Cross Country Roadtrip ---> WA to WI







Time to hit the open road!

We left Seattle on September 5 and headed due east on Interstate 90 all the way to Wisconsin. Of course, we stopped along the way. Our first stop was Spokane, just a rest day. We took advantage of the hotel's gym and went out for some Mexican food at a nearby food truck. It was really good!

Our next stay was one night in Butte, Montana. We stayed in an Airbnb in downtown Butte so we could explore the town a bit. It has a neat old "western town" feel. 

Downtown Butte Montana

We left Butte, MT and made a beeline for Whitehall, MT, about 40 miles east of Butte. We wanted to see Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. It did not disappoint.




Our next Airbnb was in Billings, MT. Great stay, good rest, but terrible coffee. The first time in my life I've just thrown out coffee. It was bad. Lol. City Brew in Laurel,, MT was the answer. We needed the pick-me-up, we had a long drive and a neat stop next. We crossed the border from Montana to Wyoming and went to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. This park straddles the border of Montana & Wyoming, you actually cross the boarder a couple times while in the park. There was a beautiful canyon and river here. We walked around a bit and then continued on. Neat area and free entrance. There is also a lake and a boat ramp there. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area and you have the time.

City Brew Coffee - Laurel Montana

Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area

Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area

We left Bighorn Canyon and continued east on Highway 14 East. As it turns out, theres a section of this road that closes in the winter. East of Burgess Junction there is an abrupt elevation change. Our poor Prius struggled, but she made it. All the way up to the 9430 foot Observation Point! We didn't account for this elevation change on this roadway, but we area glad we took it. We had some gorgeous overlooks and we even saw a pair of moose!
Wyoming
Beaver Creek Overlook - Wyoming


We made sure to spend time in the Rapid City, SD area to visit Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park. Custer State Park blew us away, I'm not sure how that park doesn't have National Park status. Not only did we drive through the park and see a BUNCH of wildlife, but we also went for a great hike in Custer State Park called Devils Tower Trail. Mount Rushmore was cool, it was a must see, but we just viewed it from a distance on one of our many nice drives. Iron Mountain Road is a popular drive, see pic below. It's highway 16A.

We ended up taking this drive a few times.
We had great views of Mount Rushmore!

Highway 16A - Just drive it, you won't regret it!

George Washington - Mount Rushmore

Devils Tower Trail

Devils Tower Trail

Devils Tower Trail
Devils Tower Trail
The trail we hiked at Custer State Park was called - Devils Tower Trail

Antelope

A Begging Burro at Custer State Park

We also visited Sturgis and went to a biker bar. I can't imagine what that city must be like during the yearly Sturgis Bike Rally. 

The Bison Burgers are DELICIOUS!

Of course, we had to leave our mark

Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame

Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame

Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame

Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame

Sturgis Harley Davidson Dealership - Closed on Sunday

When we left Rapid City we continued east on I-90 and visited Badlands National Park. What a beautiful park! We saw a lot of Bison and Bighorn Sheep. The vastness of this National Park is amazing! We'd love to come back and camp at night, apparently the night sky is out of this world here!


Buffalo, Badlands

buffalo

Beautiful views everywhere

bison, badlands, landscape, wallpaper
Reminds me of a Windows wallpaper


Badlands, South Dakota USA



We met a husband and wife from Belgiam who were riding all the way down to South America, I follow them on Instagram. What an adventure!

Badlands, South Dakota USA

We saw so many Bighorn Sheep!





We spent the night in an awesome little Airbnb in Sioux Falls, SD in preparation for the "home stretch" to Wisconsin. We regret only spending one night, Sioux Falls looks like a great little city. Easter South Dakota has that midwest feel. It's a city we want to revisit and give it a proper amount of time. Maybe a plan B or C home base one day??

Still on I-90 East...nearing Minnesota at this point.

We spent a couple weeks with family in Wisconsin again. We enjoyed our family time, fall weather and Friday Night Fish Fries!

Fall is in the air - Mid September in Central Wisconsin

Fall sunsets in Wisconsin

Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA, United States
Huge soft serve cones straight from the dairy farm!

An Old Fashioned in a real Wisconsin Supper Club

Friday Night Fish Fry - Sweet Potato - Cole Slaw

Grasshopper Desert - Wisconsin Supper Club staple

It's getting cool again, we don't really do cold. So...it's time to head SOUTH(east):

After some great family time we set a course for North Carolina. We had 4 house sits lined up for varying lengths of time between North Carolina and Georgia. The sits totaled about 1.5 months, so that's 1.5 months rent-free! Also, we got to watch and love some wonderful pets along with visiting new areas!
Location: Rapid City, SD, USA

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