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As I mentioned at the end of the Day 2 pics, Rushmore on July 3rd and 4th was absolutely crazy! The park deployed incredible security measures, from metal detectors at the two entrances to posting national guard troops, such as this cheerful bloke, every 100 yards for several miles leading into and out of the park. So this is why we did not go back to the monument in the morning. It was rather ironic that we were one of the few cars exiting the park around 11:30 a.m. - and I felt bad for the long, LONG line of RV's and vans and buses backed up along the entrance roads. I hope they actually got to see the monument after traveling so far. |
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On the advice of Andy's friend John Hardy (who is a park ranger at Rushmore and graciously extended his hospitality to us on the night of July 2nd), we headed north to do a bit of hiking and sight-seeing. One day I'll look up what lake this is ... for now it should suffice you to know it's in the Black Hills :) |
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This is a view from our hike. We probably hiked for around 2 hours through ponderosa pines and aspens. The smell was wonderful! |
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Antother view of the Black Hills from our hike. |
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Whoopee!! NORTH DAKOTA AT LAST! :) This is Brad's new state # 6 and Andy's # 3. |
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Yea! North Dakota! |
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The first of many pics of North Dakota - to satisfy the desires of the millions (and I do mean millions!) of you out there who have never been to this state ... ha we've got one on you! :) |
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The SW corner of the state really is beautiful ... deserted, but beautiful. We arrived in the late afternoon, and didn't stop much because our final destination, Miles City Montana, lay several hundred miles west. But despite the overcast skies, you can see that southwest ND is not flat and treeless, but rather a combination of hills and mesas and a few trees and bushes. |
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Woah - civilization! |
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We stopped in Bowman to eat. Your typical small-town community, Bowman boasts a population of well over 1,000! |
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Hee hee - Christy Longe was our server at the resturant where we ate dinner, and I got her to take a picture with me. She was very nice to us, not to mention that she is cute, friendly, and eager to get out of Bowman! Guys - if you're ever out on a ND stormchasing trip, you'll have to look her up! I forget the name of the diner, but it's on the left as you come into Bowman from the west. |
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While driving around looking for a phone, Andy went crazy when he saw this license plate from Washington. Even more fascinating is where the vehicle was purchased from - you can't see the small print, but Andy assures me that it's from just down the road from his home. We stalked the occupants briefly (Andy gave himself 50/50 odds that he would know the owner personally), but gave up knowing that Miles City lay 2 more hours to our west (and it was already getting dark). |
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More North Dakota scenery ... this time headed west out of Bowman. |
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This one didnt turn out as expected, but you get the picture - ND isn't flat at all! |
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Yea! Another new state for Brad - number 7 on this trip! |