Today I sit to write the first blog entry of the 2015 season. Unlike previous years my expectations are pretty low. My hopes had gotten a slight lift after the Green Bay game. Not that I thought we would see victory after victory, but at least it looked like they would be competitive as they played for a great draft pick. Once Cutler went down at half time against the Cardinals it looked pretty dire for our home town team.
We are currently on the road on the way to Seattle. Now normally you might say it would be a good game, what with both teams being 0-2. I don't think it is going to go that way. Lets just say that without Cutler and with Seattle being embarrassed twice in a row I suspect that they will be out for Bear and the Bears are going to be on the menu. But win or lose we stay to the end of every game and this one will be no different.
But enough of looking at the past or forecasting the future. Lets talk about this trip. We left Chicago on Monday with the bitter taste of defeat still fresh in our mouths. (OK, maybe a little talking about the past.) We loaded up the RV and headed for our first stop, Souix Falls SD. On this trip we have two additional fans with us and the girls were as excited at the Coach and I to be on the road and headed for adventure. Day 1 summary - no adventure. We drove a lot of hours and finally got to a little roadside campground just off the highway. After pulling in an setting up (about 7 minutes total elapsed time) we got all the beds ready and enjoyed a well earned nights rest.
Morning came early. Not sure why it chose to show up with such a bright sun, but it did. By just after 9 we had packed up, had breakfast and gotten on the road. Destination - Hill City SD. The morning did not start out toooooo smoothly. First we had the slide out in the back that didn't get slid in. Next we had the jacks that were still down when the air breaks were disengaged. Then we had the coffee shower (lid, coffee, cup, road and the lack of the first to properly attach to the third). The generator that was not generating so the refrigerator was not fridging. The Hot water heater that did not heat the water due to the lack of engagement of the on switch. Not its fault, totally the user not turning it on. Let us just say - pretty much the most chaotic day on any trip in the last three years. And it was not yet 10:00.
Things got better from there. Kinda like with the Bears in the second half of the Cardinals game, not really much choice in the direction things had to go. Bottom is bottom after all.
On the way to Hill City we stopped in Mitchell SD. Mitchell is known for the "Corn Palace". This building is decorated with murals and other fantastic decorations all made out of corn cobs. If you are ever in the area you must check it out. It is great.
Now somewhere between Mitchell and Wall, SD we switched drivers. One of our guests decided to try her hand at driving and did a great job. I was very glad she did because not 10 minutes after I turned over the wheel the construction started and I hate driving in construction. For the next 47 miles the construction continued. Then I took over and it all went away.
After I took back the wheel we didn't get too far down the road before we came to the Prairie Dog Town. Feeding the prairie dogs is just about the most fun 50c will buy these days. You get this bag of peanuts and the animals will run and chase each other to get the peanuts. They will take them from your hand and gaze up at you as they munch away. They will sneak up behind you and bump you to get you to give them one. So much fun!! After whiling away almost an hour with the cute little prairie dogs we headed back on the road. This time it was the scenic loop through Badlands National Park. Having been here several times I enjoyed it and always love the scenery. But our two tag along guests had never been here and were blown away by the strange and unusual rock formations, the colors and stripes in the rocks and all the rest of what the park had to offer. They hiked the trails, climbed the rocks and generally acted just like the mountain goats. What mountain goats you ask? The ones that live in the park and come down to the road where they show their incredible disdain for all the people by totally ignoring them while still managing to show off and hang out by the road where everyone can watch them. Big park, lots of hills and rough terrain and yet they ignore everyone by standing in and on the side of the road. Sounds like a teenager.
Well we are not done yet. Leaving the park we were able to encounter someones idea of a good way to work on a road out of a national park where there are lots of RVs. Lets just dig up the whole middle of the road and force the RVs to drive on this dirt, almost and excuse for a trail around the construction. Because everyone knows how well RVs love to off road - right?
Finally a few miles later we came to Wall SD, home of Wall Drugs. Now for those of you who have been there you can skip to the next paragraph. For those who have not, imagine a place that started as a small mom and pop drugstore that was just getting by. Suddenly on a hot summer day they come up with the idea of giving away cups of ice water. They put signs out on the road (ala burma shave) and people start showing up. Several hundred the first day and up the 20,000 a day now. So if you have these many people coming you need to have something other than a drug store. Add in a restaurant, a gift shop, ice cream parlor, boot maker, replica of Mt. Rushmore (in miniature), dinosaurs (everyone loves dinosaurs right), maybe a art gallery, museum, a second gift shop, rock store, got to have rocks for sale, fudge shop, donuts, a jackalope, Amish RV (ok maybe they thought it was a covered wagon, but we knew better), and I could keep going. Imagine Wisconsin Dells compressed into a one block street.
Well on we went to our campground where everything went very well and we decided to go out to dinner. We went to the Alpine Inn. Now the Alpine Inn is a bit odd. They have a menu that has three items on it. Filet Mignon 9 oz, Filet Mignon 6 oz and Spaetzle with Swiss cheese (apparently 5 years ago they decided to add a vegetarian option). All dishes get a lettuce wedge, baked potato and texas toast. No choice, no option. The place is packed. Food was really good too. Then they bring the desert menu. All three pages of it. Over 25 items not including the various flavors of ice cream. They suggest we come back for lunch. They mention they have a large lunch menu. Turns out it has over 35 items on it. WHAT GIVES FOR DINNER WITH BASICALLY 1 DISH? Anyway we go to pay and they don't take credit cards. Cash only. - Very strange place, but if you want a good, inexpensive piece of beef, the Alpine Inn is your place.
Tomorrow is a bit of site seeing and then on to Seattle. More tomorrow then.
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