Summer Vacation 2016: Montana

Twelve days and eleven nights and the map above says 2,655 miles, but Google Maps didn't let me add all the stops and detours. We ended up covering more than 3,000 miles, and the best thing I can say about the trip is that if we had more money, I would love to have kept it going.

Emilio
1. Climbing Saddle Pass Trail in Badlands National Park.
2. Spiral tube slide at Hampton Inn in Spearfish, South Dakota.
3. Seeing a Hawaii license plate on the wall of the visitor center at Carhenge in Alliance, Kansas after having seen license plates for every other state (and several Canadian provinces) over the course of the trip.
Nina
1. Playing the "who said this the most on the trip" guessing game in the tent at night near Bear Lodge, Wyoming.
2. Looking at the Street Corner Presidential bronzes in Rapid City, South Dakota.
3. Eating a vegetarian Indian taco at the Crow Agency cafe across from the Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana.
Pablo
1. Driving the Wild Life Loop in Custer State Park with the windows down in the rain, looking for buffalo.
2. Spotting Mt. Rushmore for the first time.
3. Free climbing at the Badlands at the end of the Window Trail.
Mari
1. Learning about Little Bighorn by walking the battleground and reading The Last Stand.
2. Driving down Spearfish Canyon in South Dakota.
3. Watching Buffalo gallop through Custer State Park.
Steve
1. Sleeping all together side by side in the tent.
2. Learning about Little Bighorn by walking the battleground and reading The Last Stand.
3. Getting a lot of mileage out of the Presidential learning cards I created and the road trip CDs I made.

Day 12: Wichita State Sculpture Park

"Woman with Umbrella" and "Man with Cane" (1981) by Fernando Botero.

"Accord Final" (1981) by Arman Fernandez. I call this one "Oops."

"Love (Blue/Green)" (1981) by Robert Indiana.

"Inverted Q (TP)" (1988) by Claes Oldenburg.

"Wichita Arch" (2004) by Andy Goldsworthy.
"Sodbuster, San Isidro" (1983) by Luis Jimenez, Jr.

"The Family Group" (1954) by Milton Hebald.

Day 11: The Archway and Rock City Park

Kearney Nebraska's Archway--a Disney-produced, interstate-spanning, museum experience commemorating Westward expansion--was not on my to-do list, but curiosity was strong, so we bought tickets.

The kids had the free, outside maze all to themselves and loved it.

The Archway is not designed for systematic minds that want to read all the words, but the sound effects and first-person narratives enriched the immersive experience. I give it high marks for showmanship and low marks for sensitivity to the narratives of ethnic minorities.

We went out of our way down unpaved roads to get to Rock City Park near Minneapolis in Kansas and did not regret it.

We had the park all to ourselves.

A great place for climbing.

Stone cow patties?

A stone ropes course?
A perfect place for "capture the flag."
And "Hide and Seek."

Best playground ever?

The ideal place, the ideal time, and the ideal company for celebrating 22 years of marriage.

Photo by Emilio.

Day 10 Afternoon: Carhenge and Chimney Rock

Carhenge was not on our to-do list, but when we saw how close it was to our route, we decided to check it out.

It was very windy when we were there.

The Chimney Rock Visitor's Center was closing when we got there.

After we left Chimney Rock, we encountered a fierce thunderstorm. We were glad to get to the Hampton Inn that night in time to watch Game Six of the Western Conference championship game between OKC and Golden State.

Day 10 Morning: Needles Highway

The Needles Highway features several narrow tunnels, including one that is eight feet, four inches wide. When I asked the volunteer at the Visitor Center at Custer State Park if my van could get through it, he was not reassuring. He suggested that I might need to pull in the rearview mirrors.