Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Hill City, Sd

Having somehow survived the past couple of nights, despite my debilitating disease, I decided to choose life and see a doctor. Very nice chap he was too. He confirmed my fears when he told me that I had indeed picked up a little known virus more commonly associated with lost cities of gold and temples of doom. For the benefit of the nurse in the room, he used layman's terms and called it an ear ...

<br>Overcast and cloudy this morning looking out our window into the carpark of the hotel. Free Hotel breakfast was standard American buffet with the added interest of 'make your own waffles' &#8211; of course 3 of us had to try them (Kate wasn't keen). Hitting the road at 9am we hit a country road where we were the only vehicle for miles and miles. Stopping to use a restroom at a Wyoming gas station, Josh had fun counting out his allet full of pennies for a Hershey bar ...

... and to revisit Mount Rushmore at night. It is lite up at night and there is a film presentation "Very patriotic" but well done.. They then asked for all those who were in or had served in the military to stand and come to the stage. There was then a lowering of the flag and the National Anthem. Two things amazed us about this. Firstly, probably 10% of the audience were on the stage (They have a massive military. Secondly ...

... a century to get as far as it was, so I unfortunately believe it would take over another century to complete. <br><br>After Crazy Horse, we all rested back in the bus, and later went to Jewel Cave. It wasn't the most fun I had ever had, but the tour was enjoyable nevertheless. The rock formations were cool, especially the cave bacon. We went to the gift shop after the tour, and I have to mention a certain ...

... the 2 burner gas stove, and 5 minutes later, voila!!! Everybody was happy.<br><br>The weather was pretty overcast, so we spent a leisurely morning showering and strategizing on the day. When we went to rent our car (the Cruisinheimer is too cumbersome for daytrips) the helpful people at the KOA said not to even try Rushmore...it's fogged in. By the time we were ready for our first excursion, turned out to be lunchtime.

... 10/person entrance fee. C had also wanted to see Harney Peak, the highest point in South Dakota and a sacred place for the Lakota Indians. After driving most of the back roads in the area, we finally found a good vantage point for some photos and also talked with a young man who'd hiked to the peak earlier in the day. As we drive this beautiful country, we are continually grateful to our amazing mechanic, John Catall at Empire Autohaus in Pelham ...

... to see what it was all about. The drive was, once again, rocky, hilly, winding and beautiful. We paid the $10 entry fee and went to check out the carvings. It is really unbelievable how much the area has been built up by buildings, amphitheater, stores, museums, etc ... so much so that the carvings are secondary to the stage. But the carvings are nonetheless very impressive. After talking to the park ranger, we decided to drive to the Badlands.

... slanting, it will go up. It's actually a house and the guide will take us through each and every room. All of us enjoyed a lot there. The guide played a trick on Abha. She asked Abha whether she tells lies. Abha said 'No'. Then the guide asked her to sit on a chair whose two legs were in air. She told that if she is an honest person, she won't fall. Otherwise the chair will lose balance and topple. Abha sat on the chair, but she was about to fall and the guide ...

... condensor, timing, and saw the vacuum was low. <br> I have talked aobut the national forest campgrounds in a former blog, but to repeat, they were generally pretty basic-no running water, no bathrooms (sometimes portojohns), sometimes picnic tables and trashcans, but that was about it. And I liked it liked it like that, because aa a general rule they were always ...