Lightning & Enchantment

Kaboom!

That's what we woke up to.  It seemed the weather that we were skirting along the past few days had found a home above our campsite.  It was still dark outside, so the lightning that came along with boom was extremely visible.

This is where a two pole tent is extremely helpful.  We've been through this before.  Cloudbursts and putting away camp in a matter of minutes is always a fun time.  Last time we did this though we had a tube on the top of the car that held extra items.  This trip with no tube, it was a game of tetrus with clothing, bedding and tents in the back seat with the dogs and kitchen, food and dog stuff in the back.

I was a bit nervous about the lighting and the tent poles, so before anything else, I went to the car and grabbed my work gloves.  Tom thought it was overkill, but better safe than sorry.  The poor dogs had no idea what was going on.  They were just watching us run around trying to strike the campsite before the heavy rain came.

We managed to complete our duties in record time.  We totally lost our rear view due to items piled in, but we would straighten that out later, away from the rain, we hoped...

We headed into town and at that point regretted we did not take our pictures of the South Dakota Capitol Building the day before in the sun.  As we drove by the capitol plotting our next move, I snapped the picture below as a drive-by.  Funny that it is one of my favorite shots.

South Dakota State Capitol

The rain was coming and going, so we took the opportunity to visit the Sinclair Dinosaur located down the hill from the capitol building.  Long a favorite of mine, I have been looking for a baseball cap with the original dino logo on it, not the running guy they have now.  I always look and never find.  Needless to say, it was great to have one standing alongside the road.

Click Click!

David & the Sinclair Dinosaur

Tom and the Sinclair Dinosaur

Still early, too early for the capitol, we headed for some breakfast at a local restaurant & coffee shop, Pier 347.  A nice little cafe with some great coffee.  We read the paper, looked at the internet and checked our route.

Around 8, we left the coffee store and headed to the capitol building.  If you take some time, you can press the link to their web site above the first picture to view everything about it.  They did a really good job with it.  As a matter of fact, there's links throughout my posts for more in depth information about our stops.

We parked to the right of the capitol grounds, a good distance away, especially in the rain, but it was the only parking available that we could see.  The dogs were let out to do their pee and poo.  Tom was going to try to straighten the car out as I headed across the lawn in the rain to check out the innards of this majestic building.

I had my capitol collection book in my back pocket.  In the back of the book they list where you can get your book stamped.  They had a few asterisks for more information and one of those was for SD.  The stamp was unmanned but could be found contacting Marla at 605-773-3688.  I called Marla, but found out that Marla no longer worked there.  So where was the stamp?  The Governor's office.  Sweet!

The rotunda was beautiful and the statues below it truly expressed the spirit that South Dakota believes in it's history and it's peoples.  I went up to the Governor's office and was greeted by a friendly woman sitting at a large desk.  I asked her for the stamp, which she gracefully pulled out of a drawer and, after checking the date, stamped it.  A pleasant short chat ensued asking where I was from, why North Dakota and the like.  I thanked her for her time and continued to look around.

The SD Rotunda

Wisdom

Vision

Integrity

Courage

The rain had subsided as I left the building and I found Tom and the dogs at the foot of the stairs.  Tom went in to use the restroom and it was a great opportunity to take a few shots of the exterior with the dogs.  They knew what to do and posed nicely.

Capitol Dogs in South Dakota

We headed out of the city, back on the side roads again, headed North toward North Dakota.  We were straddling the time zones between Mountain & Central, hugging the Missouri River.  Entering into North Dakota, we had to cross the river again as we headed into the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which itself straddles North and South Dakota.

Upon entering, we saw the signs for the Sitting Bull Monument and the Sacajawea Monument.

We are both fans of Lewis & Clark and their expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.  Add to that the grave and memorial of the great Chief Sitting Bull and the monolith celebrating the Shoshone woman who assisted the Corps of Discovery, it was a win win!

We got some gas at the native store on the reservation and continued on our way towards Regent, ND and the Enchanted Highway.  I heard about this 32 mile stretch of road going from Regent to Gladstone and I-94, the northernmost interstate highway in the US, from some of the brochures on North Dakota I ordered prior to our trip.

