Day 49 - Deadwood, SD to Albert Lea, MN

Days on the road: 49.
Miles today: 562.
Miles to date: 11,123.


Disappointment, thy name is Deadwood, SD. I had high hopes that were far from met on my visit. It would seem as the only way to present American history to Americans is via a Disney filter. It was nothing like the HBO series of the same name.

I did, however, carve canyons in the Black Hills for the first part of the morning, but then it was onto the interstate to make miles. This was the most boring drive of my life. Fortunately, the ipod was loaded and I listened as the BBC's Melvyn Bragg lead discussions about The Indian Rebellion of 1857 and brain function and development in infants. So there. There will be no pictures today.

Day 48 - Livingston, MT to Deadwood, SD via Yellowstone and Wyoming.

Days on the road: 48.
Miles today: 595.
Miles to date: 10561.


OH.

MAH.

GAWD.



Yellowstone is pretty dang incredible. From mountains to lakes to rivers to creeks to curvy mountain passes to wildlife to elevation changes to snow and wind and rain and even a brief bit of sunshine. It was a great drive in a very special place. Temperatures were still cool (between the high 20's and low 50's), and the top stayed up, but I packed a lot into my brief visit as today was a long one on the road.



I left Montana, drifted across the high plains of Northern Wyoming, and entered South Dakota today, covering nearly 600 miles and crossing the 10,000 mile mark for the trip. The car has been a trooper - go buy an Audi - and my sanity has held up surprisingly well. Or so I believe...





After a climb to 8.530 ft via the Sylvan Pass, I exited Yellowstone (no Yogi, Boo-Boo, or picnic basket sightings), into Shoshone National Park and ran along the North Fork of the Shoshone river through Cody (as in Wild Bill) and through the Bighorn basin and into Big Horn National Park. The weather had cleared and the top was down for the first time since the Okanagan Valley. I crossed the Big Horn mountains via the Granite Pass - an entertaining set off switchbacks that climed to 9,033 ft - and kept the top down all the way across the rolling hills of Wyoming to my destination, Deadwood, SD.


I realized today, that as much as I would have liked company at some of my stops along the way, there is no way I could have done this trip with a companion. I came to this conclusion as I witnessed a young couple argue at a gas stop. It was a silly disagreement, but I'm sure the next few hours in their SUV was uncomfortable.