Cody, WY

Left Buffalo around 8:30 after having a valve stem replaced on one of the trailer tires.  Praise God for providing a gas station with a garage!  Beautiful ride on the Cloud Peak Skyway.  We made it over the 9,677 ft. pass (Thank you Jim and Wendell)! The road continued thru Ten Sleep Canyon which had awesome views.  The ride to Cody continued thru the vast landscape of Wyoming.  Got to Cody around 12:45 and we stopped for the day at Absaroka Bay RV Resort.  Visited Buffalo Bill Dam and visitor center and then walked around town.  Stopped to see the Irma Hotel which was started by Buffalo Bill Cody.  Enjoyed the gun fight show out on the street outside the hotel.  Weather was beautiful today!  Yellowstone tomorrow!!

Buffalo, WY

Sunday we spent the day roaming the Black Hills.  Visited the towns of Keystone, Hill City and Deadwood with one last look at Mount Rushmore.
Today we were on the road once again travelling to Wyoming. Rain showers this morning.  We visited Devils Tower National Monument - a huge rock formation resembling a colossal stone tree stump.  Hiked the tower trail.  Saw deer and prairie dogs.  Continuing on thru the great plains with awesome views.  Arrived at Deer Park Campground in Buffalo Wyoming around 3:15 pm.  Time for a swim before heading into town.  One of the things there is the Occidental Hotel, a historic place from 1879 where some of the guests include Buffalo Bill Cody, Butch Cassidy and Teddy Roosevelt.  Enjoyed an ice cream social ($1 for 2 big scoops) back at the campground where we were able to share stories with fellow travellers.

Black Hills

Beautiful blue sky was a great back drop for Mount Rushmore, our first stop.  Enjoyed learning all about the monument and the amazing views!  Then we were off on the scenic roadways complete with twists, turns, narrow tunnels and awesome views.  Visited Custer State Park.  Drove the Wildlife Loop and saw pronghorns, prairie dogs, burros and buffalos wandering along the roadway.  The Needles Highway thru granite formations was very interesting.  So was the rain storm that came along, complete with hail.  We returned to Mount Rushmore after dinner for the evening lighting.

Rapid City, SD

We're here! 
Yesterday we spent the day travelling thru Iowa and Minnesota.  Corn fields everywhere and more wind turbines.  Iowa is the place where John Deere is headquartered (saw many pieces of equipment being transported on the highway) and where Meredith Wilson is from and which inspired the "Music Man" (one of Dottie's favorite musicals)  Stayed overnight at a very nice campground, Big Sioux Recreation Area near Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Today was all South Dakota!  The plains go on forever!  The sky surrounds you.  Visited Badlands National Park.  Amazing!  Enjoyed the many overlooks.  Hot, in the 90's.  Stopped at Wall Drug Store (just had to after all those billboards!), got our free glass of ice water.  Arrived at Happy Holiday RV Park in Rapid City around 6 pm (mountain time). 
So far it has been well worth the 1,777 mile drive!

Davenport, Iowa

We left home early Tuesday morning and made it to Buck Creek State Park near Dayton, OH. We had a great day of travel, going 478 miles. We had a nice camp site looking out over the lake and enjoyed our dinner, a walk and sitting out on our lawn chairs until dark.  Sorry, we missed the earthquake and I guess we'll miss the hurricane.
Today we were up early once again.  Travelled thru the rest of Ohio, thru Indiana and Illinois and are now in Davenport Iowa at Interstate RV Park.  Another great day of travel, although hotter today (mid 90's), and once again travelled 478 miles.  Passed thru an amazing amount of corn fields today!!  Was able to go for a swim once we got settled on our site.  Dinner, a walk around the campground and an opportunity to get online. 

The Start

This is the blog for Rich and Dottie's trip west.  We hope to update the blog on a regular basis to keep our family and friends informed of our adventures.