Spent Memorial Day by taking two of the most scenic drives that you can take in this country. We started off by taking route 385 North out of Hill City, SD. This winds through the Black Hills which are just incredibly beautiful. It is such a pristine area.
We followed 385 all the way to I-90 west. we stayed on 90 west until Buffalo, WY. From Buffalo, we took 16 west into the Bighorn Mountains. Spectacular drive, particularly in May, because there is still plenty of snow capping the mountains. We crossed a pass at 9600 feet.
Saw plenty of antelopes roaming in Wyoming.
Arrived in Cody, WY and ate at the Irma Hotel. This hotel was opened in 1902 by Buffalo Bill Cody. They have an all you can eat Prime Rib buffet. Plenty of other items were on the buffet as well.
Off to Yellowstone tomorrow.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
From Mitchell to Hill City
Much shorter travel day. We decided to drive through the Badlands again. This is one place that you either love or hate. We found several prairie dogs and almost ran over one actually. The below was pretty close to the road. They actually have signs posted to "Beware of the prairie dogs as they have been tested positive for the plague. This can be passed on to humans through animal bites and/or bites from fleas." I forget the exact type of plague they tested positive for but I wasnt going to test the hypothesis of it being able to be passed to humans.
After we checked into our hotel in Hill City, my brother and I headed off to see Mt. Rushmore. We got there around 4:00 p.m. local time. This put the sun pretty close to over the monument. Therefore, it was tough to get a proper exposure of sky and stone. But, the below isnt too bad.
One of the last large mammals of the continental US that I have been trying to find and get a photo has been a mountain goat. Who knew all I needed to do was to look at Washington's shoulder?
After we checked into our hotel in Hill City, my brother and I headed off to see Mt. Rushmore. We got there around 4:00 p.m. local time. This put the sun pretty close to over the monument. Therefore, it was tough to get a proper exposure of sky and stone. But, the below isnt too bad.
One of the last large mammals of the continental US that I have been trying to find and get a photo has been a mountain goat. Who knew all I needed to do was to look at Washington's shoulder?
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Are we there yet?
Today was a loooooooooooong day. Spent 11 hours in the car. And, it was hot. One bank sign listed in as 95 degrees out when we stopped for gas in Blue Moon, SD.
The deer population along I-90 has certainly taken a hit...literally. We saw 5 deer that were hit. Also, one dead badger was spotted. In the middle of nowhere, we saw an "Eat at Joe's" sign. We wondered if they were collecting the road kill.
We did see some interesting sites though while traveling. We saw what appear to be beaver dens in South Dakota. They were all over these marsh areas. There were several wind farms as well.
Then, there was the giant bull head and horns.
We saw our first Wall Drug sign in Minnesota. From this point out, we expect to see hundreds of them.
The deer population along I-90 has certainly taken a hit...literally. We saw 5 deer that were hit. Also, one dead badger was spotted. In the middle of nowhere, we saw an "Eat at Joe's" sign. We wondered if they were collecting the road kill.
We did see some interesting sites though while traveling. We saw what appear to be beaver dens in South Dakota. They were all over these marsh areas. There were several wind farms as well.
Then, there was the giant bull head and horns.
We saw our first Wall Drug sign in Minnesota. From this point out, we expect to see hundreds of them.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Rockford, Illinois and the Jackie attack
Drive to Rockford was uneventful. Arrived in 4 hours. Checked into the hotel and decided to go to dinner....
We went to a place called Thunder Bay Grill which we had been to before. This time, we had the most annoying waitress ever. Her name was Jackie. She had the most annoying, whiny sounding voice. And she just kept talking. My brother, knowing that I was losing my mind, kept encouraging her to talk. He even said he liked her voice.
I swear she must have come to our table every 2 minutes. Horrible. It was like fingernails on a blackboard.
Food was good though.
Off to Mitchell, South Dakota tomorrow. I believe it is the home of the legendary Corn Palace.
We went to a place called Thunder Bay Grill which we had been to before. This time, we had the most annoying waitress ever. Her name was Jackie. She had the most annoying, whiny sounding voice. And she just kept talking. My brother, knowing that I was losing my mind, kept encouraging her to talk. He even said he liked her voice.
I swear she must have come to our table every 2 minutes. Horrible. It was like fingernails on a blackboard.
Food was good though.
Off to Mitchell, South Dakota tomorrow. I believe it is the home of the legendary Corn Palace.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Camera equipment
Taking along 3 DSLR cameras, 5 lenses ranging from a 18-55 mm to a super telephoto 2700 mm, along with a tripod.
All the camera equipment requires 3 bags by itself.
You may feel free to visit my FLICKR site to see other photos I have taken from past trips. Most are landscape shots taken from some of the national parks of the United States.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mambooman/
All the camera equipment requires 3 bags by itself.
You may feel free to visit my FLICKR site to see other photos I have taken from past trips. Most are landscape shots taken from some of the national parks of the United States.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mambooman/
Trip preparations
5/25/10 - Started packing today and constantly watching the weather. On 5/24, parts of Yellowstone National Park, received measurable accumulation of snow. I am destined to arrive there on 6/1/10. So, hopefully it will be melted before we get there.
I expect the actual mileage of the trip to be about 5000 road miles.
We depart on 5/28. Our first destination will be a stay over in Rockford, Illinois.
I expect the actual mileage of the trip to be about 5000 road miles.
We depart on 5/28. Our first destination will be a stay over in Rockford, Illinois.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
