Saints Super Summer Sojourn Across the States - Day 4

Recovered from their taxing 14 hour, 1000 mile day yesterday, Jon in Wherever and Former Hollywood Saint finally take the time to hit up some tourist attractions as they leave the mid-west for the wild west. FHS has finally stolen the laptop to write this one.

Day 4

So today was the day of the touristy stuff.  Cameras dangling from our necks, we trudged on to Mount Rushmore National Park.  Bets were already flying as to who actually were the people carved on the side of a hill, with only Washington and Lincoln the definites.  A lucky guess by myself proved right with Jefferson being the third, and thanks to the trail information points we soon found out the last (and unlucky one at the back) is Roosevelt.  Timings were done perfectly as we found out soon enough when we were leaving we must have passed a thousand tourists as opposed to the few we saw when we first arrived.

Jon in Wherever and Bernie, and several presidents

So onwards and westwards as we made our way to the Wyoming border then to the Devils Tower National Monument.  The Devils Tower was the first national monument in the country and to be frank, is only usually remembered for one thing:  The big rock thing in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".  The hope of running into lots of American loonies with tin hats on looking for Elvis soon evaporated and we made our way from the trail to the rock itself.

Now we're getting in to the wild west!

We decided as the heat was now scorching, to take the necessary photos for MK Al and missus and then scarper back to the truck where drinks were waiting.  A quick trip into the tourist info found out some rather interesting things about the rock itself.  Basically it is a similar rock formation to the Giants Causeway, but only a tower that is about 350-400feet tall.  Also insane climbers(about 50,000 per year) climb the thing, annoying the local Indians in the process as they believe it is sacred.

Former Hollywood Saint and Bernie looking forthe mashed potatoes

After leaving Devils Tower, we headed for the Montana nightspot we had planned. Unbeknownst to us both, we actually travelled through the valley of the Little Bighorn, of General Custer and Sitting Bull fame.  We would have loved to find out more in the area but sadly it was to the rest stop for the night.  We would charge our cameras for the next titanic day of touristy stuff in Yellowstone National Park.

Entering Montana, our last state of the day.

Distance travelled: 2570 miles.

States visited: 15 - ME, NH, MA, NY, PA, OH, IN, MI, IL, WI,MN, IA, SD, Wyoming (WY), Montana (MT).