We left early today! At 8:30 a.m., we were headed to I90 West towards Mt. Rushmore. It was 5 1/2 hours away. An hour later, I stopped at the Sculpture Park in Montrose, SD. The owner let us in for free because I was not paying $45 for all of us. He had created cool metal sculptures with complementing poems. It is one of Americas 50 best roadside attractions. We kept driving through the desolate flat, green terrain of South Dakota. About two hours later, I got off the exit at Murdo to see the 1800’s town. Well, it was $12 per adult. So, I got back on the road and the low tire message immediately appeared. I questioned whether my back tires would make the entire trip. The next exit was 5 miles away. Thankfully, there was one gas station. I put air in the tires, not knowing which one it was. I could hear the air seeping out of the driver side rear tire. Well, the drama continued. I did not have a spare. I found out that Nate had dropped from AAA on May 10. I was stuck in the Badlands. Luckily, Kelsey was still a member, although she has no car. But, to get the van towed, only one person could accompany the driver. I would have to leave everyone else until I could return. Amazingly, J.J’s Tire Service was only a mile away. I drove 20 mph down a back road with my hazard lights on. I was able to get two new tires and was on my way shortly. Thank God that didn’t happen during one of our late night drives in the middle of nowhere. I was so grateful! Delayed, but safe, we arrived at Mt. Rushmore at 4:45 p.m. We took more pictures for our file, got some ice cream and then back on the road. At 8:30 p.m., we stopped for pizza at Little Caesar’s. It was piping hot and delicious. I also bought sides and drinks at Smith’s grocery store. We continued driving through barren Wyoming, the least populated state until we got to Buffalo. Quality Inn, Room 109 is where we stayed. It definitely had a motel feel. It was musty and small. It was the first outdoor hotel that we had stayed in. The outside pool had no water in it. We all crammed together in two beds again and made the best of our stay.
