Thirty, Nerdy and Driving Day 4

We awoke to a beautiful, chilly morning in Jackson Hole and had to get started on our very long drive through Wyoming and in to South Dakota. Our next big stop: Mt Rushmore! {!!!!!}

Knowing we'd make very few stops along the way {though not knowing how few options for stops we'd have}, we made sure to eat a big breakfast {which included made-to-order donuts for Sara.}

On our way out of town, we stopped at the Antler Arch.

Jackson Hole is really pretty; I wish we'd had time to see more of it.

We drove for hours. The scenery for the first hours was so fantastic that it brought Cathi to tears. And then, it slowly became less and less, until it was flat land and hardly any towns. {We passed a town with a posted population of ten.}

We listened to several albums and I sewed to pass the time.

 Shortly after this photo was taken...

This one was taken:

Yep, Cathi got a speeding ticket...85 in a 65. Not too bad.

And about six hours later, we added another to the collection.

I was clocked at 101, but the officer {who was from CA--and moved to WY--why, I'm not sure} noticed it was my birthday and wrote the ticket for 92. What a gentleman. Not really, since I could see the Welcome to South Dakota sign from where he pulled me over...he could have just let us go. And then we could have stopped to take a photo at the South Dakota sign, too.

Who would have thought a 10 hour drive through nothing would be so expensive? Or so well-documented?

Our hotel in Rapid City was super dang awesome. Dinosaur bones on display out front? Suuure! 

The inside had been completely remodeled...it was really cool.

Happy Birthday sign was hung, of course.

And a few pictures were taken to document the radness of the room.

The concierge recommended a pub that had once been a fire house, so we went for some burgers. There are statues of Presidents all over old town, intending to look for Lincoln {of course}, but then Sara stepped on a dead bird, so we became a little distracted.

On the way back, we stopped at Walgreens to see if they had the Essie nail color I had been searching for aaall trip...and they did! So, clearly, Rapid City wins as the best city in South Dakota.

We climbed in bed with fresh manicures and had dreams of the Presidents we would see the next day! {Well, at least I did.}