Just gotta stop now -- this is Bear Country!
The doom of dreary weather this morning made way to layers of lovely fluffy clouds and wide swatches of sunshine. It did rain again later in the afternoon, but not persistently.
I had a hearty continental breakfast at the motel -- there were donuts and coffee, muffins, cereal, fruit, tea, jam, milk, juice, eggs, biscuits and this weird white gravy. White gravy on biscuits and eggs leaves a lot to be desired. But the biscuits were excellent, especially the cinnamon variation.
I left very late, like 10:30 local time. I'd been given a big free tourist guide at the desk and I went through it looking for zoos. The only two on my route that I can see are also very heavily advertised on billboards on I90. Not the least bit subtle, not like I could miss them or anything. Bear Country and Reptile Gardens. So I planned to visit both.
On the way I reached exit 131 where I expected to find US 377 which would take me to US 44 and through the badlands. Instead I found the Badlands national park entrance and someone requesting a $15 fee. I went back to I90. I like the scenery along I90 just fine and I wanted to get to US 16 and the zoos before they closed. This way I drove through Rapid City and took a picture of a R2D2 mailbox. The pictures I've been taking of the landscape while tooling along at 75 mph haven't been coming out too well. I guess I'll have to stop more often. I did stop a few times at rest areas, which didn't help me get to Bear Country any faster.
I went to Bear Country first. They have hoofstock. I thought I arrived just before they closed, but somewhere on I90 I entered a new time zone. So they let me in. 8-) Bear Country is a drive-through zoo and you are told to keep your windows closed and to not feed the critters. It was raining off and on, mostly on. That meant I had few cars riding my bumper, but it also meant I had to aim my camera between the raindrops on my windshield and side windows. This zoo is built on the side of a hill so the roads were very windy and steep. I turned off my engine to avoid overheating and discovered that with the engine off my brakes didn't work too well. The enclosures were grassy and pretty big. There were cattle grids at the gates between enclosures, though I don't know how that kept the wolves and butter-ball-bears from moving next door into the hoofstock exhibits. They had elk, reindeer, bighorns, dall sheep, bison and mountain goats. There was also a walk-by section with otters, foxes, lynx, bobcats, grizz, skunk and porcupine. In the souvenir store I got to chatting with one of the staff and talked shop. I then fetched my laptop to show her a selection of the critters I work with. By the time I left the Reptile Gardens were closed. I went into the souvenir boutique there anyway and again I found people to bug while I picked up a coffee mug for my coworker back home. I didn't expect to go back during opening hours.
Turns out Mnt Rushmore was just down the road, practically on my way. So I took the detour. It was late, like 7pm Mountain, and I was almost the only person there. I skipped the parking lot and just drove around the mountain, pulling over to take a myriad of pictures of rocks, hand sculpted and just au naturel. One chunk of rock "behind" Mount Rushmore was a bit more au naturel than the others. On the way back down I stopped by a trio of blacktail/mule deer browsing on forbs alongside the road in the failing light. The grade was steep and the speed limit 30 mph so I braked most of the way down. The brakes chattered rhythmically. Will they survive the Rockies? Will my tires catch fire?
I poked my nose into several motels in the small town below Rushmore. I finally found one with an ethernet cable so I can use their internet service. The room is about $15 more than a better deal down the road and no breakfast. I skipped supper as I don't feel like going to a restaurant and now it's very late again. Goodnight.
I had a hearty continental breakfast at the motel -- there were donuts and coffee, muffins, cereal, fruit, tea, jam, milk, juice, eggs, biscuits and this weird white gravy. White gravy on biscuits and eggs leaves a lot to be desired. But the biscuits were excellent, especially the cinnamon variation.
I left very late, like 10:30 local time. I'd been given a big free tourist guide at the desk and I went through it looking for zoos. The only two on my route that I can see are also very heavily advertised on billboards on I90. Not the least bit subtle, not like I could miss them or anything. Bear Country and Reptile Gardens. So I planned to visit both.
On the way I reached exit 131 where I expected to find US 377 which would take me to US 44 and through the badlands. Instead I found the Badlands national park entrance and someone requesting a $15 fee. I went back to I90. I like the scenery along I90 just fine and I wanted to get to US 16 and the zoos before they closed. This way I drove through Rapid City and took a picture of a R2D2 mailbox. The pictures I've been taking of the landscape while tooling along at 75 mph haven't been coming out too well. I guess I'll have to stop more often. I did stop a few times at rest areas, which didn't help me get to Bear Country any faster.
I went to Bear Country first. They have hoofstock. I thought I arrived just before they closed, but somewhere on I90 I entered a new time zone. So they let me in. 8-) Bear Country is a drive-through zoo and you are told to keep your windows closed and to not feed the critters. It was raining off and on, mostly on. That meant I had few cars riding my bumper, but it also meant I had to aim my camera between the raindrops on my windshield and side windows. This zoo is built on the side of a hill so the roads were very windy and steep. I turned off my engine to avoid overheating and discovered that with the engine off my brakes didn't work too well. The enclosures were grassy and pretty big. There were cattle grids at the gates between enclosures, though I don't know how that kept the wolves and butter-ball-bears from moving next door into the hoofstock exhibits. They had elk, reindeer, bighorns, dall sheep, bison and mountain goats. There was also a walk-by section with otters, foxes, lynx, bobcats, grizz, skunk and porcupine. In the souvenir store I got to chatting with one of the staff and talked shop. I then fetched my laptop to show her a selection of the critters I work with. By the time I left the Reptile Gardens were closed. I went into the souvenir boutique there anyway and again I found people to bug while I picked up a coffee mug for my coworker back home. I didn't expect to go back during opening hours.
Turns out Mnt Rushmore was just down the road, practically on my way. So I took the detour. It was late, like 7pm Mountain, and I was almost the only person there. I skipped the parking lot and just drove around the mountain, pulling over to take a myriad of pictures of rocks, hand sculpted and just au naturel. One chunk of rock "behind" Mount Rushmore was a bit more au naturel than the others. On the way back down I stopped by a trio of blacktail/mule deer browsing on forbs alongside the road in the failing light. The grade was steep and the speed limit 30 mph so I braked most of the way down. The brakes chattered rhythmically. Will they survive the Rockies? Will my tires catch fire?
I poked my nose into several motels in the small town below Rushmore. I finally found one with an ethernet cable so I can use their internet service. The room is about $15 more than a better deal down the road and no breakfast. I skipped supper as I don't feel like going to a restaurant and now it's very late again. Goodnight.