Today started with a top off charge so that I could backtrack to do some sight-seeing.  The route to Mount Rushmore is full of tourist traps.  It was actually annoying to see all of advertisements for attractions and such on the way to Mount Rushmore.

There is a parking fee at the park, though it’s good for a year in case you want to return.  The faces on the monument are 60 feet tall, each.  The monument has a large walkway that is decorated with the names of the workers, a bust of the sculptor, and a pillar lined walkway that has each of the 50 states and year it entered the USA engraved on the pillars.  There is a large viewing area, a side viewing area, and it looks like an amphitheatre is being built is front and below the main viewing area.

After the monument, I took the scenic route winding North and bit West towards Deadwood.  Just after Hill City, I saw the Naked Winery and decided to stop for a tasting.  The entire winery is themed.  Naked Winery Shop List  My favorite was the red cab Penetration.  The Climax was pretty good, too.  There were some amusing decorations around the store and I grabbed a few pictures.

Next stop was Deadwood.  Deadwood is quite commercialized now.  You can see how the old town was setup in the modern layout and buildings.  I stopped in a wine tasting room and did a second tasting for the day.  I asked about food recommendations and was directed next door to The Nugget Saloon for pizza.  Their pizzas are named after various people / characters from the town’s past and the Deadwood show.  I ordered the Al Swearengen pizza and a local beer.

While eating, the bartender and I talked about The Badlands and his recent trip.  He showed me a video of him approaching a rattlesnake in the road (his girlfriend recorded it).  The snake did attempt to strike him and barely missed.  They move fast!  I found it interesting that he showed the video when I had dreamed of rattlesnakes the night before.

I returned to Rapid City to re-charge.  From there I drove East to Mitchell, South Dakota where I stayed in the car for the night.  On the way, I drove through a storm.  I grabbed a pic as I was chasing into the storm.

Miles: approximately 4300.

I took my time getting going this morning from the hotel.  I re-sorted the bags and areas of the car and checked the tire pressure again.

Most of today’s pictures are from scenery encountered on the drive at scenic view designated spots and rest stops.  I did attempt to visit a Meadery in Gillette, Wyoming but they were closed today, so it ended up being a day focused on travel and some downtime.  I stopped for the night in Rapid City, South Dakota.

I found a great deal on a hotel in Rapid City so I’m inside again for the night.  While eating dinner tonight, the bartender gave me a list of places to check out on the East coast. 🙂

Tomorrow’s plans include Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, possibly see if anything is going on in Sturgis, and maybe a wine tasting.

Miles: over 4,000 (I forgot to write it down before going into the hotel)

I woke up to low clouds partially covering the surrounding mountains.  I grabbed two pictures, one of the view and one of where I slept for the night.

Today’s truck stop shower was a bit of a backtrack, but not far.  After that, I stopped at Quiznos for a sandwich and then continued heading East on I-90.  I decided to stop in Bozeman and visit The Museum of the Rockies for the dinosaur exhibit.

While driving, I passed several peaks that had snow on them.  At one point I was high enough in elevation to briefly pass a small amount of snow on the ground.  I grabbed a few pictures of mountains in the distance with snow on the peaks.

I stopped for the night in Billings.  I needed to do laundry so I asked about using the facilities in the local hotel, The Big Horn Resort.  The woman working the front desk offered a discount on their lowest rate room if I would like to stay in the hotel, instead.  She also provided a coupon for a drink at The Montana Club across the parking lot.  I accepted the offer.  My laundry is drying as I type this from the hotel room. 🙂   The Montana Club had good food and a great bartender.  I showed him the free drink coupon and he offered a flight of 5 beers for the coupon.  He then selected five beers based on my preferences and I ended up liking them all.  Dinner was a small salad and a piece of lasagna.

Tomorrow I’ll be heading into Wyoming and possibly into South Dakota.  I opted to skip Yellowstone.  It’s too big to just go for an afternoon and I didn’t feel like spending several days there.  I will probably visit Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

Miles: 3696

Last night was windy.  I was parked in the first spot next to the electrical equipment shed for the SuperChargers.  The gates were padlocked, but the wind was blowing hard enough that they were squeaking occasionally as they slightly opened from the pressure.  As I walked into the Best Western to brush my teeth, I noticed they had Halloween decorations outside, including a scarecrow.  Behind my car was an empty parking lot with a lone semi parked for the night.  Beyond that, empty land.  It was a bit eerie. 🙂  The wind picked up as I started to drift off to sleep.  I felt the car rock a few times.

After a good night’s sleep, I left Ritzville and headed to the Petro just outside of Spokane for a shower.  That one had the best truck-stop shower facilities I’ve seen, yet.  I ate Subway while there and then picked up a black coffee.  The woman working the counter gave the coffee to me; thank you!

I looked online for sight-seeing around Spokane and decided on the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist.  I arrived to find a service in progress.  I had forgotten it was Sunday.  I spoke with a nice woman that worked there regarding my desire to see the Cathedral and take pictures.  She showed me other areas of the building and spoke of the history.  One of the rooms has a ‘labyrinth’ painted on the floor to use as a faith exercise.  I looked at it and noticed it’s not a labyrinth, rather a single winding path, but I kept my mouth shut. 🙂 The dark line is the path to walk.

I wandered around a bit, and looked out the windows.  I watched a guy going out for a smoke hold the apartment door open for a plump black and white cat to walk outside.   One of the conference rooms had a good view overlooking the city but my pic didn’t turn out so well.  I then listened to the organ play while the service completed.  Afterwards, I walked into the Cathedral to take a look around and get some pictures.

Spokane is quite hilly, with winding streets and older buildings.  After Spokane, I left for the SuperCharger in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  On the way to the SuperCharger, I found an interesting choice in the road signs.

While charging, I looked for points of interest around Coeur d’Alene.  I was in the narrow top part of Idaho, but I wanted to try to find at least one interesting spot in each state I hadn’t previously visited.  So, I found a structure that is marked as the oldest building in Idaho, located in Cataldo, Idaho… the Cataldo Mission.

After the Mission, I left Idaho for Superior, Montana.  I caught up with my friend Bill there.  Superior is a very small town; about 1000 people.  Everyone seems to know everyone else. We had dinner at the local restaurant / bar / casino and caught up on the years since we last saw each other.  There was a man sitting nearby at a casino machine listening in.  He cracked up several times and finally joined in a bit with our conversation. 🙂   Afterwards, I showed Bill the Tesla

Montana is in the Central time zone, so I added an hour when I entered the state.  I had a bit of fading sunlight remaining, so I drove onto the next SuperCharger in Missoula, Montana.  The speed limit through here is 80 mph, but you have plenty of wildlife to watch for so I prefer not to drive at night here.

This SuperCharger is also near a Best Western and Starbucks, so that worked out nicely for another night. 🙂  I didn’t do laundry today and I have one more day of clean clothes remaining so tomorrow is going to need to include a laundry stop.  I’m considering contacting someone I knew long ago that moved to Bozeman.  I found his phone number and will decide in the morning about calling him and arranging a visit.

Nice full moon tonight. 🙂

Miles: 3327.