Day 5: Rapid City, SD to Gillette, Wyoming
So today was eventful. I saw 4 Presidents, an Indian Chief, a biker mecca, a cowboy shootout and an alien landing zone.
What is Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Sturgiss, Deadwood, Devils Tower.
Fun Fact: You can buy liquor in SD and WY at a gas station.
From Rapid City across to Devils Tower is the Black Hills. Once past Devils Tower the plains are back. I cant imagine being a settler crossing months of plains then facing the Black Hills Mountain range. It wasn’t the Rockies and bigger mountains are to come, but it must have been a sight.
The plains are just so vast. The corn fields of Missouri and Iowa diquise it now, but back then it would have extend from basically the Mississippi River all the way to what is now western Wyoming…or Denver further south.
Oh books. I listened to Glory Road by Robert Heinlein. And now I’m Stranger In A Strange Land…also by Heinlein. Will discuss later.
As I was coming into Gillette, I started to see oil wells. Those of you that have travelled out west know what I am talking about. I will try and snap some pictures. Basically, there probably 100s of thousands or small self contained oil wells on private lands throughout the west. The homeowners get some of the proceeds from these wells. I am well clear of the Bakken oil fields but it is intersting to see.
Oh, Sturgis. Those of you that dont know, Sturgis is the site of a HUGE biker (think Harley) rally/meetup. I stopped in Sturgis and they are already starting to setup. Here is the line up that i captured on the drive in.
PS My photos dont/cant do justice to the amazing landscapes that are hear. From the corn, to the plains, to the canyons, mountain passes, gullies. ITs just so amazing.