The artist responsible for this project is Gary Greff, a retired metal worker and school teacher who wanted to help Regent, a dying town in 1990.  He thought these sculptures would lure people to Regent while at the same time entertain people along the road to South Dakota.  Although we were headed North rather than South for which the sculptures were intended, they were still remarkable and truly great roadside attractions.

Upon entering Regent, we found the first attraction, a whirlygig located next to the gift shop.  There were also a number of other metal sculptures around the area.

Whirlygigs

I pushed the button, and the kids jumped on the bed, the grandmother scrubbed the young'ns in the bathtub, while Dad rocked in his chair and Mom baked some things in the oven.

We proceeded to the gift shop to check it out.  Tom has recently started collecting tin ornaments, so we picked one up showing the the Tin Family, seen below.  One last stop to the general store across the street for some ice and munchies and we were on our way.

We were not to sure what to expect, and after driving down the road a few miles, we were anxious to see the first sculpture.  Then here it was.  We saw the backs of the tin family first and learned that there would be a parking area for easy access.  They even had picnic tables with structures to protect one from rain or other harsh elements.

Tin Family

The Tin Family was the first sight erected in 1991.  Pa is 45' high and is help up by 16 telephone poles. Ma is 44' and the son is 23'.  All of the materials used have been repurposed or scrap.  The artist even leased the land from the local farmers with one of those $1 a year for 20 years with renewal options leases.

We took a lot of pictures, even looking up Ma's dress to see how the structures were made.  We all hopped back into the car and headed onto the empty road to the next sight, Teddy Rides Again, made in 1993.

Built as a tribute to Theodore Roosevelt and his importnance to North Dakota's history, it was made from used well pipe.  Teddy and his favorite horse, Mulley, is 51' tall and weighs over 9000 pounds.

Teddy Rides Again

To give you some perspective of our surroundings, here's a shot of our car in the middle of nowhere, ND.

The next structure, Pheasants on the Prairie, built in 1996.  The wire mesh Rusty Rooster stands 4 stories high and 70' long.  Along with his hen at 35' tall and 60' long and chicks standing 15' tall, it was quite an impressive sight.  They took 3 years to complete.

Pheasants on the Prairie

Chicks on the Prairie

Further down the road was the Fisherman's Dream sculpture.  This 3-dimensional structure is made out of tin and shows an underwater scene with seven fish including the 70' rainbow trout who has been caught by the tiny fisherman in the boat above the water line.

Fisherman's Dream

To the left of scene is a small boat which can be climbed onto for photo ops.

Land Ho!

To remind the passerby of the hardships farmers have overcome while making a living off the land, Grasshoppers in the Field was built in 1999.  Four stories high and 50 feet long, it was welded using old oil and well tanks.  It appeared that they lit up at night as along the whole structure there was tube lighting.  It must be an amazing sight to see all lit up.  There were a number of these structures in the field including some baby grasshoppers on large coils that one could ride.

Grasshoppers in the Field

The next shadow design, The Deer Family, was built in 2002.  Welded from old oil well tanks, it shows a buck, 75' tall, jumping over a fence with his doe, 50' tall, following behind.  The buck was so large that they had to cut off his front legs in order to fit through the streets of Regent upon installation.  They were welded back on site.

The Deer Family

Behind the Deer Family, there is, what appears to be, a human maze.  We had decided to forgo this oddity as we were anxious to see the final structure a few miles ahead.  Also, there was no treat at the end to find like a mouse has his cheese.

As we approached I-94, the final structure we were to see was Geese in Flight, built in 2001.  Standing eleven stories tall and 156' wide, it is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world.  Made of oil well  pipes and oil tanks, it stands as an enchantress to Regent, ND for drivers on the interstate.

Geese in Flight

Needless to say, if you find yourself in North Dakota, anywhere in ND, take the side trip and visit the Enchanted Highway.  It was certainly a highlight on this trip and, as a roadside attraction lover, a highlight of all I have seen.  Thank you, Gary Greff!

