To solve the problem of the wifi issues and to explore the city, I decided to walk to a local coffee shop. When I'm looking for places to stay, one of the things that I look for is that it has a local coffee shop (or two). I may not actually go there, but I do love a good coffee shop and I think it's indicative of any good town. There is something inviting and warm at most of these places. Maybe it's something about the clientele - people doing work or school work, friends meeting up, a local reading a newspaper. I have always loved coffee shops, even if the only form of coffee I really drink is the not-so-good-for-you latte.
The town of Chadron, Nebraska is much larger than some of the last few places that I have stayed. There is even a Wal-mart - the height of cool! I chose this destination for its easy access to SD sights. The hotel prices in SD were outrageous, so I figured the drive from NE would be an opportunity to see more of the country! Unfortunately, I didn't realize the cell service/wifi was going to be spotty.
On my way to the hotel from seeing Wind Cave National Park yesterday (it was a fun experience that I would recommend but not amazingly noteworthy), I decided to explore more of the Black Hills vicinity. A little bit of research (that I did from the lobby) had pointed me in the direction of a state park that has waterfalls and a water hole you can swim in. Originally, I wanted to explore some of the namesakes in Hot Springs, but the temperature was in the high 90s (seriously, I can count on one hand how many days have been lower than 92*) and who wants to go in 96* water then?! So I found this watering hole instead.
Though it was an hour out of my way home, it was totally worth it. There were several other people there, but not enough that it felt crowded. The water was cool and refreshing and I even braved a jump off a ledge that all the kids were doing. Just once, I don't need to go crazy. The people watching was great. The kids were having a ball. Some even brought their dogs (they did not jump off the ledge). I think Piper would have had a blast with the water and the people!
The day before, on my way from Moorcroft (and the land of a thousand boxes), I stopped to see Mt. Rushmore. It was as expected: no bigger, no smaller. A beautiful unique feature hidden among the tall (and not half-spherical like I have been used to) buttes of South Dakota. What was surprising and disappointing was the presentation of the history. Throughout the visitor's center and even around the grounds of this magnificent feat, there was lots of information about the sculptor Gutzon Borglum. However, the creator of the idea, the man who recruited the sculptor and sought approval from the government, a Mr. Doane Robinson, was barely mentioned. They briefly introduced him with a one liner as the man who conceived the idea but then basically 99% of the exhibit was about Borglum and the carving process.. This was so disappointing to me.
I would have thought there would be more appreciation for the visionary behind this landmark. Perhaps a history of what he had to do to procure the land and how he found Borglum, the money he maybe invested, etc. So here's to you Doane Robinson: I see you!
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