Yellowstone to South Dakota

The sunshine and stirring campground eventually roused us from our sleeping bags. A little rain fell during the night but the only evidence was more dew than normal on the rain fly.

We dined on oatmeal and bananas before hitting the road again. Lake Yellowstone was immense and beautiful. Perhaps the nicest surprise was the lack of boats carving up the vast expanse of water.

Before leaving the east side of the park we stopped a second campground for a quick shower.

The road from Yellowstone to Cody, Wyoming was gorgeous, though the same could be said for much of northern Wyoming. Not many trees but the reds, greens, browns and yellows that paint the often jagged landscape delighted the eyes.

We drove most of the day on two lane highways with minimal traffic. There was a brief stretch on I-90 before veering south through the black hills towards Mt. Rushmore.

Not knowing how packed camp sites would be, we reserved a spot in a KOA (Kampground of America) a few miles from the monument. It seemed more like a summer camp than a camp ground. We didn't see any other tent campers - only RV's, cabins and even some luxury log "cabins" for several hundred $'s a night. We appreciated the hot showers 50 feet from our site and were on our way by 7 the next morning.