We hopped onto the highway, headed East towards Bismarck, the capitol city of ND.  It was roughly 90 miles away and the way they drive in ND, we would be there in about an hour.

It was getting later in the day and we would need to find a campsite.  We also were getting hungry after our travels along the road.  We searched the web for some campgrounds around Bismarck.  We located the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park and decided it met all of our needs.  There was still some daylight so we headed into the capitol to check out the area first.

We proceeded to find the capitol building and took the opportunity to play some ball and take a few pictures of the capitol with the dogs.  Most capitol building have sprawling lawns and North Dakota was one of those.  

First a few pics...

then the ball play!

We came all this way for this?

No domes here.  This would probably be the last time we would be near ND, at least anywhere in the near future, so it was a must do on my itinerary.  After the day we had, it was somewhat anticlimactic.  We appreciated the day and after the dogs got some water after their play, we headed for a bite to eat at the Blarney Stone Pub.  Good grub and friendly staff.

We picked up the car and the dogs from the parking structure and headed to our campground for the night.  We let Siri direct us and you'll never guess where she brought us.  Let's just say that if she says one more time "Walk to your destination" she was going to be put to death.  We eventually found the busy campground and set up camp.  We were along the Missouri River again and the dogs would have preferred to head to the water rather than heading into the tent, but it was not meant to be for them.  Tonight was for relaxing and preparing for the next day.  More of Bismarck and Fargo ahead.

Cheyenne and Off to the Dakotas

The weather held out for us the night before and we awoke refreshed and ready to hit Cheyenne's Capitol Building.  It was a fairly easy ride into the city, nothing like Denver.  It was fairly early in the morning so the streets were quiet and a parking space with our name on it was waiting to the East of the building.

We  parked our car at the same time that another car from Illinois parked behind us.  Those occupants, a father and son as they appeared, headed towards the capital as Tom took the dogs out of the car.

Directly across the street was a statue of a bison made out of bronze, weighing at bout 3,000 pounds.  It was screaming out looking for a dog to take it's picture with.  Who are we not to oblige?

Luther and the Bison Statue

We headed across the green lawns, still moist from the rains the day before and the morning dew.  My moccasins got drenched, again.  It was nice to see the state seal emblazoned on a sign at the front of the building.

At the front entrance stood two monuments.  One of Chief Washakie, Shoshone leader and Esther Hobart Morris, a pioneer of women's suffrage.  Both held their heads up high, honoring the "Spirit of Wyoming."

Chief Washakie

Esther Hobart Morris

The Great Seal of Wyoming is situated in front of the main steps.  One of my favorite things to see at a state capitol as they tend to define the state as a whole.

A few photos of dogs were taken...

and then a trip inside to see the rotunda.

I was surprised to see a square rotunda as I have never seen one before.  It fit the state and the building with it's muted blue hue background.

I stopped at the Visitor's Desk to get my book stamped.  They asked me to sign the visitor's book, which I did.  While signing I saw a most peculiar coincidence.  Above my name was the name of another Burbank.  What are the odds?  I wondered if they were the father and son I had seen earlier.

I took the stairs to check out the Senate and the House, passing the Governor's office along the way.  It was also suggested to check out the third floor's mural, which I did.  It was there that I saw the father and son exiting the room.

"Excuse me.  Your name wouldn't happen to be Burbank, is it?"

"Why, yes it is!" the father said as he gave a surprised look.

We chatted for a bit about how his daughter was coming to Wyoming for college in the Fall from Texas, where they live.  They were there scoping out Cheyenne.  Why the Illinois plates, I never did ask.  Possible relation, but I'll never no for sure.

I exited the building to find Tom and the dogs hanging on the grass.  He pointed out the Liberty Bell he found, winning the scavenger hunt for this state.  He took the time to use the rest room in the capitol building after learning where it was from me.  Using the restrooms at the capitols has also become a fun little game.

Our original plan was to head East towards Nebraska, but found 85 to be a relaxing drive that we continued North towards the Wyoming/South Dakota border.  There was talk about the Badlands, but we decided to head due East on Rt. 18 through the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

It's a nice drive and adds o the imagination how our country looked way back when...When the Bisons roamed and the Natives had land.

One must shouldn't should will at one point another, if going through South Dakota, reach Wall Drug.  I had been there a few times before and each time I get more turned off.  It's unique and it'a story is the american dream come true, at least capitalistically.  But it still is a tourist trap in the upmost form.

Anything you could ask for, ever, in a one block storefront. 

Wall Drug, Uggh!

We parked around the corner, away from the crowds and buses and found a nice shady spot under a tree.  A few PB&J's and some water for the dogs and a good stretch of the legs was necessary.

I walked over to the Drugstore and looked for some ice.  I asked 3 HB-2 visa kids for the location.  I was sent to 4 different areas.  Not once did I find any.  I did manage to snag a bumper sticker for free.  Only one per family, though

I headed back to the car as Tom took off to do his own thing for a few.  Not surprisingly, he was back in a few minutes, relieved and ready to go.  We stopped at a real store and picked up the ice needed.  Tom stowed it away in the cooler and we were off.

We took Rt. 14 towards Pierre.  A whole lot of nothing except for a few small towns along the way.  It was a great day for driving though.  The temperatures had been cooling off as we were headed North, the clouds were puffy and white, not that dark looming kind we had been skirting the past few days.

I was driving and looking at my phone checking mileage, timing, etc.  I was also looking at Roadside America checking on any unique attractions along the way.  I saw the Rodeo Champion Weathervane in Fort Pierre and new we had to make a stop.

Tom went looking for his phone, but couldn't find it.  Panic sets in for a brief moment.  I decide to use the Lost iPhone App to do a quick search and to test how well it actually works.  Uggh!  It showed my blue dot, the iPad's dot and Tom's dot miles apart from each other.  Not just a few, but over 100.  Did Tom leave his phone in Wall?  Do we really need to turn around?

I called the phone hoping that someone would answer.  We hear the ring in the bad of the car.  Whew!  That's a relief.  Stupid Siri, Again!!

With all of that drama, we found ourselves in Fort Pierre.  Before we even had a chance to look for Casey Tibbs, he found us.  "There it is!"  Car pulls over

 Click Click.  Click Click.

Rodeo Champion, Casey Tibbs, Weathervane

It actually still works.  Casey Tibbs rides with the prairie wind in any direction it blows.

Pretty cool!

Into Pierre we go, passing the capital building on our left (too late to go in) before turning around to the proposed camping area for the night, Oahe Downstream Recreation Area.

Located on the shore of the Missouri River, it was a beautiful campground.  We quickly set up camp and headed to the water to let the dogs do some swimming, the first time on this trip.

The dogs loved it.  At first I tossed the ball along the shore to get them going and to also check out the river's depth and speed.  Then a little more into the water.  Then a long toss into the water.  After 5 days in the car and deserts and mountains, these dogs needed some fresh water to clean themselves in. 

After about a 1/2 an hour of swimming, Tom decided to walk them back to our campsite to assist in the drying process as I headed towards the camp store to pick up some supplies.  They had a restaurant on site, but there selection of items to pick up up were corn chips, fried onions and Budweiser beer.  I picked up some more ice for the cooler and a few singles of Sierra Nevada that I scrounged up in some unforgotten area of the beer cooler.

Tom was preparing some grub on the Coleman stove as the dogs lounged on the grass.  What a life they have.  Sleep, eat, play, sleep, play, eat, sleep.

As the sun was getting near setting, and the bugs were looking for their meals, we all climbed into the tent for a few games of cribbage for us and a down time for the dogs.  As you can see, BuddyJack knows exactly where to go for comfort.

Tomorrow we would head to the capitol building and continue our journey due North to Bismarck with a small detour towards the Enchanted Highway.

Coney Island Hot Dogs in Colorado

I awoke early.  Early enough to see the sun rise and the moon setting.  Our neighbors never did return, nor did we see any changes in the other sites since last night.

Tom made some coffee while I checked out the facilities for showers.  They were clean but took quarters.  Oops!  No quarters.  I walked over to the office where they said on a sign that they had change.  Oops!  Office closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Back to Tom and the dogs.

