? This could be trouble. We have a budget of $100 dollars a day on this trip so shopping is usually avoided. My Dad and I found a bench to sit on the main street and enjoyed talking and watching all of the characters walking by, fully aware that we were the two characters on the bench. After about an hour Lyn and Joanne came back and much to my surprise the damage was minimal. Lyn purchased a $5 pair of sunglasses and that was it. Yea still on budget! Next we headed to a KOA campground in Rapid City. It was only about an hour away. After we set up camp we made our usual run to Wal-Mart and then hit the pool! It felt great as the temperature had risen to about 82 and we had very little shade in the campsite. We decided to go to dinner in Sturgis. It is home to one of the biggest bike rallies in the country. During the event people come from all over to hang out party and show off their motorcycles. I have always had it in the back of my mind that I would have liked to do that one-day. So today was my chance and instead of some big Hog making all kinds of noise, I ride in my Prius that actually makes little to no noise. Not exactly what I had dreamed of but these days that’s how I roll! The town was actually very quiet. We found a place to eat, had a good dinner and then went back to the campsite. Bedtime is usually 10PM and that was exactly what time it was so we went to bed. Tomorrow is Mt. Rushmore and maybe Crazy Horse. Should be a great way to spend the 4^th!