July 28 - Mount Rushmore and the Badlands

On our way to Mount Rushmore Jason and I tried to name all four Presidents carved into the mountain. I don't remember who I suggested but Jason guessed JFK during a brief moment of insanity.

We got into the park for free through sneaky business. They only take cash at the entrance (even though there are no signs making this clear) and having none, the guard said we could pay on our way out. Fat Chance! Enjoying things for free makes them so much more... enjoyable.

Just trying to keep things classy. Sorry Abe, my b.

When I am the object of attention in a photograph I panic and either make some hideous face or thumbs it up. I really need to work on new poses. Jason seems to have no problem with finding his characters.

Besides tee pees and other displays they have old skeletons and animals furs and stuff. Kind of weird.

You can never see Teddy. Hes so bashful. I also have no idea who that girl is or why I took her picture.

This took forever to set up! Jason was standing tip-e-toe on a bench while I was laying on the ground mid sit-up. People had to step over me. Not an easy task but the results were worth it.

After bustin out of Rushmore we went to the Badlands National Park. On the way we found what resembled an enormous ant hill. For some reason we thought it would be a good idea to stop the car and get out to play on it.

He was preparing himself to run down the hill. He came really close to face planting and then I came really close to peeing my pants.

It wasn't easy to get at the right angle where we were both in the frame. I really like this picture minus the lock of frizz blowing in the wind.

The sky was so beautiful that day. It looked like that cloud printed wall paper you put in baby nurseries.

We made it to the park and I didn't know what to expect. I had heard from several people that we HAD to go to the Badlands. When I asked why they all just said it was really cool and I'd find out why.

This is one reason the Badlands are so cool. On a clear day you can see 30 miles. Standing on the rock ridges looking around, in one direction will be miles of more ridges intertwining and in the other direction will be grasslands. Its really beautiful.

We spent awhile walking along the ridges. The only way to describe walking/crawling along these ridges is to imagine walking on the walls of a maze instead of within the maze. If I had any kind of climbing experience or equipment I could have stayed out there for hours just seeing how far I could go without reaching a dead end. We climbed around for a good 25 minutes and never found an ending.

I really like this picture of Jason.

And from there we drove home. I know, you're thinking "Wait, I thought you were in South Dakota?" Well, yes, we were. But we both decided that it was time to go home. We had been on the road for just over four weeks. It was just time. We stocked up on some 5 hour energy shots and drove for over 24 hours straight.

We did stop at Wall Drug on the way, which might be the coolest place ever.

I really enjoyed this road trip. It came at a great time in my life and I'm so glad I had Jason to travel with. I can't imagine being able to sit in such close proximity's with another person for a month and be ok with that (most of the time). There were bad times and there were times I was a crazy crank but there were amazing times when we both realized we were doing and seeing things that we probably will never get to see again. The trip was inspiring and motivating. I encourage everyone to do the same whether its America or Europe or the entire planet! Adventure is intoxicating.

Thanks for reading about my travels. I hope you all enjoyed my little stories.