Rapid City, SD

Is where I'm at right now. We got off I-90 today and saw some absolutely beautiful countryside. Found one of the best damn ice cream shops I've ever eaten at in Broadus, Montana. The Copper something-or-other Antiques and Ice Cream Shop. Great stuff, and they didn't skimp at all.

Stopped at Little Bighorn Battlefield. I didn't know they had markers up at the locations where they found the bodies of the Soldiers. So you have the main monument, and then you have marble headstones on the locations of where the different soldiers fell. Some headstones have names. Some just say "U.S. Soldier, 7th Cavalry" They have a National Cemetery there as well. Lots of headstones with just a name, and "Infant" or "Child" underneath it. Life on the frontier was harsh. These headstones are a glaring reminder of just what people endured over a century ago so that I could sit here four generations later and type on a computer in South Dakota.

We're taking things slow, turning this trip into a vacation instead of just traveling straight through. We purposely avoid any national restaurants or stores, staying completely local. We ate at the Firehouse Brewing Company tonight in Rapid City. The beer was OK, but the food was good. Drooled over some buffalo hides that I can't afford and couldn't fit into the already overpacked car in any case. Strolled around the historic area of Rapid City. They have bronze statues of the founding fathers at every corner of several blocks. You couldn't find that in California if you tried. The Ragin' Mrs. hasn't been out this way before, and she's a bit surprised at the way most people are actually proud of their country. She's still suffering from Puerto Rico. It's going to take us a while to recover from that place.

We'll be swinging South to hit St. Louis and pick up my truck from VPC before we head North. If I have the internet at the next hotel, I'll keep you updated. Till then!