Here Are the Photos- I'm an Idiot. Rushmore Continued.

Wow, I'm so lame. I just figured out why my photo upload wasn't working. There was a rogue video that probably came from my cellphone that didn't have a little play arrow on it. It looked just like a photo so I was trying to upload it with the photos. Every time I tried to upload again-even just one picture- I was using that same "photo". So, it works now! I'll get everything up-to-date tonight.

I said goodbye to Montana today. I'm in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho right now. I was going to stay in Spokane, but I couldn't find a decent hotel rate. I discovered why last night... NCAA tourney! Ahhhhh. That's why there are no hotel rooms open in March for a decent price. Tomorrow I finish my lone travels for a few weeks when I meet up with friends in Seattle- so exciting!

So to pick up where we left off... South Dakota. I finished with Mt. Rushmore, stopped in Keystone, and then headed back to Rapid Falls for a little bit before leaving for Billings, Mt. I said this in the title of my last post, but I didn't really explain- I think SD has possibly the nicest people in the country. Everywhere I went people smiled, said hello, and chatted with me happily. I passed a few people on the street in Rapid city and they all looked up, smiled, and said hi. Sorry Ashland, OH... but you have lost your self-given title of "World Headquarters of Nice People". I'm giving it to South Dakota.

As you saw last post, I was playing with one of those viewing machines and my camera. It only cost 25 cents, so I thought I'd do it for fun. Here's a close-up of President Lincoln. It's not a great picture, but you can get a better idea of the details of the sculpted rock.




Look at how perfect the weather was! I got so lucky.

This next video is just a little boring, but it gives you an idea of the layout of the monument.

Blah blah blah blah... :-) I sound so funny when I say things like "neat". I should start incorporating phrases like "gee wiz", "golly", and "gosh" into my regular vocabulary. Did I mention I sing in a punk rock band? So funny.

Next, I stopped in Historic Keystone. It's a really interesting town. It looks like a fake Disney town, though it really is very real and functioning (though, of course, made to cater to tourists). I stopped there to head to the post office, but it's so small that it closes for an hour for lunch. I arrived at 12:30-half hour till they opened back up- so I decided to walk around. I took a short video so you can see what I mean about the town.



Though I knew I shouldn't, I had to stop at the fudge shop, and I couldn't help purchasing just one turtle chocolate. I then headed out to a gift shop featuring crafts from around the north west. I think they made a mistake in their shop by displaying ALL of their items at once. They had every different piece of pottery of every type displayed in a massive, crazy mess. I had absolutely no idea what to purchase. There were hundreds of items. Even though some of the pottery was beautiful, when there are 20 very similar looking pieces sitting out in a group, nothing seems very special. But this was actually really good for me, because it kept me from purchasing anything.

Continuing a little way down the street, I passed by a taffy shop. I stopped to watch them run the taffy pull, and mix up a batch. I went in, and found all different flavors for sale, and then left with a half pound. It's excellent, but I've been pretty good about not eating it. I'm saving it for when I reach California to share with my mom, sister, and brother.

By the time I finished with these shops, the post office had opened back up. I headed over there, purchased a bunch of postage stamps, and sent some postcards. I left Keystone and returned to Rapid City to check out the town, and eat at a local restaurant. I read mostly good reviews about the Firehouse Brewing Company on Yelp, so I decided to check it out.


Here's a photo of the bar. Cute, right? Quite charming. You can see the fermentation tanks in the background.


Here I am with my waitress. I decided that I need more photos with people- even when I am traveling by myself. She was very nice and helpful.


Here's the photo of the outside- it's a good place. My food and beer review... this restaurant is not trying to be high-end gourmet cuisine for all the Yelp people who found little things to complain about. It's just good, down home, yummy comfort food. The special was chicken-fried Steak, and though this looked good, I went with the open-faced roast beef sandwich with brown gravy and mashed potatoes. I wasn't disappointed. It was just good food, good service, good atmosphere, and I recommend the place for those passing through Rapid City.

After lunch, I walked around to some of the shops. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I headed across the street to a boutique. I've been in several boutiques in a couple small towns, and I have to say that most of what I see is really similar. Many of them carry the Free People label that you often find in LA shops. There isn't anything wrong with this. Usually the places I've stopped carry cute things at a variety of prices. I always head to the sale rack. At this particular boutique, I tried on two dresses which couldn't have been more awful on me, but I found a shirt that I liked.

As I headed back to my car, feeling really good about my day, I noticed a flower shop advertising green carnations. I went in and bought one just for me because it made me happy.


Like my vase?

To finish out the day, I stopped in Deadwood before heading to Billings, Mt. The history there is pretty interesting, but since I'm already spending too much money on hotels, and buying things, I really don't need to be gambling away the rest. I headed to Billings, arrived sort of late, and just decided to call it a night.

Stay tuned for an update on my round-about ride to Bozeman.