3 days, 2175 miles and a lot of McDonald's

I like to drive. If I didn't I'd probably be the lead story on the 10pm newscast for running someone off the road. When the opportunity came up for Logan and I to go on a marathon road trip, I jumped at the opportunity.

Logan really wanted to go see Mount Rushmore, so I planned a trip up there. Originally I had planned for us to see Crazy Horse, go to Flinstone's Park in Custer, see Devil's Tower, drive through Badlands National Monument, and then head home. What was supposed to be a 5-day excursion was whittled down to 3 days. The trip would start on August 11th and end on August 13th.

Day 1
To Grandmother's House We Go
(Little Elm, TX to Brush, CO - 757 Miles)

When driving from Texas to Colorado, you've got a choice of 2 routes. You can

1) take I-35 to Wichita, then up I-135 to I-70 and into Colorado. If you like Kansas, this is the drive for you. Over half your drive is spent looking at...Kansas, which I'm pretty sure is Sioux for "flat, boring state"

2) take US-380 from Denton, TX, to Decatur, TX, then take US-287 from Decatur all the way to I-70 in Limon, CO. You don't have to see Kansas, and you only cross Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle and you're in Colorado. Sure, ya have to slow down for every podunk town between hither and yon, but it's fun getting off the beaten path every now and again.

For our trip I chose route #2. Packed the car up with just the essentials - enough changes of clothes for 3 days, the atlas, CD's, and the PlayStation 2 for Logan. I pulled out of the driveway around 7am.

Usually this route would take me through downtown Amarillo, but this time I routed around Amarillo at Claude, TX, and drove through Borger and Stinnett, Texas. The only thing remarkable about Borger is that, thanks to a large oil refinery, the town smells like 87 octane.
I was making good time. I made it to Boise City, Oklahoma, shortly after 1pm. Then, the trip came to a screeching halt.

Right outside of Boise City, I ran into my first construction zone. The road was cut down to one lane and traffic had to wait for a pilot car to lead them through the construction. I waited for 25 minutes in the hot Oklahoma sun before the pilot car showed up. 10 minutes behind the pilot car and we were back to highway speed until shortly outside Lamar, Colorado. Another construction zone. Another pilot car. This time the wait was 50 minutes. I pulled into Lamar about 3:30pm Mountain Time. A quick double cheeseburger and drink and I was back on the road (McDonald's stop #1). I pulled into Grandma Mason's house in Brush at 7pm.

Day 2
Going Everywhere and Nowhere At All
(Brush, CO to York, NE via SD and the Black Hills - 844 Miles)

After a quick breakfast with grandma we piled into the van and set out for Mount Rushmore. We hit the road at 7:30am, stopped for gas in Sterling, CO, and pulled into Hot Springs, SD, right around noon. I decided to take Logan through Custer State Park and over the Iron Mountain Road to Mount Rushmore. We drove slowly along the winding mountain road and stopped to view a prairie dog town. We didn't take a lot of pictures, but we did snap these pictures of a buffalo and a pigtail bridge.

My daredevil side took over and I drove Logan to the Mount Coolidge Fire Observation Tower, elevation 6,023 feet. The road up the mountain is a narrow road that hugs the side of the mountain. One wrong move and you dive off a 300 foot cliff. Now, imagine a Honda Odyssey minivan driving on that road. It was white knuckle all the way to the summit. From the top of the mountain you can see Crazy Horse, The Needles, Harney Peak (highest point in South Dakota), and Mount Rushmore. On a clear day you can see the badlands, 60 miles away. Unfortunately we were socked in by low clouds so Logan didn't get to see the badlands, but he did see the rest. After about 20 minutes atop the mountain we descended and continued on our way to Rushmore.

By travelling the scenic route it took us over 2 hours to travel 30 miles. We got to Mount Rushmore around 2:30pm. Logan enjoyed seeing the presidents' faces, and to my surprise, he knew who all four of them were. However, it didn't take long for him to get bored. For all that extra driving, we were only at Mount Rushmore for about 45 minutes.

A quick trip to the gift shop to press a penny, pick up an overpriced snow globe and a Mount Rushmore puzzle and we were on our way. We ate a late lunch at McDonald's in Rapid City (McDonald's stop #2) and set off for York, NE. Because we got out of Rushmore so late, we wouldn't be able to drive through the Badlands. Instead, we got to see a little bit of them from I-90. Maybe next time.

I was pleasantly surprised at the terrain just outside Valentine, Nebraska. It's a hilly region with pine trees and grassland and there's even a national wildlife refuge tucked in the middle of it. The valleys between the hills have ponds that are teeming with wild birds and animals. If you've ever driven I-80 through Nebraska, this is the exact opposite of what you're used to seeing.


We pulled into Broken Bow, NE, between 9 and 10pm and did the drive through (McDonald's stop #3). We arrived at the Super 8 in York right before midnight and were practically asleep before our heads hit the pillow.

Day 3

There's No Place Like Home

(York, NE to Little Elm, TX - 574 miles)

Monday, August 13, 2007. The easiest leg of our trip. US-81 from York to Salina, KS. Then I-135 to Wichita, and I-35 most of the rest of the way home. After having the scraps from the continental breakfast (no donuts!!!) we gassed up the car and hit the road. By the time we got to Concordia, KS, our stomachs were rumbling so we got breakfast at - you guessed it - McDonald's. We didn't stop again until we got gas just north of Oklahoma City. After grabbing snacks we rejoined the traffic and made tracks for home. We got back to Denton just in time for the evening rush hour. We pulled into the house just in time for supper. No McDonald's this time, thank god.

Even though we spent most of our time in the car, Logan behaved VERY well. The PlayStation was a godsend. I know, I'm a bad parent because he played video games...a LOT. After 3 days on the road, I was worn out. Physically I was fine. Mentally, I was shot. It took a good 2-3 more days to recover from the trip. All-in-all though it was fun. Next time we'll lengthen the trip and bring the whole family for added excitement.