So we’re about an hour outside of Yellowstone when we blow out my left rear tire. Lovely. I was already cranky, sore, and hungry (major PMS ya’ll), so this didn’t help matters. Immediately called AAA and they assured me they’d have someone out there in 10 minutes, but AN HOUR LATER, still no tow truck (they had jacked up my location and told the tow truck driver I was 15 miles North of Livingston when we were 15 miles South… Aargh!). Now I would have tried to change the tire myself, but we were too close to the road, and the tire was on the traffic side, so I decided to leave it to the professionals, lol. Thankfully a Sheriff showed up and he was the most awesome man and totally changed our tire for us! (We LOVE you Officer Hamilton!!!) I swear, Montana has totally renewed my faith in law enforcement — turns out they’re not all profiling assholes, lol. Anyway, we get the spare donut on, and drive about 20 minutes to the next town, where there’s a Walmart, where I can purchase a new tire. This took another hour, but we got to shop a little and eat lunch, and before we knew it we were on the road again…

Okay, so not 15 miles on the highway with our BRAND NEW TIRE, it blows again!!! I swear, I could not fucking believe it! How many people get two flats in one day! And on a BRAND NEW TIRE! So now we’re stranded on the side of the road AGAIN, calling AAA, and I’m fixin’ to cuss out the folks at Walmart, lol. Well another cop pulled up almost immediately after we pulled over, and the wonderful (and cute!) Deputy Dyk, not wanting us to be stranded for another second, offered to change our tire for us! (We LOVE you Deputy Dyk!) The cops in Montana freakin’ Rock! So now I’m driving back to Walmart, to get ANOTHER tire so we can get to our destination already. I swear, you just can’t make this stuff up people…

They put another tire on there, and I guess everything is fine now because we made it to our hotel in Missoula, Montana without incident. Long, long day. I can’t believe I made it for almost a month on the road, by myself, without any problems, and now all of a sudden the Universe wants to throw every obstacle imaginable at me in my final lap! (I didn’t tell you about how we hit and killed a spotted hawk or owl while driving through South Dakota… Honestly, have you ever heard of a person hitting a bird of prey with their CAR???) Ah well, great stories for the blog and book – that’s what I keep telling myself. Tomorrow we leave Montana, driving through the top of Idaho, en route to our campgrounds in Eastern Washington… I’m so excited to return to the Pacific Time Zone and I’m very excited to be getting closer and closer to home… It’s been a wild and lovely adventure, but I miss my kitties and Devin and I’m definitely starting to get sick of driving, lol. But there is still much fun to be had between now and then, so I gotta remember to stay present and enjoy this last week on the road…

So yeah, I started out the trip with four hubcaps. In Atlanta, I noticed one was missing (I have no idea what happened to it, lol). Lost the second one today when we blew out the tire. But you bet I’m gonna ride it til the rims fall off, and I still got two left…

If there were to be a battle for the bestest National Park in the country, I am convinced that the Grand Tetons would kick every other parks butt! My mouth hasn’t hung open like that since Sedona, and the Grand Canyon ain’t got nothin’ on the Tetons. The mountains, the lakes, and the surrounding scenery were among the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen in my life…

We camped for two days in Colter Bay Village in the coolest little tent cabin. My body was ready for a non-driving day by this point, though Saturday hardly felt like a day off. Meg and I went for a hike around GORGEOUS Jenny Lake that ended up being 6 miles and 3 hours long. The trail itself wasn’t as challenging as trying to keep up with Megan’s pace (the girl hasn’t smoked a day in her life and runs miles for FUN). Needless to say, after we were done, I was exhausted. But it was beautiful and there was an awesome waterfall at the halfway point, and I just love me some waterfalls.
As lovely as our tent cabin was, Meg and I didn’t get very much sleep in it, lol. Apparently the Tetons is very much bear country, so when checking in we were warned that bears are in the area and to lock up all food and food-scented toiletries in the car or bear bins before retiring for the night… Well I was awoken in the middle of the night by some major rustling and slamming in the camp, like a large animal was trying to get into the bear bins. Then I heard the growls and roars of a bear, not at all far away, and could not go back to sleep. I just laid there praying that they did not come after us (I spilled some cranberry juice in the tent earlier). Super scary. Meg totally made fun of me, and was jealous she slept through all the commotion, but she got her fill of wildlife sounds the next night as bear growls and coyote/wolf howls woke her and kept her up. But I still love camping, and our trip was pretty much without incident, so I will definitely be back.

Today we drove through Yellowstone which was cool. Not nearly as pretty as the Tetons, but still very scenic and we got to glimpse some pretty cool wildlife in their natural habitat. Saw a couple of buffalo walking up the road (like they owned it!) and a herd of elk. Very cool. Unfortunately, that was where the fun stuff ended (see above). I tell you, this trip has not been without its adventures!

Well, I almost went to jail tonight, lol. Okay, so maybe its not that funny, but what everyone keeps telling me to focus on is that I did NOT go to jail, and that it will make a great story for the book, so that’s how I’m going to try to view it… I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it could have been much much worse.

But first the fun stuff. South Dakota is just gorgeous, and there is a TON of stuff to do here (contrary to popular belief). Meg and I were so excited to set out on our full day of sightseeing. It’s awesome to have her with me because as I’ve said before — she’s like my chick soulmate. We get along incredibly well, find humor in the same bizarre things, are interested and entertained by the same activities, and can even communicate without words. She’s an awesome travelling companion and her excitement about our adventures really kept me up and going through the long drives and long days. I love having her here with me – she’s an awesome best friend.

