Revolving Market: road trip

If I were to have asked you, "If you could choose one of the most beautiful places on earth to visit, where would it be?" You might list off the beaches of some island or the architecture of Paris or somewhere abroad, but I doubt Yellowstone would come up. Have I always wanted to go? Absolutely, a trip to Yellowstone would be unlike any other trip I have taken but I doubt it would have been my first response if someone had asked me that same question. Knowing what I know now, I should have visited long before. Find the time and go. It is honestly one of the most beautiful and unique places on this planet. Within the confines of the park there are many different types of wildlife and ecosystems. Mountains, mud bathes, geysers, prairie, forrest, lakes, rivers, volcanos, you name it Yellowstone most likely has it. Such a stunning place, I wish we would have had more time there but I will be back for camping/ hiking trip soon.

Enjoy!

Where has summer disappeared to? It seems only yesterday we were kicking off summer by celebrating Memorial Day. So many wonderful memories were made this summer with great friends. Along with creating unforgettable memories, I knew I had do something for myself. I decided the time had come for me to quit my job and pack my bags. I've always lived in the Midwest and after having aspirations of moving elsewhere for the past few years I decided it needed to happen sooner than later. Thankfully I was able to spend a couple weeks catching up with family and friends before my new adventure was to take place. A week before my departure I threw my back out, so my plans of moving to Boise were put on hold a few weeks as I tried to recuperate. I spent a majority of my time trying to sleep away the pain and I must admit I watched TV shows I never knew existed. With the help of lots of rest, time, and physical therapy I was able to get back on my feet. Slowly over the past couple of months my back has healed and middle of August I was able to begin my new adventure to Boise, Idaho.

For now I will recap our first couple of days on the road.

My mom loaded up my car with no room to spare and together we headed west for a 5 day road trip. From the rolling hills of Iowa, to the luscious trees of Minnesota, to the mountainous fields of hay in South Dakota we traveled. We made a stop at the Corn Palace of Mitchell, South Dakota, a city building decorated differently year after year in corn husks. I wouldn't necessarily call it a show stopper but interesting none the less. Worth a stop? If your in the area take a drive by, no need to leave the car. The unfortunate part is everything is tourist oriented and very tacky. We didn't have any luck finding any good places to eat.

After we visited the Corn Palace we made our way west a few more hundred miles before we decided it was time to turn in for the night due to a rain storm. We found lodging in the town of Rapid City, South Dakota which is about 25 miles from the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and Sturgis. We had planned on departing the week prior but my back wasn't ready to withstand the length of travel but it was a good thing as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was taking place. We arrived two days after the event had concluded and we saw many trailers and bikes heading home.

We woke up early the next morning, saw a bit of the town before heading out to Mount Rushmore. I can think of a few movies were the heads of Rushmore have taken part but until you actually see them in person you can not appreciate their beauty. The expanse of their size, life likeness, and accuracy at a time when this art form was done by using dynamite and hand chisels.

We finished touring the park and continued west, destination Cody, Wyoming. Our directions were quite direct, follow 90W. We could take the long way, 90W or we could take a short cut which would lead us into the scarcely populated dessert. During our drive we only saw one or two cars and a few ranches set back in the wilderness. I don't think I have ever been in such a desolate place that goes on for miles and miles. As you can imagine it was getting dark, we were getting hungry and tired and we didn't want to risk getting stranded in the middle of no where. The speed limits are high in this part of the country. We hadn't planned on stopping just making our way through the lonely dessert when we came upon a look out point. At the last minute we decided to stop so I slammed on my breaks and made the turn into the lookout area. If we had not stopped there was a very large buck with a massive rack standing a 100 yards down the road in prime position for us to hit him. Thankfully we decided to check out the views.