The Battle of Little Big Horn & Mount Rushmore - History Lives!

While driving through South Dakota, we saw the sign for The Battle of Little Big Horn and remembered the Kevin Costener flick, "Dances with Wolves" and had to stop and check it out. This landmark was one of the major battle grounds of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77, where the Sioux, Lakota and Northern Cheyenne Indians banded together to fight for their land after so many intrusions of the whites pushing them farther and farther out West. Let's just say it was a pretty gruesome battle and if you're interested in all the historical details you should look into because it is really quite interesting.

We drove through the Bozeman Trail and saw the graves of many fallen soldiers. There was even a little free cell phone audio tour that we got to do. All in all, it was a really cool thing to see that we hadn't really planned.

Next up is Mount Rushmore! We pulled into the parking lot and walked up tons of steps to see it in the distance. We got to the vantage point and took some pictures. Did I mention that it was freezing up there? I could barely crack a smile for my close-up. I hate to say it, but I thought that it was going to be much more grandeur than it was. Or I guess, I just figured it would bigger! Nonetheless, it was pretty amazing to think how they created this masterpiece. They even managed to make Teddy's mustache and eyeglasses perfectly replicated.

We walked around the bottom of the mountain where there was a trail built to get a closer look at the details. I told Ryan, that he and Thomas Jefferson have the same nose, nostrils in all. And by far, I thought Georgie was the cutest. The trail offered different looks at all the president's and offered plaques of information regarding their accomplishments in their presidency. We even got to take a look at the artist's studio (Gutzon Borglum) with plaster concept molds and tools used to carve out the mountain of granite. It took around 14 years to complete and there were no deaths, just minor injuries that occurred.

After we were finished admiring the carving and freezing our butts off, we headed back to the RV to shoot for The Badlands!

Deadwood & Sturgis of South Dakota!

We packed up and left Yellowstone but not before we saw a few more lone bison on our way out. They are such insane animals, so powerful, but seem so gentle. Today was going to be jam-packed with sites to see and history to unfold. We headed for Deadwood, South Dakota. This place is just like a true town from back in the days. The old mining town from the gold rush of the Black Hills Mountains,  boasted general stores and saloons galore, this place was the real deal, not like new construction made to look old, this place really is the original gold rush town. We drove through and walked around for a bit. Grabbed a map of the place as a keepsake, but had to keep trucking to stay on schedule.

Next up was Sturgis, home of the famous week and a half bike fest. Since it wasn't August the place was a ghost town. We drove through and it seemed like any other small town, except for they had this cool sign up on their town mountain that had Sturgis spelled out in white letters. It looked just like the famous Hollywood sign. Sweet! We checked out the famous Full Throttle Saloon which wasn't open, but we took a picture of the huge cowboy statute in front of the place. Before we left we raced some kids in the local grocery store parking lot and we were on our way!

Driving to Yellowstone & Beyond!

Our mission today after we got out of Canada, was to drive as far as we could in one day. We drove through Washington which was very pretty and then hit Idaho, which we realized was quite mountainous in the northern region. It started snowing on us in the dark which sucked. But then we entered Montana  and stopped in this little town called Coeur d' Alene and had the best IHOP breakfast ever. We were the only 2 people in the restaurant and these 2 young high schoolers, girl and boy, cooked and served us like we were Hollywood celebrities. Even gave us coffee to go and didn't charge us. Small-town Montana peeps are real sweet! Got gas in a town called Anaconda and hit the road til we crashed in Masula at a Walmart.

We woke up and headed for West Yellowstone, which is on the north western tip of Wyoming on the border of Montana, so we were almost there. Thank God! The weather was so crappy and snowy out but the Yella pushed through like a champ. We headed into the quaint West Yellowstone, only to find out that everything was closed due to the snow and wouldn't open up for a few more days. What the Heck! We drove all through the night to get here, which Yellowstone was the highlight of our trip and it is freakin' closed! Well, we had been lucky so far throughout the trip, so a lil bump in the road wasn't going to get us down.

