Day 3: Rushmore, The Horse, & The Dumping Bison

It's day 3. Today was the first day we could actually look at anything we came all this way for. Of course, it couldn't be a Prather vacation without some amount of trouble. Heavily medicated and full from the omelet bar at the hotel Joseph was able to limp his way around Mt. Rushmore pretty well. It was breathtaking. I know that sounds corny but unless you've seen it, it's hard to imagine how beautiful it really is. The trip was now immediately worth it. The forecast was for rain but we managed to get through without more than two drops and got some amazing pictures. We ate bison burgers for lunch which were good but more than likely overpriced.

After some more Tylenol it was off to Crazy Horse. This was an interesting stop. Crazy Horse Memorial has been under construction for well over 50 years and only the face is completed. They rely solely on private contributions for funding the entire project. I suppose that would be the reason it cost $30.00 to get in and several more for anything else you wanted to do there but it was very cool. In 75 years or so when a little more of the monument is completed we will have to return and view the progress.

More Tylenol, Add some Pepto Bismol and it was off to the Needles Highway and scenic wildlife loop in Custer State Park. The first part of which was a crazy looping highway that would make an iron stomach flip, full of beautiful overlooks and blasted tunnels through mountainous regions. The wildlife loop featured a 20 mile drive through prairie land where bison roamed free along side donkeys and strange deer. The bison seemed to use the bathroom a lot. Enough for me to get a picture anyway. The donkeys were friendly enough to walk right up to the window and try to steal a kiss. It was a great day. Devin's car sickness finally faded as we drove back to our hotel and dinner was nice and relaxing. Tomorrow it's off to the Badlands and maybe Deadwood. We'll let you know.

Regards from South Dakota,

Joseph & Devin







For Danielle

Day Two: Injury and Windmills

We made it to Rapid City. There's not a whole lot to see here in the town besides some restaurants and stores. Everything to see is at least an hour one way or another from the hotel so even tomorrow there will be more driving. Joseph didn't sleep well last night because of the bar that shared a parking lot with our hotel. It was interesting at 2AM when the bar started kicking the drunks out. The second leg of the trip had some more exciting landscapes. Thousands of windmills lined up in Iowa were amazing.

We decided to stop at the corn palace in Mitchell South Dakota to see what all the hype was about. It would have been a nice stop to get out of the van and rest but Joseph tripped in the parking lot injuring his foot and will be completing our vacation with a noticeable limp. It made for a couple of good pictures though. After leaving Mitchell there wasn't much until reaching Rapid City. Some open spaces and finally some scenery once we got closer to here.

We are both looking forward to tomorrow. After two days of riding in the car we're ready to see what we came here for. Presuming Joseph can walk and we don't have to rent him a hover round.

Regards from South Dakota,

Joseph & Devin

From the heart of Des Moins, Americas corn capital

As you all know we are on a big adventure this week. We have just tackled the longest drive we have done in a long while and we're only half way there. We have seen more corn fields than I would like for a life time and have seen some nice pottys on the way. I have to say that Illinois has better pottys than any other state I've seen so far. Very clean and well kept. We were pleased.

So far the family is getting along well. We were a little worried that 12 hours might be a little long to sit in a hot car and stare at corn but everyone is handling it pretty well. No car sickness, no major arguments....yet. The highlight of the drive was the worlds largest truck stop. A combination truck stop / walmart/ doctors office/ movie theatre/ crazy thing in the world. I've attached some pictures of that. It's been a long day and tomorrow will be an equally long day to get to Mount Rushmore. So it's time for bed and hopefully an early start tomorrow. More updates daily so check back. As of yet Joseph has not found a statue of his co-worker (Iowas most famous resident) but he will continue to look.

Greetings from Iowa,

Joseph & Devin

Recharging

It's that time of year again. Time for me to take a couple of weeks off work. Time to unwind, relax, and recharge the batteries. I always take my vacation surrounding our anniversary so we can make it special. After toying with several trip ideas Devin finally agreed to go to South Dakota with me. It's a dream vacation for me and I'll finally cross several things off my bucket list. Of course Mt. Rushmore is the chief attraction but I hope we have time to take in the untamed beauty of that part of the country. After a particularly difficult year I think we both need the trip more than we realize. If I can only manage to get a handle on my vacation ruining road rage I think we'll be in good shape.

Good bye to lazy Sundays

Mowing the grass. That weekly chore that I so happily abandoned months ago has returned. I will shed a tear for my lazy Sundays later. Now if I can just get my weed eater to work.

Chi Town

As of late, I have become increasingly interested in the world of good food. Perhaps it's the many hours of Food Network on in the background while I'm working on things at home. Perhaps it's the marathons of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" during the monotonous 12 hour shifts at work. Whatever the reason may be, I was inspired to go on a culinary adventure.

After watching the No Reservations episode shot in Chicago my friend John and I decided to take a little trip. Tuesday, completely on a whim, we drove to Chicago... to eat. Our first stop was a place called Hot Doug's Sausage Superstore. It's a hole in the wall place in the Northern suburbs that the locals can't seem to get enough of. Now I know why. I have to say, there are no two finer words in the English language than encased meats. Quite simply, I will be going back often. Until Doug agrees to let me franchise one closer to home. So I imagine I'll be going back for a very long time.

The next few hours of sightseeing occurred mainly as a break from eating to allow hunger to return. I got to see some pretty amazing traffic and a lot of the city from the passenger seat of John's car because it was pretty much pouring down rain the entire day.

When hunger returned we went on a mission for authentic Chicago style pizza. It may sound funny but we had a bit of a hard time finding a place. Apparently most authentic joints only open after 6 during the week. We finally settled on Pequod's, a place named after Ahab's vessel in Moby Dick. We were pleased to find out that while this shop was not the one featured on TV, the owner of that place had at one time owned Pequod's and the food was much the same. Excellent on so many levels. Perhaps it was the stomach full of sausages from earlier but for the first time in my life I couldn't polish off the rest of the pizza. I'm sure that made Devin happy because she got to experience it when we got home.

On our way home we felt the urge to see one more place that Bourdain had visited. The Calumet Fishery. Essentially a shed on the river that sells smoked fish. Very good smoked fish. Presuming you can get past the look of the place and the smell that smacks you in the face when you open the door. The line of people waiting in the rain spoke for itself. So lunch the next day at work would be smoked salmon and trout from Chicago. I couldn't wait.

All in all, it was a great day. 12 hours of driving for 2 of the best meals of my life. Totally worth it.

Poster Boy

After a few months of waiting I finally got the poster for the product I was asked to promote. My partner and I took a few hours off the street one day to take some pictures for an advertising campaign for the Comfort Zone blanket warmer. It got our service a free one and it works great. Plus I get to have the side of my head in EMS magazines across the country. Lucky me. Here's the ad.