The Honeymoon

Rach and her then soon-to-be ex had plans to swap cars for months. When Tony left in September to establish a home in Cincinnati he took Rach’s Tahoe and left her with his Jeep. Then around the beginning of the year plans for Rach to join him changed and the need for a car swap evolved. It was planned for April, then moved to May and finally pushed out to June, the weekend after my wedding. So I kinda spent my honeymoon time with my daughter. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me well.

Day One – the Drive Out

We set out on Thursday morning in the wee hours, about 4:45 AM. We drove hard all day and arrived in Rapid City at midnight our time, exhausted, achey and ready to sleep anywhere. Tony let us stay in his room, we shared the hide-a-bed.

The drive was arduous, the jeep was small and cramped, gutless, noisy and we felt every bump.

About the only event to blog from that day was that, after seeing lots of dead deer on the side of the road and lots of live deer in the woods next to the road, we nearly saw a pretty little orange car hit one. He zoomed past us and was, let’s say, 1/4 mile ahead of us when we saw him brake and stop. When we passed him there was another dead deer on the side of the road, car parts right there next to it and he was standing there looking at the crumpled front end of his car. Rach had just been warned to watch out for them by a local in a gas station.

I guess she knew what she was talking about.

Day Two – Rount Mushmore

Early in the morning Rach and Tony quietly got up and swapped car contents while I slept. They signed the final divorce papers and hugged each other goodbye. I'm pleased they were both so cordial about the whole thing. Rach is OK emotionally.

After sleeping a few more hours we headed off to see Mt. Rushmore but first had to find some sandals Rach needed. At the Rushmore Mall we spotted a sale of metal arbors, lattices, sculptures, planters, etc.

Excitedly I headed for the sale and the sign said nearly everything was 30% off. One thing I spotted even from a distance was a lattice just like one I found near home for $112. This one was marked $59. I spotted some little teapot sculptures and was nearly adding that to my collection when I spotted Martha. Or maybe Ruby. Ruby with the Swirly Boobies. The final bill came to just under $110, everything I bought was 30% off. Cool.

There are tons of little interesting tourist traps on the road to Rushmore. One I had already chosen was one of those topsy-turvy houses. It was a little spendy but - hey! - we're on my honeymoon! She really enjoyed it and so did I, even though I already experienced it in the past maybe twice.

On the way out you have to pass through the town of Keystone. It's all done in wild west style and has a carnival atmosphere almost. We caught Rushmore pretty much on the fly since the best spot to experience it appeared to be a paid parking lot with probably a visitor center and gift shop.

From there we headed to the towns of Lead and Deadwood. Not much sights to see there. We tried to visit the cemetery where Calamity Jane and Wild Bill are buried, once upon a time called Boot Hill but there was admission for that too! So we moved on to our last stop for the day, Sturgis, home of the biggest annual biker rally in the country (I believe). We grabbed dinner there and spent the night a little closer to home - Sundance.

Day Three - Devil's Tower

We got up and unsuccessfully tried to get online

and make phone calls so decided to just head out for our main sight for the day, the Devil's Tower, made famous by the 1977 "Close Encounters" movie. Stopping at one viewpoint to take pictures we decided to follow the advise of a sign planted right there:


The drive out was a scenic, leisurely drive with lots of photo opps. We sure enjoyed cruising in her beautiful, comfy Tahoe. After climbing up a way and getting some shots from the base of the tower we made a goal of Butte, Montana.

Day Four - Home!

This last day we decided pretty much just to head straight home. We were done and just wanted to get home. We got to see some sights, make some purchases and take care of Rachyl's business.

Monday she would take her divorce papers to court and be again an unmarried woman. Seems backwards, but, no, the first divorce usually takes place somewhere around the age of 30, so she's actually right on schedule.

But marrying at age 52? I'm not sure about that.