Author Topic: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020  (Read 26064 times)

Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #40 on: August 30, 2020, 12:05:11 AM »
Lol, nice! Did you make it to SD that day? The main storyline goes unanswered...

I did make it to Sioux Falls, SD that night. It's at the end of the previous post.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #41 on: August 30, 2020, 12:16:27 AM »
I did make it to Sioux Falls, SD that night. It's at the end of the previous post.
Oops, I missed that line. My apologies.

Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #42 on: August 30, 2020, 12:29:24 AM »
Day 4. I do NOT like Candlewood Suites. They don’t have breakfast, and the layout is weird - small bathroom, no sink in bathroom. I may come again only when I need to do laundry, as they have complimentary laundry services available for guests.

COVID doesn’t seem to exist much here. No sign about masks at the hotel. Just sneeze into your elbow, please.


Short Zoom meeting with colleagues in the morning, and then headed out. Just me, Fezzik, and the I-90. Before I got on the highway, though, I stopped for gas and windshield cleaner wipes. The carwash just did not do the job. Lots of bugs were leaving their mark!

I decided to take the advice of @Kobe bryent and stop at the World’s Only Corn Palace (mostly because I’m trying to get myself to slow down and enjoy more of the sights, and maybe not stick exactly to my schedule. Also, I was starting to get really tired. More on this later).
 


It’s mostly just corn mosaics and corn gift shops! Corny jokes abound.







I wouldn’t say it was a-maize-ing, but shucks if I didn’t enjoy it just a little.

Some unhappy livestock…





And then it was a few hours to Badlands National Park. I settled in.

Some nice views…




Heading into Mountain Time!


And finally arrived at Badlands National Park a few hours before sunset. I opted for the National Park Annual Pass for $80, as opposed to a day pass for $35. I should able to use the Annual Pass a nice amount on this trip.

Badlands is otherworldly….I got out my “real” camera for much of the park, so I don’t have too much to upload just yet (don’t have an sd card reader for my new laptop). That will have to wait until I return to NYC.

Right after the NorthEast park entrance…



Near the visitor center..






I chose to drive through the park and not hike, since I was short on time and tired too. I did stop at the Fossil Viewpoint…







And Pinnacle Point for sunset…





...where I met those fine gentlemen from the Jolly Green Giant again! We had another laugh - them, me, the universe...and Fezzik.



I met a herd of big-horned deer, or something…




They stopped traffic.



And then headed out to Rapid City, SD, for the night. I was back to Holiday Inns, no more fancy Candlewood or Staybridge stuff. I need a sink in my bathroom.

Summary: 363 miles, 5.5 hours of driving, one National Park. One stop for gas.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #43 on: August 30, 2020, 12:36:21 AM »
Nice! Are you going to have time to visit the least visited state in the US: ND?

Offline JuryDuty

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #44 on: August 30, 2020, 12:37:10 AM »
Nope. He's posting these from Montana
Jury Duty: Nothing to do there but chill and write a TR. Kinda like the beach but missing the view and ocean breeze.

Offline yitzgar

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #45 on: August 30, 2020, 12:42:38 AM »
I actually prefer the sink outside the bathroom. (Mainly when staying with others)

Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #46 on: August 30, 2020, 12:43:11 AM »
Nice! Are you going to have time to visit the least visited state in the US: ND?

Nope. He's posting these from Montana

@JuryDuty is correct. I spent shabbos in Red Lodge, Montana, and am catching up. Get your bear spray and bear with me!

Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #47 on: August 30, 2020, 12:44:09 AM »
I actually prefer the sink outside the bathroom. (Mainly when staying with others)

Understood. When staying with others I hear that, but I'm solo this trip. Also, most Holiday Inn Suites have sinks inside AND outside the bathroom :)

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #48 on: August 30, 2020, 12:45:29 AM »
@JuryDuty is correct. I spent shabbos in Red Lodge, Montana, and am catching up. Get your bear spray and bear with me!
Oh well. You're hitting up so many states as it is on this trip, ND will have to wait for another time.

Offline yitzgar

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #49 on: August 30, 2020, 12:48:48 AM »
@JuryDuty is correct. I spent shabbos in Red Lodge, Montana, and am catching up. Get your bear spray and bear with me!
Nice! Waiting for the Beartooth highway update

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #50 on: August 30, 2020, 12:50:12 AM »
Nice! Waiting for the Beartooth highway update
Waiting for the SoCal part...

Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #51 on: August 30, 2020, 12:52:18 AM »
TR Day 5

I had 3 clients this morning, from 10am-1pm...or 8am-11am Mountain time. I woke up early to get some breakfast. The hard boiled eggs were vacuum sealed and OU :)

I tried to get out at 12, but I just fell asleep when I laid down for “just a few minutes”. The travel was really getting to me! A big part of this trip is personal adventure, which for me means exploring both the amazing natural world, and my own internal self. Sorry not sorry for getting all therapist-y on you. So I took a breath, and allowed myself to leave late. Thankfully, the front desk let as well :)

I left after two, and headed to Mount Rushmore, a scant 40 minutes away. I entered the Black Forest, and enjoyed the rolling hills and thick trees. Passing though Keystone, I noted a bunch of touristy things I wanted to come back and see, like chainsaw wood carvings and fresh taffy.



I tried to get in with my Annual Pass, but I was informed that “admission is free, but parking is ten dollars”. Cute. You have to pay for parking at a kiosk, kind of like at a mall.

It’s about a 5-10 minute walk to the monument, slightly uphill. You can see the faces upon approach, and it does look pretty cool. There’s also a nice spirit of patriotism in the air.










I had a great random conversation with a Texas police officer about America, New York history, Israel, and the current social unrest around police brutality and Black Lives Matter. He said that he’s a police training office and he teaches Krav-maga, has been to Israel...definitely an interesting fellow.

(Please note that I say all of this without political comment. I ask that you show similar restraint on this thread.)

From there I stopped in Keystone, and saw the sights…This would NOT fly in NYC! Again, posting without commentary, as a curious observer.




I got bored pretty quickly. Most of these tourist attractions are the same.

True story.

In general, I would say Mount Rushmore is a good stop on a larger trip, but don’t plan to spend much time here. There’s not much to do. Take a few pictures, stop at the gift shop, move on.

Next stop was Crazy Horse Memorial, which I don’t recommend unless you’re super interested in Native American history and trivia. This may have been related to my being more and more tired as the day went on, but I really didn’t enjoy this stop.



The next stop was going to be Devil’s Tower Monument, but I nixed it. Too tired and too much looking at weird rocks all day. (Come to think of it, I WAS pretty grumpy).

The sunset was really nice, though.



I pulled up my IHG map, found a Holiday Inn in Gillette, Wyoming, and headed there full speed ahead. Which is pretty fast.


No state representatives were seen.

Summary: Some gas I’m sure (don’t remember), Less than 4 hours on the road, 172 miles driving.







Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #52 on: August 30, 2020, 12:53:56 AM »
Nice! Waiting for the Beartooth highway update

Doing that tomorrow morning!! The drive, not the TR :)

Waiting for the SoCal part...
Soon soon...

Ok, it's bedtime. In TR time I'm up to Friday morning, but in real life it's Saturday night and I want to get an early start tomorrow. Good night!

Offline JuryDuty

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #53 on: August 30, 2020, 12:56:37 AM »
Awesome! Great stuff!
Jury Duty: Nothing to do there but chill and write a TR. Kinda like the beach but missing the view and ocean breeze.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #54 on: August 30, 2020, 02:37:16 AM »
Nice! But now that I know you backtracked and went from WI to MT, you lost your excuse for not backtracking and going from SD to ND... Just saying.

Looking forward to the rest!

Offline JuryDuty

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #55 on: August 30, 2020, 10:44:01 AM »

Thursday 9/3
Work till 1
More Yosemite
Drive to Sequoia 4.5 hours

Friday 9/4
Sequoia National Park
 

Are the forest fires making this a no-go?

you backtracked and went from WI to MT

When did he do that?
Jury Duty: Nothing to do there but chill and write a TR. Kinda like the beach but missing the view and ocean breeze.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #56 on: August 30, 2020, 10:46:06 AM »
Are the forest fires making this a no-go?

When did he do that?
Sorry, I meant WY to MT.

Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #57 on: August 30, 2020, 11:57:28 AM »
Are the forest fires making this a no-go?

I’m having trouble finding info about Sequoia. Rumor is it’s closed because of fires. Nothing about Yosemite.

Offline shmelive

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #58 on: August 30, 2020, 11:59:03 AM »
Sorry, I meant WY to MT.

I had to go to MT, even though it’s officially out of the way. The 90 dips up through MT, and I wanted to hit the Beartooth.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: NYC - CA - NYC Solo National Parks Road Trip Summer 2020
« Reply #59 on: August 30, 2020, 11:59:45 AM »
I had to go to MT, even though it’s officially out of the way. The 90 dips up through MT, and I wanted to hit the Beartooth.
Ah, makes sense then