Day 8 - Friday, June 13, 1997
Tie Flume Campground to Chamberlain, South Dakota
Wakeup at Tie Flume
We awake early to find a layer of thin ice floating in the pots left out last night. Our gear gets packed-up very quickly so we can get over the Bighorn Pass and down to Sheridan for breakfast. The plan was that a lot of time could be saved by grabbing a fast food breakfast rather than having to cook something and then cleanup afterwards. No sooner had the vehicles gotten on the road then we ended up behind a crude-oil semitruck. Highway 14 was blind curve after blind curve, there was no where to pass. Excruciatingly slow, our two-vehicle caravan lumbered along very slowly, almost all the way to Sheridan. At least the scenery was spectacular.
Motoring on Interstate 90
After breakfast at Hardee's in Sheridan, it was all Interstate 90 driving. There was no time to stop in the Black Hills (despite the fact it was rumored that the presidents had gotten all gittery after consuming Cooky's trail coffee). Besides after the Bighorn experience, it was difficult to get too excited about the Black Hills, especially being in the hurry we were. Lunch was held at the Box Elder rest stop along Interstate 90 and we ate what was left found floating in the cooler -- Various assortments of luncheon meats, maybe some fruit, plus some squashed bread that was baking in a paper sack in the backseat. Might as well eat it all up or it would go to waste, said Cooky.
South Dakota
After lunch we made an obligatory stop at Wall Drug and blew and hour or two there. Speedbump, Muleskinner, Jeremy, and Curtis liked the mechanical T-Rex. We also had more to eat plus icecream. Then it was back on the road until Chamberlain, South Dakota. There, we over-nighted at a campground and the young bucks swam in the pool. In the cooler, there was still some goodies floating, so that was dinner for some. Cooky, not satisfied with that, went across the street to the Taco Johns, but he was later seen visiting the other Johns over by the shower house, after eating all that refried-beany stuff. Later, Cowpoke got out the guitar and provided a us a serenade that lasted into the late evening while some of us settled into our tents.
Didn't Have time For Pictures
I guess we were in such a hurry, we quit taking pictures of the trip. Cooky had to borrow pictures on this page from other folks. Don't worry, he'll put em back when he's done.
