Settled in

We all worked hard to get the dorm set up. Laurel was in charge of testing the upper bunk for safety and comfort. Once complete, we take a walk over to the lake for some R&R.

Dorm chaos

Here's the view from Mackenzie's dorm room. Not too shabby...that's Lake Michigan in the background. Cars are unloaded outside, and all contents are dumped into large rolling bins. Then there is a long line for the elevators. At last we get everything into the room and begin to help Mackenzie organize. Then it's off to Target... Oh, yeah, that's me trying to setup the TV. I don't know why I bother, as I'm sure that there will be so much attention to studying, no one will want to watch TV....

Chicago arrival

We finally make it to the windy city. Mackenzie is recovering from a small mosquito attack, but she is still able to head to the airport to meet Laurel. Laurel's a bit overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in the car, and we have to strap some of it on the roof to get to the dorms.

Corn and sunflowers

OK, so here's the view for the next 500 miles. Of course, there's the Corn Palace....

Rushmore

We make an obligatory visit to the infamous Wall Drug in Wall, SD. Bigass drugstore with more junk and kitch than you can imagine. We get lunch, consisting of a hamburger that rivals McDonald's for 4-times the price. Milkshakes for the road, and we're outatown. Next stop on the pilgrimage is Mt. Rushmore. The old visitor center is long gone, replaced with a huge granite plaza and shops, as well as a large parking facility. It's a pretty impressive carving, though the question always remains....Why? Mackenzie thinks she can see similarities in my face and George's. After all, he's our 1st cousin.

Across the Plains

We say farewell to the hills and valleys of the west, and head out across the plains of the midwest. Our last view of the varied geology of the west is the Badlands, where I guide Mackenzie down a gravel road for about 15 miles. We're rewarded at the end with a herd of grazing bison. It's tempting to wander out and get closer to them, but we're told that they don't take kindly to humans up close and personal, so we stay close to the car.
In order to leave the Badlands, we have to face down a band of territorial prairie dogs reluctant to yield the road. We stand our ground, and manage to get through without bloodshed. We're off to Wall Drug for refreshments.

Out of Yellowstone

We leave Yellowstone via the lesser-traveled NE exit, and finally we are treated to some bison. There was a herd in a beautiful valley, and this one was walking along the side of the road. The others were hanging around taking their time crossing the road, so we stopped and took a few pix. The pair of buffs shows one with a sage brush on his head. We watched him pull it up by the roots. I don't think he intended to wear it as a headdress, but it was quite fetching. We're off to Mt. Rushmore.

Grebe Lake in the morning

Next morning, the mist hovers over the lake, but it burns off quickly. We are greeted by a couple of swans who dropped in early, and soon after there is a cacaphony of various birds squawking their locations to each other. However, we were disappointed to not see a single bear (black or grizzly) during our stay, so we leave.

Grebe Lake

After a grueling 1-1/2 hour trek through fields of wildflowers and some burned-out forests (1988 Yellowstone fire), we arrive at Grebe. Mackenzie wastes no time communing with the ducks that float by the shoreline.

Old Faithful

Old Faithful was.....faithful. We arrived a few minutes before the big show, and it was pretty cool.

Last time I saw it there were only a few benches to sit on. Now there is a huge boardwalk with room for a thousand (at least) people. Everybody went "ooh, ahh". I couldn't convince Mackenzie to take a dip in the hot pool nearby, so we headed out to Grebe Lake. This was an easy 4+ mile hike on the most level trail I have ever taken for a backcountry trip.

Heading to Yellowstone

From RMNP we head to Yellowstone. We approach from the south through the Grand Tetons, which are truly stunning as they erupt out of the surrounding flat landscape. Yellowstone seems oddly underpopulated. Last time I was there (30 years), it seemed like one big traffic jam. This time we breezed in and found plenty of empty campsites. Before anything else though, it was a trip to the laundry and a couple of games of Rummicube. (I finally won a game!) After dinner at the campsite we had some Jiffy-Pop for dessert. In the morning we head to Old Faithful, and then out for a backcountry overnight to Grebe Lake.