When we went to sleep last night, we were still warm from the fire and food. Seeing as it was only one night, I decided I might as well attempt to sleep on the ground. No air mattress, no pad, just me and my sleeping bag in a tent. Before going to bed, I added a base layer of clothing, knowing it was going to get cold. Scott Lee brought some extra clothes into the tent with him, but decided to sleep in a UCLA sweatshirt and basketball shorts. That's right, shorts. We both had sleeping bags rated at 55 degrees plus. The overnight low was 34 degrees.
The entire night was miserable. That's the only way to describe it. For six hours I don't remember ever being colder. I checked my phone almost every thirty minutes; I wanted nothing more than for morning to come so we could leave. I think I got a total of 90 minutes of sleep, not a single one worthwhile. When I was awake at 3am I heard a pack of wolves howling and hoped they'd come to camp and force us to depart. The only consolation was of the evening was the cold made the discomfort of sleeping on the ground unnoticeable.
We were supposed to leave camp at 6:15am. We woke up at 5:15am and both shivering decided the extra hour of pseudo-sleep wouldn't be worth it. After scurrying to the car to sit with the motor and heat running, we packed up and departed in record time. When packing up the tent, we noticed actual frost on it. With tired eyes and frozen hearts, we set out with nearly 10 hours of drive time in our future. Sigh.
Wyoming is pretty.
Even though I'm writing this in a hotel in Minneapolis right now, I'm exhausted from two long days which is good because it simulates how I would have written this on the actual day. Here is a short rundown:
It is our nation's birthday today and small towns across America, at least on our route, seemingly love their parades. We got stuck in two of what are surely the best attended parades today, one of which ruined our attempt to get pie for the first time. Yes you read that right, we have not had pie yet. Mike is angry at that fact. The first parade however didn't stop us from getting the best breakfast I've had in pretty much my entire life.
Linda's is the scene of the crime. The victim: three cups of coffee, a soda biscuit, eggs and a plate of corned beef hash. Suspect, Asian male, is at-large, presumed armed and dangerous.
Bad jokes come with fatigue. As we took turns sleeping and driving we arrive in Custer, SD for a designated stop at the Purple Pie Place. We get pie. Finally. Scott Lee gets the bumbleberry (apple, rhubarb, blueberry, raspberry) and I got the peach. After a night of freezing, the warmth of this pie makes it worth the wait. "This is ******* good pie," says Scott Lee. Nothing more needs to be said.
Could anything be more patriotic than Mount Rushmore on the Forth of July? In any case, the mountain is pretty interesting, albeit the fascinate runs short on time. I think we spent more time looking for parking than looking at the actual sculpture. Part of it is exhaustion, part of it is the mountain. There are no fireworks today due to the high threat of forest fires. We are happy to be leaving for Rapid City. If anyone is interested in making this judgment themselves, we have a parking pass good through December.
We find a McDonald's in Rapid City, use their internet (better than any coffee shop, trust me) and find an overpriced Quality Inn. Apparently all hotels in Rapid City are expensive, even when national holidays are in effect. We check-in, shower (truly amazing) and eat at a 50's diner located in the parking lot and serviced with lousy waitstaff before sleeping like it's going out of style. Tomorrow is another long day.
Meghann Glavin Highlight of the Day:
Scott Lee: Sleeping in shorts in near freezing weather…and surviving
Mike Ham: The heater in the car. And pie.
Tomorrow's Agenda:
Route: Rapid City > Wall > Mitchell > Sioux Falls > Minneapolis
Estimated Distance: 609 miles
Estimated Time: 9 hours, 32 minutes
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