On the road again...

On June 8, 2010, my parents and I bid farewell to our home in North Carolina and set out for the Wild West in our fully packed Honda Accord. We drove thirty straight hours stopping at numerous rest areas and popular attractions across the country.

Our first big stop was the St. Louis Arch. It was my first time witnessing the spectacular monument at night. It was difficult to get decent pictures, but the experience and sight wasn’t anything less than breathtaking. We then proceeded to find our way out of St. Louis and drove by the Cardinals brand new stadium in the process. We knew then that Hayden would be jealous to find out he missed it. From there we drove all through the night and stopped in South Dakota for breakfast. After crossing the Missouri River and getting my first glimpse of the Black Hills I finally felt like I was in the West. That afternoon we drove into Keystone, SD and visited the famous Mount Rushmore. From there we continued our trek through beautiful South Dakota.

Our next destination was Deadwood. On our way there we drove through Custer National Park and stopped at a local’s house and purchased some homemade Bison Jerky and Bison Hot Sticks. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive at first to sample some random Bison Jerky being sold out of some stranger’s garage, but once I got over my fear and tried it I fell in love. My parents have had constantly to pry it out of my fingers ever since.

Driving into Deadwood was definitely an experience. It was my first time and I was excited to see what all the hype was about. Deadwood is famous for it’s hit HBO show “Deadwood” and it’s many casinos. Since none of us had showered in some time, we checked into a hotel and freshened up before we hit the legendary town. Deadwood is also known for its outlaws that took up residence there at one time. The most famous goes by the name of “Wild” Bill Hickok. Hickok was shot in the back by a fellow outlaw in the infamous Saloon No. 10 during a dangerous card game. After dinner we toured the cobblestone streets of Deadwood and visited the Saloon No. 10 that Hickok took his last breaths in. We then went and watched a play put on by some local actors that told the story of the trial of the man who shot “Wild” Bill. From there we drove up to the Mt. Moriah Cemetery where Hickok was laid to rest. We then realized we could barely keep our eyes open from lack of sleep so we all agreed to call it a night and returned to our hotel for the evening.