Still in Berkeley. Just got back from a delish meal at Fellini's for Jackie's bday. Earlier today I was treated to a delish meal of chicken and waffles at Brown Sugar. I love fried chicken always and forever! Last night we went to the Asian art museum for an exhibit on Japanese tattooing. They had tattoo artists doing tattoos live on the main floor. So weird. It made me want another tattoo. But not a Japanese one. Anyhow, where I left off...
So South Dakota was something else. After our rough night out we finally made it to the Badlands, the same place where the Babysitter's Club van broke down. We made it out trauma free. We saw some super cute prairie dogs (which, despite Tyson's claims otherwise, were here BEFORE horses) and some lovely views, did a couple of mini hikes and enjoyed our time outside of the car.
After the Badlands we went to Mount Rushmore! I'd heard it was "inspiring" and while I wouldn't go that far, it was definitely an interesting stop. It was both bigger and smaller than I anticipated, but the museum attached brought a patriotic tear to my eye. Or something like it...
Next stop was an unanticipated treat. A woman at Wall Drug told us we HAD to see Devil's Tower in Wyoming, so we decided to heed the kind stranger's advice. We arrived after dark. The roads were super windy and completely lined with deer and antelope. Very wild. We grabbed some dinner at a local bar where I ate unlimited tacos for $7 and Becca had a faux Caesar salad. We slept at a KOA and in the morning we were super glad we waited. Devil's Tower, featured prominently in Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, is huge and comes out of nowhere. We hiked a bit and checked out the Native American prayer bundles, adn kept on keeping on.
We stopped in Cody to eat at Irma's, Buffalo Bill's restaurant, caught a gun fight, and then continued on to Yellowstown. Once again we arrived after dark, but that actually allowed us to see more animals than we would have otherwise. As we drove through the park-- VERY cautiosly-- we nearly ran into multiple elk, a buffalo, and two lone wolves. The elk scared the shit out of me, as they were in the middle of the rode, and as many signs warned, many people are gored by elk every year! Yikes! Luckily, we made it through the park gore-free and checked into a hotel. The next day we drove through the park and saw all the sights-- Old Faithful, animals, elk exactly where I saw them 13 years ago, a beautiful lake, etc. It really is a beautiful place, which wasn't exactly a shock, but a nice non-disappointment.
Our next stop is something of an embarrassment. Maybe we went way out of the way to Missoula, Montana with the sole intent of getting in one last Cracker Barrel before all the Cracker Barrel's ran out.
Ok. I'm done for now. Have to watch P.S. I love you and then go out. More later.