On this page you will follow my trip from California to Louisville KY during the summer of 2008. It has been 8 years since I moved from Charlottesville, VA to CA, it was time to move or I was going to have to clean the apartment.
Sat July 19, Alameda, CA to Canyonville, OR
My first day out was to travel through the delta to Sacramento and then on up I-5 to Oregon.
July 20, 21, Canyonville, OR
I spent the first two days of my relocation staying with my sister, her husband and his family. They have a piece of property that they stay at every year and Penny has been trying to get me up there for years now. My relocation came at the same time they were camping this year, so I stayed with them. It was a good break from getting ready for the move and starting the new job.
Tues July 22, Canyonville, OR to Boise, ID
Last night we stayed in the South Umpqua Falls campground. I broke out the telescope and we looked at some double stars, an open cluster and Saturn. This morning I left early from the campground down the back side of the mountain. Several miles of this road were gravel. Wildflowers were in bloom and no one else was on the road. This set the tone for the day as I was traveling lots of back country roads in Oregon and then into Boise.
Wed July 23, Boise ID to Cheyenne, WY
I started this day off with the idea that I would try and go through Yellowstone and into the Badlands. As I drove and looked at the schedule and distances I realized I wouldn’t get much time in Yellowstone that would be useful. So I changed my plans and cut out Yellowstone from this trip. I decided to try and get to Cheyenne which would put me an easy drive to the Black Hills area. I had a great drive, the weather was perfect, not too hot and it was sunny and clear. The only problem was that Cheyenne was hosting its annual Rodeo Days so all the hotels were charging about $100 extra a night for a room.
Thur July 24, Cheyenne, WY to Hot Springs, SD
I left Cheyenne about 8am and got into Hot Springs around noon. This gave me a fair amount of time to visit Custer State Park and the Crazy Horse Monument. I had another beautiful day that wasn’t too hot. Although the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was still a couple of weeks away, there were lots of bikes, and groups of bikers in the area. This is a beautiful area with lots of wildlife. This was my second visit to this area.
Fri July 25, Hot Springs, SD to Wall SD
I took another drive through Custer State Park in the morning and then headed for Mt Rushmore. National Treasure 2 was filmed in the Hot Springs and Mt Rushmore area. On my previous visit I hadn’t hiked down to the base of the monument, this time I decided I would. The trail to the right that goes past the studio and other exhibits is the steeper and more difficult climb with several hundred stairs. The trail to the left is much more level.From here I went to Wall and drove through the Badlands.
Sat July 26, Wall SD to Kansas City MO
Between the camping at the start of the trip and the extra time I spent here in the Black Hills area, I needed to make up time. There was one place on this leg that I wanted to visit and that was the Corn Palace in Mitchell. I had seen photographs of this place at the Lawrence Welk Center in San Diego and was always curious about it. Every year they change the murals on the outside. I knew the place was decorated with corn, but I thought it was kernels of corn; until I got here I didn’t realize they were using the entire ear of corn.
This days drive was long, flat and straight. The weather was nice until I got into Missouri when outside of Kansas City I got caught in a thunder shower and rain storm.
Sun July 27, Kansas City, MO to Louisville, KY
The final leg from Kansas City to Louisville was relatively easy. There is a time zone change that doesn’t help with timing, but the distance was not bad. I was traveling I-64 as this was a straight shot, except for all the construction going on in St Louis. Illinois and Indiana were a blur of corn fields and straight roads. I got into Louisville about 5 and went looking for my temporary housing.
