Whew! I have arrived back in Nashville after a few really long days of driving. The last day and a half has just been driving through parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa in an attempt to get home as quickly as possible. Prior to that, we had a little more sightseeing to do.
After leaving Billings, we headed toward Deadwood, South Dakota for Devils Tower, The Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, and some casino play. We both won a little cash at the casino which made for a fun evening. Deadwood is a neat, little town that has a very historic feel to it. Devils Tower was an interesting little stop along the way, complete with a prairie dog colony — so adorable! Mt. Rushmore was a cool site. To be honest, I’m not a huge history fan so it was never something on my list of places to see. But, I’m glad I did. It was way cooler in person than in any photo I’ve ever seen. We also happened upon some bighorn sheep which added to our wildlife count!
Yesterday we stopped at Wall Drug. It’s unique in it’s own kind of way! A series of little stores, — mostly quirky gift/souvenir shops — plus 5 cent coffee and a hoppin’ ice cream parlor. We were stopped there a little longer than planned, but still decided to detour through Badlands National Park. It made for a long day of driving, but I’m so glad I got to see it. Beautiful formations with a perfect blue sky backdrop. The temperature was 101 that day — we surely weren’t in Alaska anymore!
I’m not sure I can easily wrap up the trip until I’m a little more rested and decompressed from it, but here goes: if given the opportunity to see new parts of the world, take it. Even if Yukon, Canada isn’t on your “must-see” list, see it. I had an absolute blast and am so glad that the timing and everything worked out to allow me to ride along 4500 miles from Anchorage, Alaska to Nashville, Tennessee. Funny moments, animals in their natural habitat, and a very quirky cast of characters along the way all contributed to a trip that will stick with me for a long, long time.
I’ll post more photos, but here’s a handful from the last few days:
