Badlands and the presidents

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At this point Jim and I were really ready to go home. The heart of the trip was over and we were on our last ounce of energy. Traveling really takes a lot out of a person.

We left the hotel the next morning, and after a hardy breakfast, started on the long drive to Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore was a short stop. It took us about an hour and a half to see the mountain carving, and to go on a walking tour with a ranger along Presidential Trail. We got to see the originial model of Mount Rushmore that the artist used. Pretty cool.

Next we drove on to Badlands National Park. This is such a unique place. It's like a cut up Grand Canyon. There are peaks and valleys, vibrant colors, grassy meadows, and perfect sunsets. Driving through the Badlands, you really have to pinch yourself, it just doesn't seem real.

We stayed at the Badlands Inn. We were done with camping. The Inn was pretty basic, but we had our own private bathroom, a bed (!), ac, and a TV. Even though it only had 3 stations, it was so exciting to have any type of technology.

After leaving Badlands, Jim and I decided that we REALLY just wanted to go home. It was already the end of August, the pressure of school was weighing on us, we missed friends and family, and I missed our bed!

We drove the for the next 2 days straight toward home. We only took one detour. There were signs EVERYWHERE for Wall Drug. It advertised 5 cent coffee. We stopped. It was such a tourist trap, but the coffee was good!

When we got to Cohasset, the first thing we did was get a soft-serve at JJ's Dairy Hut. YUM! We missed that summer treat. After finishing our snack, we pulled into our drive way. Everything looked beautiful. The tomato plants were rising out the ground, the lawn was emmaculate, the waterfall was rushing down the rocks.. ah, there's no place like home.

We want to thank all of you for reading our blog. Thank you for taking part in our adventure with us. Our family and friends were in our hearts and minds throughout the entire trip. So again, thank you.

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Photos

GOATS
These mountain goats surrounded Rushmore

Wall Drug
cool little pit stop

Comments

[Cynthia]

Very very cool! "Badlands at sunset" is a really great picture. Hope school's going well so far this year!

[Joan and Ron Gilsonq]

Tour
Thanks Bethany for the great ride along with you across our great nation. Thanks to Helen we learned of your website and followed along closely. Have a good year. Joan and Ron