Coffee was done and Tom had begun to strike the tent on his own.  Not an easy fete.  Our tent is big, but also only has two poles, 3 if you count the rain fly.  The unpoling is not so hard, but the folding it up is.  There is always the trapped air to deal with and then trying to fit into it's bag is even worse.

Fortunately, Tom got an old travel bag which, fairly, comfortably fit the tent, poles, rain fly and stakes.  The air bubble still was always an issue.  We'd try one way to fold it one day and then try a different way the next.  Today was the tri-fold with all windows and doors open.  Workable.

As I mentioned, we were just across the dry lake bed from the Great Sand Dune National Park.  We looked on the map and were able to make a left pass the empty ranger station and drive directly towards this sandy expanse.  It was early so we took lots of pictures from the road before finally reaching the National Park Headquarters for the park.

There were a number of displays in the Visitors Center.  The one that I liked the most was a classic paper maché model of the park, seen below.  It explained how the winds picked up the sands from the mountains and blew them down onto the ground below causing a great, ever-changing, sand dune forming and reforming for eons.

We exited the Visitors Center and headed towards the dune.  The dogs were both very excited and we could hardly keep them in the car when we opened up their door.  We were able to put on their leashes and grab the camera before being yanked down the path heading towards the sand.

As most coastal dogs, BuddyJack and Luther love the beach.  All we have to do is say the word, B-e-a-c-h and they start to jump around, heading to the door and whining with anticipation.  Seeing all this sand was so similar.

I released Luther with his leash still attached while Tom held onto BJ.  "Let him go!"  "They have no where to go."  BJ was released and they ran.  Ran around and around, chasing each other, their leashes and us.  It was a great release of energy in a foreign land with hardly anybody in sight.

There were no ORV's in the park.  There was hiking and sledding.  The picture below gives you some perspective.  Those tiny dots at the base of the dune are people.  There were some hiking up the dune for pleasure (I guess) and others carrying sleds.  I would imagine that it would be a lot of laughing as you are sliding down that hill.  I would be a tad careful of road rash though.

We began to head back to the car when BJ & Lu found a fun hole to jump in and explore.

an iPhone panorama

Back into the car we all went, leaving the Great Sand Dune.  We stopped at the General Store to pick up some ice and some water.  Upon coming out, there was a hubbub happening behind me.  Come to find out, a doe and her fawn sauntering through the parking lot.  Coming from Los Osos, deer are always around us.  Heck, just before we left, one cut us off on the street while we were walking towards downtown Baywood.  For other families, though, it was quite a sight to see.  Mothers were pointing them out to there kids, cameras in hand, clicking away.  It was nice.

We headed back towards Rt. 285, cutting through a green valley with mountains on either side of us.  I was expecting sharp turns, steep hills and slopes, but found a very gentle drive.  It was quite, well paved and mostly deserted.  Great for driving.

We did have to go over just a few passes as we headed towards Denver to check out the capital.  The woods closed in on us as we went through them.  It was getting near lunch time and the dogs had barely been sleeping as they were more into the smells of the woods.

Just over our last pass on 285, we approached Bailey, CO and I saw a hot dog stand.  Not just a stand, but the Coney Island Boardwalk hot dog stand.  The building, shaped like a hot dog, really stuck out from the forest green of it's surroundings.  It sat next to a rapidly running stream with tall trees offering shade along a few picnic benches.  Tom and the dogs found a spot at one of the benches while I went inside and ordered some dogs inside the big dog.

While waiting for the dogs, as there was a long line looking for food, I found Tom and the dogs still hanging under the shade.  The dogs had already and checked out the water and patiently waiting for my return.  I treated them to a few dog treats that were offered at the order counter.

I went back in and waited for my number to be called.  "96!"  That's me.  Two dogs, some fries and a root beer.  I brought the order outside and gobbled them down with Tom.  The dogs even got a few extra biscuits from a few people walking by.  Great stop!