We found a Hotel that had RV parking and hook-ups, so we backed our Yella into a snow covered spot and hung out for the day. We walked around the little town and decided to just drive through Yellowstone to see the nature and wildlife. We saw tons of bison, a family of rams, more bison (just hanging out on the side of the road), all types of birds, super cute antelope, wolves, deer families and even a bear, oh my! It was so cool to be that close to all the wildlife without any fencing around like at the zoo. We really enjoyed seeing the animals in their natural habitat and of course, respected their space by not getting too close. We headed back to the RV to plan our attack for the following day.

It was so crazy though, to take a shower at their facilities, I had to walk through all this snow. What a weird feeling to experience right after taking a shower. Very refreshing!

Leaving Canada and back to the Home of the Brave!

So, we packed up the RV and headed for the promise land, America!!! We enjoyed Vancouver but I miss dollar bills and I don't feel like lugging around all these Canadian coins in my little purse. Kills my shoulders! So, we we headed for the border and crossed our fingers that the American border would let us back in without a problem. The waiting time for the line was about and hour, so we just idled and waited. Sipping our juice, snacking on rice cakes and using our plush bathroom when needed. We had the life compared to the other people just waiting in their simple cars. I think I may have even taken a nap in the bedroom. haha.. J/K So, we are almost to the front of the line and we see a fast lane on the side for people with special passes or if your vehicle is too tall or wide then you go through as well. We thought, we are only about 5 cars away from the front, but this is our chance, I think that this lane is for us. I mean, I have no idea how tall this thing is. Especially not in meters! So we pulled up to the lane...the guy at the booth was not at all happy with us. I quickly reassured him and said, "Ugh, sorry sir, we waited in line the whole way, but then saw this lane for tall/wide loads and we got confused and thought we should enter in here!" I  mean, after all, that was the truth, it was totally innocent. But of course, people hate me in foreign countries and he said, very condescendingly, "Really, you thought you were too tall, gimme a break, lady, please!" And I just said graciously, "No really, I'm not bs-ing ya! We really didn't know. Sorry! It's our first time going through the border like this, sorry!"

So, he gave us a break, thankfully and proceeded to play the 20 question game with us. Pretty similar questions to the first time we came in. We told him we were relocating to NYC for our jobs and just wanted to take a cross-country road trip before we got settled in. Ya know, the usual travel story. Funny how they never believe this. So he asked me all these questions like what we are going to do when we get to NYC, what have we been doing all this travel trip and asked us to declare any goods. Personally, I think we just intrigued him. But at any rate, I told him the truth. And it worked. He asked us again though about the goods thing, like not even a souvenir, and we just told him that: "Hello...it is too expensive in Canada. I mean, we didn't even bring back a postcard, really!" So that was it, he said, "You're free to go, but just so you know, you're not even close to being over height so don't pull that one ever again!" I grabbed the passports and said, "You got it!" I pulled away slowly from the booth and we headed into the USA. Ryan and I started singing, "I am a Real American!" from Rocky and it was awesome! Felt good to be home!

Capilano Suspension Bridge & The Waterfront Market in Vacouver, Ay!

After an awesome day in Downtown Vancouver, we were hoping for some better weather when we set out for the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Fortunately for us, it wasn't raining but it was a bit cold for my liking, so we bundled up and head out on the town. We took the RV around the area and first headed up to Grouse Mountain to find out if the slopes were open. Which unfortunately with all the bad weather they were having the mountain wouldn't open up til next week, but no worries, we were able to check out a wolf habitat on site so the day wasn't a complete loss.

After checking out the baby white wolf, we headed over to see the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Which is this crazy, you guessed it, simple suspension bridge that crosses over the Capilano River. There is a huge local native presence with totem poles and there is a cool path that leads to these treetop adventures where you're up in the trees like the Swiss Family Robinson. Pretty neato if ya ask me.

We left the Capilano bridge but not before receiving our certificate proving that we had hit every part of the park and experienced it all. We get pretty competitive like that. Headed over to check out some thrift stores and stumble upon this awesome waterfront market that overlooks Downtown Vancouver. We walked up this huge flight of stairs on this lookout tower to get a better view. Took a few snapshots and headed down, trying not to slip on the wet metal stairs and land in the harbor. We walked down towards the market and what did we see...The Golden Arches. But not just any golden arches, a Canadian one.

I told Ryan that if my awesome experience from sampling McDonald's in Europe was correct and that it actually tastes good and doesn't leave you feeling like crap afterwards than it would have to be the same in Canada. I mean it is another country. So for the sake of science, we did it. We tried Canadian McDonalds and it was amazing! Now I know what you Americans who haven't traveled to other countries and ever sampled McDonalds are thinking: yeah right! But when I tell you that it is purely scientific you have no choice but to believe in science. I mean, think about it, they use local farming and believe me when I say that I am sure the FDA regulations are far more strict than USA. So there...you don't have to take my word for it, just either go to Europe or Canada and see for yourself.

After we devoured our gourmet mcD's, we suddenly had a surprise burst of energy, not at all what we expected and proceeded to walk around town and check out the local shops. After a few hours of walking and our mcD's energy wore off, we headed back to the RV to gear up to get the heck back to the good ol' US of A!!!

Downtown Vancouver - Super Cool but Very Wet!

After getting into Canada pretty late, all we wanted to do was find the Walmart and go to bed. We had to go towards North Vancouver to find one. This particular Walmart just so happened to be on an incline, so we had to pull the Yella in as much we could without it feeling like we were sleeping downhill. Lights out and tomorrow the Real Vancouver!

We woke up to the sounds of shopping carts banging into one another, since we had to park right next to the cart return. I mean, it was the most level spot, presumably. So, we got our warm clothes on and headed for the Capilano RV park which is on an actual Indian reservation. We checked in and ate some lunch before we headed out for the city bus into downtown. Turns out in the summer there is a salmon run along the river that runs right through our RV park. Too bad we didn't come then, that would have been really cool to see. Just think about the Indians back in the day. They must have had some good eatin'.

We hopped the bus just outside of the Park Royal Mall after we had exchanged some American into Canadian for bus fare. Ouch! Even though the rate right now is only a couple cents to the dollar, it still hurts to know that the Canadian dollar is doing better than ours. We inserted our Canadian coins, a "Toonie" ($2 coin), a "Loonie" ($1 coin) and 2 quarters and were on our way. I thought it was cute that they refer to their there one and two dollars as "toonies" and "loonies", but I did not however find it cute that I had to lug around a whole bunch of change.

The bus was super clean and again, everyone seemed friendly and helpful and everyone seemed to dress quite nice, not at all what I think of a city bus when I think about the HART line back home. We made our way across the Lion's Gate Bridge (an awesome suspension bridge) and headed for Granville St. to explore. We checked out Yaletown, Gastown, the Heritage District, Granville Island and the ferry port. All these little areas of downtown were so cool, clean and happening. On our way to Gastown, however, we somehow managed to stumble into what seemed like skid-row. I mean, I have seen a meth/heroine/crack user or two wandering around a town in my life before, but so many at one time, was a bit overwhelming and just down rightt frightening. I told Ryan that they can smell fear, so we acted naturally and quickly to get the hell out of East Hastings STAT.

Ryan and I recalled a TV program we had watched before that spoke of free needle clinics for these people and an area in a downtown that was geared for these people and this behavior. After walking through East Hastings, we realized that the city in that TV program they were speaking of was Vancouver. No need to gross you out with the details of what we saw, so we jaywalked more times than I can count to avoid these folks and ended up in the beautiful cobble-stoned street area alongside the water called "Gastown". We sat at a park bench for a minute to catch our breath from dodging all the crack heads, but couldn't avoid this one lady who wandered into the nice part of town, with decayed teeth asking us for change in exchange for her fake tiffany charm. We told her the same story, "Sorry, we don't have any change." She walked away weirdly, almost as if she didn't even know she had just spoke to us. For all we know, she was a soldier in her head in some war zone or something. At this point, we decided it was time to get out of downtown and head back to the RV for some R & R.

Crossing the border to Vancouver, Ay!

So we set out for Vancouver, Canada not realizing to the full extent what border patrol had in store for us. We left Seattle a little later than planned because we were busy working on the blog, uploading all our trip videos and pics, but we were determined to get to Canada either way. Seattle is not too far from the Canada border and after the border, Vancouver is only like 30-40 miles so we figured a couple hours drive and sail through border patrol and get there in no time. Well... little did we know, there is an hour long wait on the highway just to get to the border. But we were optimistic, after all, we had nothing to hide.

We sat in line, watching all these silly Canadians keep getting out of their cars and fidgeting with their purchases in the trunk. We come to find out later, why all the fidgeting. So..here we are, next car up...the signal light turns green and this is it...the moment of truth. We handed our passports to the cute, innocent-looking asian girl at the counter. She looked at us with a most serious face and proceeded to ask us several questions. It went like this: What brings you to Canada? How long will you be staying in Vancouver? You drove all the way from Florida to stay in Canada for a few days? What do you do for work? How much money do you have on you? And get this...She even asked Ryan and I how much money we had in our savings and checking accounts? Can you believe they are allowed to ask that? Ridiculous!

Well, after our dealings with the border patrol in New Mexico, we realized that these people have no sense of adventure and totally do not understand the whole traveling around the country for exploration, discovery and ya know, experience thing. So, naturally she hands us a yellow slip, has us pull over to the side, go into the Canadian border center and try to explain what we are doing to yet another no-nonsense, no adventure, power tripping border patrol. Our slip was yellow and as we noticed early on from the line we were standing in, this colored slip was for the people that drew some red flags. Fabulous! We're in the line with all the drug smuggling, weapon carriers, this will be be quick, I'm sure!

We waited patiently, remained calm and tried not to make any sudden movements. The young, bald juiced up patrol called us over to his counter. Lucky us...the guy with something to prove. We handed him our slip and passports and I had Ryan do all the talking. I tend to talk too much and tell people more than they need to know, so Ryan was the obvious spokesperson for us. The patrol asked us the same questions yet again. Why are you guys going to Vancouver? For, how long? What do we do for work? At this point, the whole in-between jobs thing wasn't really working in our advantage. So, he asked if there was anything he needed to be aware of in the RV. We said "No". And he took our keys to search the ol' Yella.

We sat anxiously in the waiting area with the rest of the wrongly accused stereotypes. We started to people watch and realized there were a lot of Asian people in the waiting area. Then, one border patrol was hassling a nicely dressed asian woman at the counter, where he was going through her purse and having her take off her jacket and telling her, "This is new, you just bought this, I can tell, it still has creases, you're lying!"So we quickly discovered that you can only bring back so many new goods from the US to Canada and they are real sticklers about it. I mean, I saw them have people pull their pant legs up and check for goods, I thought for a second they were going to check for tags on these poor people's underwear, it was that obtrusive. So at least while we waited for the patrol to invade our privacy and personal belongings, we were mildly entertained.

We sat and sat and sat for what seemed an eternity, but it was really only 2 hours. Ryan had to go to the bathroom and headed for the washroom, but the door was locked. He said to me, "Why is it locked, do I need a key?" And I said, "Maybe someone is in there!" He heard the hand dryer blowing inside and waited at the door. A guy walked out and Ryan went in after, naturally. Wouldn't ya know, right when Ryan goes to the bathroom, I see our tough, bald patrol come back inside. He sat at his counter and looked over at me, noticing Ryan wasn't there. He walked through the back and came through a side door. He approached me and said, "Where did he go?" And I was like, "Oh, he's in the bathroom." Then, he said aggressively, "Who let him in?" I was like, "Uh, well no one, this guy was coming out and.." And without even letting me finish my sentence, the guy quickly jumping on me said, "ugh, Was the door locked?" I hurriedly said, "Yes." He condescendingly replied, "Well, usually when a door is locked that means you can not go in there and you have to ask someone."I immediately replied, "Whoa, sir listen...He tried for the handle, saw that it was locked, then heard someone in there drying their hands, so assumed it was locked because someone was in there and figured he could go in after. I'm sorry, we didn't know." He said, "Fine. Here are your passports, you're free to go." I said with great relief, "Oh great, thank you so much." I turned to walk away, but then he came at me with another question. Oh no, I thought, what now, you said we could go. He asked me, "Who organizes the RV?" I said, "I do, sir." And then do you know what he said to me? He said, "Well, you did a great job organizing everything in there. I have searched a lot of RV's and you wouldn't believe the kind of messes I've seen. You made it very easy for us out there." What!?!!!  I quickly replied back, "Wow, thank you so much for noticing that. I really appreciate it. You should tell him (Ryan) that." And he walked away. I don't think I got a smile out of him, but man, I was on cloud nine after that compliment. I mean, to get a nice compliment from a tough border patrol guy. That was really nice of him to notice because I put a lot of work in there.

Ryan came out of the bathroom, I told him what happened and then I said "Now, let's get the hell outta here!" Back to the RV we went, with everything still in its perfectly organized place. Ready or not Vancouver, here we come!

Miranda & Clark off to find the Pacific Northwest!

All I can say about the Pacific Northwest and will continue to say…is how ridiculously gorgeously green and colorful it is out here. Washington state is so pretty. It is bright green landscapes and vibrant color flowers everywhere with the fresh smell of just after the rain. Oh and did I mention that the people here are so freaking nice. No, really, you would think with all the rain they have they would Kurt Kobain depressed, but I guess, rainbows come out a lot here. The rebirth of after the rain is gone with the glowing lush landscape reappearing; really hits home for these peeps and creates such a positive affect.

So the first day we landed in Seattle, it was raining like expected and very grey. But the next day, the sun came out to play, the rain went home and the wind was quite nicely breezy. It was the perfect day to take the city bus into town and explore. The city buses here are super clean with super friendly staff and pretty easy to find your way around. Also, a huge bonus is…that once you get into downtown Seattle, the metro buses (in city buses) are FREE! So you can just hop on and hop off. You wanna walk from Pike Place Market to the Space needle, you don’t have to, you can take the bus. It’s great!

We checked out the market and got some baked salmon sandwiches, had to! Then we just walked everywhere, took the bus when we didn’t feel like walking everywhere, checked out the Space needle, Seattle Center, took the monorail back to center of downtown. Oh yeah, they have a monorail. They rule! And we happened to run into this awesome Salvation Army, where the whole store was 50% off and I managed to get an L.L. Bean Ski jacket for…you’ll never guess, don’t even try…6 bucks. Awesome deal!

Looks like we will be making the trip to Vancouver after all to catch some skiing so the jacket was definitely necessary. Seattle rules…I mean, it really makes a girl rethink the whole NYC thing and just pull a 180 on everyone and go Northwest. But the Big Apple holds my dreams, so I must stay focused. We just keep running into and visiting so many awesome cities in the country, one right after the other and they just get better.

But for now, Seattle will stay in my heart! Gotta rest up and gear up for the slopes in Vancouver, Ay!!!

Miranda & Clark to view the explosive Mt. St. Helens!

Before we got to Seattle, we had to check out the famous Mt. St. Helens. It was still snowing up at the top and there were a lot of roads closed but we managed to check out the bottom of it, along with the sweet Ape Cave. The Ape Cave is actually an old lave flow tube for Mt. St. Helens and I guess, although we walked through it, if Mt. St. Helens was to erupt, I think it would still work. We took our chances with it anyways. Were crazy dumb like that. Haha…It was pitch black, wet, muddy and the dripping of water squeaking through from the ceiling was anything but reassuring. We forged ahead, nonetheless, step by step, with only a lil LED flashlight my mom got for us, and suddenly, yep..you guessed it…Ryan stepped in a hug puddle with his white sneakers on. I told him to where his hiking shoes. Did you guys think I was going to tell a bat story? Nah…although the brown bats and deer mice do live down there, we were fortunate enough to escape Ape Cave without any bats getting caught in my curly rat’s nest head. We didn’t go the whole mile through it, we were too smart for that, totally unprepared with our gear and alright…a bit frightened.

So, we hopped in the RV and headed for Seattle!