My OperaSoDak, Nebraska and Wyoming
Monday, June 19, 2006 5:40:01 AM
From: The Badlands
To: Douglas, Wyoming
Miles: 479
MPG: 47.7
Rainstorm
After being told that we could not build fires in the camp sites in the Badlands because the area was so dry, we were quite surprised to be woken up by a bright bolt of lightening and thundering rain pounding against the tent. We were forced to trade sleep for the lights show for a while but we eventually did drift back off to sleep, only to be woken up at daybreak to the sounds of horses whinnying a few yards off. It was just like those old west movies! Much to our mutual amazement, Jessica gave two thumbs up to camping. Her only complaint was that the sleeping bags were too “Slide-y.”
Wall Drug 2
We couldn’t head out of town without Jon revisiting Wall Drug to collect on his promised “free coffee and doughnut” for veterans.
Ellsworth AFB
Quick stop at Ellsworth AFB to see the SoDak Air and Space Museum. While it is no Smithsonian, it did have a few interesting exhibits. Eisenhower’s B-25 from WWII and the B-1B were interesting, but the highlight was the missile silo training simulator. We decided to pass on the tour of the Air Base proper, figuring we have pretty well done that. The little we did see of the base made us both glad Jon never joined the Air Force, as a little SoDak goes a long way.
Flamingo is my co-pilot!
SoDak – Panning for flamingos!
Mt. Rushmore
Our first glimpse of Mt. Rushmore garnered the typical reaction of, “Oh. It’s not as big as I thought it would be.” Once we got a closer look, however, we did think it was pretty impressive.
Crazy Horse
Now this is going to be big. It’s only partially finished and we saw it from quite a ways off, and it was still huge. Come back in 2050 to see the final product; it’s bound to be impressive.
Carhenge
For those of you who thought the cars on a stake was weird, meet its older, even more deranged brother. Some people out in middle-of-nowhere Nebraska decided to stack old cars up to look like Stone Henge, and they did a pretty damn good job of it. We were still pondering the question WHY when we were stopped at the local grocery store by a local inquiring where we were from. He soon informed us that the WHY was the result of “a family reunion with a bunch of beer.” “Oh!” Jon replied, nodding his head in recognition. “I get it!”
Chimney Rock
Quick stop at an interesting landmark along the Oregon trail.
Nebraska Wine
We know, we know, we broke our own rule. But when we saw a Nebraska winery on the side of the road, good sense lost out to morbid curiosity. We decided that the blackberry dessert wine had potential (meaning that it could be adequate with a few more years of adjustments), the sparkling wine was “drinkable so long as you are desperately in need of a drink and have nothing else available”, and the sweet white – dubbed ‘a wine that bring paradise to the prairie and pairs well with Greek food’ and the semi-sweet red said to ‘pair good with Nebraska beef’ (their grammar, not ours) – were the most disgusting wines we have ever tasted. Move over Indiana; we have reached a new low!
Ft. Laramie
Last stop before calling it quits for the day. Ft. Laramie has served as a fur trading post, military base, and a stop on the pony express. Now, of course, it is just a tourist attraction, and one that the signs said would have been more famous if Mark Twain had been awake when he passed through instead of sound asleep as he passed through.
Did they really have Tabasco in the old west?
To: Douglas, Wyoming
Miles: 479
MPG: 47.7
Rainstorm
After being told that we could not build fires in the camp sites in the Badlands because the area was so dry, we were quite surprised to be woken up by a bright bolt of lightening and thundering rain pounding against the tent. We were forced to trade sleep for the lights show for a while but we eventually did drift back off to sleep, only to be woken up at daybreak to the sounds of horses whinnying a few yards off. It was just like those old west movies! Much to our mutual amazement, Jessica gave two thumbs up to camping. Her only complaint was that the sleeping bags were too “Slide-y.”
Wall Drug 2
We couldn’t head out of town without Jon revisiting Wall Drug to collect on his promised “free coffee and doughnut” for veterans.
Ellsworth AFB
Quick stop at Ellsworth AFB to see the SoDak Air and Space Museum. While it is no Smithsonian, it did have a few interesting exhibits. Eisenhower’s B-25 from WWII and the B-1B were interesting, but the highlight was the missile silo training simulator. We decided to pass on the tour of the Air Base proper, figuring we have pretty well done that. The little we did see of the base made us both glad Jon never joined the Air Force, as a little SoDak goes a long way.
Flamingo is my co-pilot!
SoDak – Panning for flamingos!
Mt. Rushmore
Our first glimpse of Mt. Rushmore garnered the typical reaction of, “Oh. It’s not as big as I thought it would be.” Once we got a closer look, however, we did think it was pretty impressive.
Crazy Horse
Now this is going to be big. It’s only partially finished and we saw it from quite a ways off, and it was still huge. Come back in 2050 to see the final product; it’s bound to be impressive.
Carhenge
For those of you who thought the cars on a stake was weird, meet its older, even more deranged brother. Some people out in middle-of-nowhere Nebraska decided to stack old cars up to look like Stone Henge, and they did a pretty damn good job of it. We were still pondering the question WHY when we were stopped at the local grocery store by a local inquiring where we were from. He soon informed us that the WHY was the result of “a family reunion with a bunch of beer.” “Oh!” Jon replied, nodding his head in recognition. “I get it!”
Chimney Rock
Quick stop at an interesting landmark along the Oregon trail.
Nebraska Wine
We know, we know, we broke our own rule. But when we saw a Nebraska winery on the side of the road, good sense lost out to morbid curiosity. We decided that the blackberry dessert wine had potential (meaning that it could be adequate with a few more years of adjustments), the sparkling wine was “drinkable so long as you are desperately in need of a drink and have nothing else available”, and the sweet white – dubbed ‘a wine that bring paradise to the prairie and pairs well with Greek food’ and the semi-sweet red said to ‘pair good with Nebraska beef’ (their grammar, not ours) – were the most disgusting wines we have ever tasted. Move over Indiana; we have reached a new low!
Ft. Laramie
Last stop before calling it quits for the day. Ft. Laramie has served as a fur trading post, military base, and a stop on the pony express. Now, of course, it is just a tourist attraction, and one that the signs said would have been more famous if Mark Twain had been awake when he passed through instead of sound asleep as he passed through.
Did they really have Tabasco in the old west?
