After a great night’s sleep, we went to Bob’s Café for breakfast. Bob was true to his word and arrived 2 hours before he opened to cook us breakfast so we could hit the road early. I felt like “Tommy Boy” getting the waitress to fire up the fryer to cook his wings after they had shut down. The breakfast was great, we had one of Bob’s stuffed omelets (4 eggs, and loaded with everything, about 2-3 pounds) split between each couple along with some of his special bacon (on the house). FANTASTIC is the only way to describe it. Bob fired up the broaster while we were there so he could send us off with some chicken for a picnic later. He also gave us a tip of where we could get a piece of homemade pie about 150 miles from Sioux City. We thanked Bob for his great food and conversation and headed out for Mount Rushmore. We found the pie at Al’s Oasis Café and had our picnic lunch at a rest area outside of Rapid City. The chicken was the best we had ever had, a unanimous decision. We had to give Bob a call and let him know how much we enjoyed it, and thanked him again. There is something about the small local restaurants where the owner is there and involved everyday instead of the large commercial/tourist spots (take note Paula). Mount Rushmore was an inspiring site as usual; never get tired of going there. After Rushmore we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial, they have done a lot of work since our last visit there about 5 years ago. It is starting to take shape and the size is unbelievable. All four of the presidents on Rushmore could fit in the small area behind Crazy Horse’s chin. We arrived at our hotel in Gillette Wyoming around 9:00 PM after going through some nasty thunderstorms, lightning and hail about golf ball size, no Suburban damage thankfully. Tomorrow we head north into Canada, Lake Louise, Banif National Park and Jasper before arriving in Dawson Creek and mile marker #1 of the Alaska Highway. Debbie has made a decision that if anyone gets cranky during the trip; they have to spend a hour riding in the “Turtle” the car top carrier. Needless to say, everyone has been on their best behavior. Another note of interest never let Roddy watch monkeys on National Geographic Channel while he is eating, it’s a long story, just trust me. For the record the trip has been a laugh a minute along with seeing some beautiful areas of our great country.
Total Miles to Date: 2182
Bob's Cafe (Breakfast and Picnic A++
Al's Oasis Pie A
Holiday Inn Express A+
Holiday Inn Express A+
