Road Trip Diaries

Breakfast was the first order of the day, so we drove to Karen’s Kitchen in O’Neill. It turns out that Sunday is a bad day to try and get a mid-morning breakfast in Northern Nebraska, and the place was closed. Instead we bought donuts from the nearby Rodeo Stores (a supermarket, not a shop selling boots, stetsons, saddles, whips and the like). Healthy!

West of O’Neill, the Nebraska scenery takes a different turn: out goes the corn, in comes acre upon acre of  meadow.

Approaching Valentine, we glimpsed a bridge in the middle distance, and Debbie observed that a side-road crossed it. We pulled off to have a look, and found that a barrier kept cars off — I assume it’s a cycle path or something. We spent a half hour stroll going to the bridge and back, getting some sun, seeing some lizards and some enormous crickets, and getting a fantastic view down the Niobrara Valley.

In Valentine itself, we stopped to take a look at Young’s Western Wearhouse, which is a shop selling boots, stetsons, saddles, whips and the like; not a supermarket. I was sorely tempted by the boots, but sense got the better of me. They suit Nebraska. In Britain they mark you as a dodgy pub rocker.

From Valentine, we started a detour from US-20, and went North on US-83, into South Dakota. US-83 is a mighty good road. Yes, US-83 is the road to ride alright. 83 is the "Road to Nowhere" — the first fully paved route from Canada to Mexico. On this stretch it’s rolling hill after rolling valley of prairie, for mile upon mile.

We hit Interstate 90 in Murdo. The Pioneer Auto Show is here — a museum of cars. This isn’t something that would normally appeal, but there was an extra special incentive: the General Lee!

(From The Dukes of Hazzard, ignoramus). Many cars were used in the programme, but this is the one that survived, apparently.

In addition, there were dishes and glassware for Debbie to enjoy.

As well as the cars, there were lots of bits and bobs cluttering the place up.

For lunch, we had crisps. Yes, really. For some reason we weren’t all that hungry. I think the donuts put us off food.

We left Murdo on I-90, with a speed limit of 75MPH; the fastest we’ve encountered. This runs through gently undulating prairie. It’s not as pretty as US-83, but then what is. Our destination was Badlands national park. This is because our waitress last night (the nice attentive one, not the nasty leave-us-waiting one) told us we should see it because it’s "kinda pretty". We didn’t really know what to expect.

It was a bit of a surprise then, when having paid our National Park entry fee and driven through the gate, the prairie, which looks like this…

… ran out, only to be replaced by gorgeous erosion formations.

We drove the 30 mile scenic route through the park, pausing for a stroll and a look around at most of the designated viewpoints, and saw all kinds of spectacular scenery. Why had none of our books told us to go here? Why did we have to hear it first from a waitress?

We also saw a tacky paintjob on a car. Here you are JV.

We were aiming for Keystone, home of Mount Rushmore, but time was ticking on, so we stopped in Wall (named after the Badlands Wall — where it separates the upper prairie from the lower). We’re staying at the Motel Welsh — a nice place with neon. It makes the unusual gambit of bragging about its lack of amenities… and it has the side benefit that the WiFi signal from the Day’s Inn next door is just about usable.

We ate at the diner opposite — Debbie had a steak, and I had a buffalo burger. I think it was actually made of buffalo. Not like those rip-off buffalo wings.

We’re watching Fox’s delightful Sunday evening offerings: Simpsons. Family Guy, American Dad. Great stuff, marred only by storm warnings which occasionally interrupt the sound.

We just saw an advert for "Old McDonald’s Petting Farm", which boasts "world class pig racing" and a goat obstacle course…

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