We stayed in the CUTEST cabin in Badlands National Park last night. We were just giddy when we finally got a peek at our accommodations after a 10-hour driving day. It was just perfect and quaint inside and out. Got up early, had breakfast and then set off for a full day of exploring.

First stop was Wall Drug Store which is just this massive trading post with everything imaginable inside. (There are a ton of bikes outside because the next two weeks is the Sturgis Rally, a huge Harley convention that brings about 500,000 bikers to South Dakota to commune and party.) She shopped, I tried not to shop, and then we had a blast taking silly pictures in the mini-theme park out back. Then we went to Mount Rushmore, which was a trip. Presidents faces carved into the side of a mountain are most definitely cool.

Then we made our way through the Black Hills mountains which are just GORGEOUS. Meg totally fell in love with South Dakota and I totally will be back to visit her when she does, despite my unpleasant run-in with the Law… Then we set off for Deadwood, the town depicted in the HBO Series Deadwood. That was pretty cool, walking the streets where all this history took place. And after that we visited Mount Moriah Cemetary where Wild Bill Hickock, Seth Bullock, and Calamity Jane are buried. Very cool. Check Flickr for the full set of pictures.

As we were leaving South Dakota, en route to Buffalo, Wyoming where we were spending the night, I got pulled over for speeding. I was only going 83 mph in a 75 mph zone, so I thought the whole fact that I was getting a ticket at all was pretty ridiculous. I thought it was even more ridiculous when the cop informed me that he was calling in a K-9 unit to search my car for drugs. WTF — they profiled my ass cause I had California plate and I think that was totally fucked up. Now when I set off on my trip, I intentionally did not bring anything with me for this precise reason. But when I was in Atlanta, my friend gave me some stuff as a gift. Well, I actually left MOST of it in Chicago with another friend, so what I actually had on me was just one pinner emergency J… But apparently in South Dakota, which has a zero-tolerance regarding drugs, a little bit was enough to get my ass thrown in jail.

(Forgive the cursing, but I just came from fucking Deadwood for fuck’s sake, LOL)

Well after Demo the drug-sniffing dog got through with us, and they went through ALL our stuff (probable cause anyone? Unfortunately I am not well versed on my rights), I found myself in a little bit of trouble. They informed me that they should be arresting me, taking me to jail, and towing my car away, but instead they were going to let me off with a ticket (two to be exact if you count the one for speeding). I suppose I was supposed to be grateful, but I really think they went way overboard on the search and seizure bit considering I wasn’t driving under the influence, driving recklessly, or doing anything really except speeding. The great irony of it all was that I did not see one black person our entire time in South Dakota (that was a first for me), UNTIL I got pulled over and jacked by this BLACK cop. No love, none whatsoever. And he had the nerve to try to chat me up and make small talk like he was my buddy. The white cop with the dog was waaaay nicer.

Anyway, I’m happy to report that I’m not writing you from jail, but from our cabin in Buffalo, Wyoming. Things could have been much much worse, so I’m grateful for that. I’ve never been harassed by the police before, so I suppose this was a worthwhile learning experience and it will make a fantastic inclusion in the book I’m planning to write about this trip. But they don’t fuck around in South Dakota ya’ll.

Well surprisingly our quaint little cabin in South Dakota has wireless internet, so I’m able to blog after all… I’m telling you, my luck on this trip has just been outstanding.

Where did I leave off – oh yeah, my day and a half in Chicago. Chicago is HUGE. I’ve never seen a city this big — I swear you can fit 3 downtown San Francisco’s in Chicago. Huge skyscrapers punctuate a gorgeous skyline, with a river running through the middle, and bordered by Lake Michigan. As far as cities go – this one has a lot going on. Almost too much going on.

I experienced many epiphanies and moments of clarity on this trip, the main one being — I am a country girl (as opposed to a city girl). I love love LOVED the South, and miss it terribly already… But in the bustling metropolis of Chi-town, I was just overwhelmed. As much as it had to offer – I could never live there. Too much congestion, too many people, and I find high-rises terribly unnatural, lol. I’d take a lonely country road and 37 acres any day over the bright lights of a big city. So while it was a nice visit, Chicago didn’t wow me the way The South and Florida did.

But I still managed to enjoy myself immensely. I stayed with my good friend (and kindred spirit) Corey, and his girlfriend Kristina. It’s awesome to be introduced to the city by locals (well, technically they’re transplants, lol) because they know all the good places to go to eat, which we did a LOT of. Amazingly delicious food for dinner both nights and a grubbin’ breakfast on Tuesday. It was incredibly restful and relaxing, and quality time with a dear friend who truly knows, loves, and understands me is just priceless. It was also great to spend some time getting to know Kristina (who I really like!), and see that Corey is in very good hands. Cause he sure is a handful (sorry, couldn’t resist that one Dr. Capers!) 😉

Swooped Megan up in the evening, and after a long night and then a long day of driving, we made it safe and sound to South Dakota just after sunset. Gorgeous country out here. More on our adventures in South Dakota later, cause its late and we have a full day of sightseeing ahead of us tomorrow. But I’m having the time of my life ya’ll!!!

Hey Folks… Just a quick update on my status/whereabouts for you chronic worriers out there 🙂 Picked Meg up at the airport at 11:30pm in Chicago and we immediately hit the road to try to shave some time off our ridiculously long driving day tomorrow. Currently we are somewhere in Wisconsin, getting a few hours sleep (its 4am) before setting off for South Dakota. We’re entering the camping part of our journey, so I may not be able to get online as much as I used to, but I promise to post updates on our travels as often as I can. It is so AWESOME to have Meg here with me — we are gonna have a blast exploring the gorgeous scenery in this part of the country! But first, gotta try and catch some zzzzz’s….