We continued over on 285 towards Denver approaching the city and relying on Siri to direct us.  Zipping along highways now, we approached the city and it's capital in the afternoon.  Much to our dismay, the capitol building was under renovation.  It's dome was under wraps.

We parked the car, took the dogs out and proceeded through the blazing temperatures towards the capitol grounds.  There was a fair amount of shade from trees, which the dogs gravitated towards.  There was also the trail of squirrels, a standard of capitol grounds, which the dogs followed with noses to the ground.  We saw the Liberty Bell and a few monuments on the back side of the building, but everything was blocked off with caution tape and fencing.

Tom stayed with the dogs as I proceeded inside.  It wasn't as easy as others as this capitol building had metal detectors and security.  Surprising to say, at the capitals we have visited, this had never been an issue.  I followed the directions, emptying my pockets and proceeding through the security line.

Again, I headed towards the rotunda.  I was pleased that there was still some lighting on their ivory rotunda.  The whole building had a bright ivory/golden look.

We left the capitol building and talked about visiting the bar that Tom's brother Kevin frequented before he passed away a few years back.  Back to Siri and her great directions.  Tom put in the name of the place and we were directed 40 blocks North.  We were being directed through some neighborhoods and then not so great neighborhoods until we landed at the destination, Buffalo Bills.

It was still pretty hot so we went around the block once before finding a spot behind the building.  As we drove in, a "gentleman" asked if we needed "anything."  Uh, "no."  We opened the windows so the dogs would be able to stand it for a few minutes.  Only a few, though.  It was hot.

We approached the back door and it was locked.  We went to the front and were told that the "man" will be back in a few minutes.  Tom peered inside and realized this was not the place he thought it was. Good!  Back to the car.  Back to Siri.  We never found the right Buffalo Bill's.  We'll have to cheers Kevin at Buffalo Bill's on another visit.

We left Denver with the option of taking I-25 or a Rt. 85.  It was getting later in the day and felt that 25 would bring us to our destination of Cheyenne quicker.  We hopped on the highway and decided to turn off onto the secondary road after a few exits.  The fast pace and crowds were shackling our buzz.

We followed Rt. 85 north until reaching Cheyenne.  We learned fairly quickly that this was the week of Frontier Days, an annual blowout in Cheyenne.  I searched the web for a campsite while Tom drove.  I found one that had a site available after calling the campground.

We headed toward the A. B. Campground.  It seemed great with a BBQ, shaded areas, showers, etc.  When we arrived, they were quite busy.  I asked to take a look at the available spots.  I am glad I did.  They were getting ready for their Frontier Days and had spaced out campsites 10'x14'.  Our tent is 10x12.  We would have no room to do anything.  On top of that, the "tent area" was placed on the dog walk area.  Uh, no thank you.

We decided to head to Curt Gowdy State Park on the other side of Cheyenne.  It was late so a phone call would not work so we headed west and took our chances.  We loaded Siri up and off we went.  Siri led us through the city and then down this road which led to another road which led to no where.  "You have reached your destination, no walk."  What?!?

We turned around, eventually finding the road to Curt Gowdy SP.  It was certainly out there.  Miles down a dirt road.  But when we got there...It Was Wonderful!

A huge lake with camping sites jutting out into the water.  Tranquility at it's best, except for the bugs.  Lots of bugs!  Due to the  time of day, they did not seem like the biting kind, yet.  Still water meant that the mosquitos would be out soon enough.

We set up camp on the ridge of one of the outcroppings.  We had been skirting weather all day but it seemed to have kept to the South of us.  The best thing about our tent was that it gave us all some room to move around.  We have the blow up mattress, two chairs, our kitchen box which served as a table and a few other items to pass the night such as our solar light ball and cribbage board.  This tent has been very useful in buggy areas.  Once at camp, we never had to go outside.

Tom prepared some dinner as I took the dogs for a quick walk.  There were some click clicks with camera and iPhone (to GPS the photos) of the lake and setting sun on the lake and then into the tent we went.  A few games of cribbage and we were done.

Tomorrow we would be the start of the Dakotas after visiting the capitol.  Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs come in the tent.