May 31, 2008

Today started off by trying to leave our parking spot for the night, incognito, as we were just parked off the side of the highway in the Black Hills Forest. We went to Wind Tunnel National Park, made eggs and sausage for breakfast then on to Mount Rushmore via Black Hills National Forest. It was beautiful. We saw deer, bison, mountain goat, a gopher, prairiedogs, rabbits and wild burros. We were on this crazy windy road and saw a sign that a tunnel ahead only had a clearance of 12'4". We weren't sure we could make it but since, out of habit, we continually forget to bring our 13 foot measuring stick with us on our trips, we weren't sure how we would know if we were that tall. While discussing this problem with Lynn, we devised a masterful plan. Lynn knew he could jump nine feet "easy" (his words) because he can touch the rim of a basketball hoop at nine feet. So we decided to pull over and have Lynn jump against the motorhome. While doing this, we noticed the people next to us who had pulled over to see the view were looking at us very strangely. An odd sight perhaps, with a straggely looking guy jumping against his motorhome, arms overhead while being proded on by a woman inside. After we felt sufficiently comfortable about our height, Lynn got in and we proceeded on our way. Some pics of the tunnel are included for your amusement.

So we made it to Mt. Rushmore. It really is amazing. Now we are in Rapid City, SD. Tomorrow we will continue north to the corner of North Dakota, thus accomplishing Lynn's lifelong task of visiting all fifty states. Seriously, this is a big deal to him. I think it's pretty neat too. This is the last state on his list. I have to give special recognition to my dad for helping him accomplish Alaska and Hawaii. After North Dakota, we'll be on to Yellowstone.