Westward Ho! The Adventures of Dragon Truck
*I have been wanting to share this journey for quite some time but have been really busy with weddings and my day job. But here goes.
What is a dragon truck you might ask. Well it's the affectionate name that my brother and I have given to my fathers truck, which coincidentally has a mural of a dragon on the back. Why he had it painted I'm not sure. Perhaps to much DnD in the early 70s. We felt, however, that there was no other day we were doing a road trip. Here it is in all it's glory.
Prologue:
So several years ago I wanted to do a road trip with my little brother who at the time was about 17. He was broke and mooching off of the parents so I figured it would never happen. Then out of the blue this last winter he says he really wants to go and we should do it. Well seeing as how I missed the Dgrin trip in 2009 and there was none for 2010 I knew we had to. It was on like Donkey Kong.
The Plan:
Our plan was simple. Drive out the Badlands for a week and explore the surrounding area. That morphed over time to include Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We cut short some of the caves and sites around the Badlands for the other parks. We were going to accomplish this all in about 8 days. Oh and we would be camping as well.
The Trip:
Day 1
So on a warm morning in July (with a slight rain) at about 4am my brother and I set out. Energy drinks and corn nuts seem to fuel the early morning hours. My brother was rocking his 3 Wolf sleeveless shirt to impress any ladies we saw along the way. We stopped quite a bit and just took our time with it. The one annoying thing was the 4,000 signs for Wall Drug we saw as far back as Minnesota. We drove by but didn't stop. We soon found ourselves rolling into Rapid City for the night. I was amused, being the IT nerd that I am, that our hotel was on Disk Drv. It was nice to get some rest after the long car ride.
Day 2
We set out early to explore Custer State Park, which was to be our camping site as well. Well the camping idea faded pretty quickly as we found out all the spots were booked. I thought it was first come first served but I guess I was wrong (we ended up spending the money and enjoying another night in a hotel. We are wimps). We shrugged it off and started to drive around the park. We made it to the south side just in time for all the buffalo to come walking out to the pasture (thanks to the wonderful woman at the souvenir shop who told us when they usually move there).
This is right out of the camera and more of a snap to show how many.
A young calf.
I like this guy's beard
Grazing
I jumped up in the back bed of the truck and played safari as we drove along. It was a lot of fun but things got a bit hairy when we were stopped dead in the road with 2 buffalo males squaring off. Then a third came and completely ground traffic to a halt. I was kind of freaking out though watching these massive (which didn't seem so big when I was in the car) beasts square off. We eventually made it through only to be accosted by a group of donkeys shaking cars down as they drove by.
Eating grass
Wrinkled Nose
Day 3
Day 3 saw us hitting up Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Mount Rushmore was simply amazing and the drive in alone was very majestic. There were so many people there it was a bit much but we still managed to get the shots we wanted. Sorry for the lack of shots with me in them but I hate taking pics of myself.
The standard
Washington lovin
Crowd Shot
Thats all for now. I will post more of the journey later tonight. Don't want lose this post.
What is a dragon truck you might ask. Well it's the affectionate name that my brother and I have given to my fathers truck, which coincidentally has a mural of a dragon on the back. Why he had it painted I'm not sure. Perhaps to much DnD in the early 70s. We felt, however, that there was no other day we were doing a road trip. Here it is in all it's glory.
Prologue:
So several years ago I wanted to do a road trip with my little brother who at the time was about 17. He was broke and mooching off of the parents so I figured it would never happen. Then out of the blue this last winter he says he really wants to go and we should do it. Well seeing as how I missed the Dgrin trip in 2009 and there was none for 2010 I knew we had to. It was on like Donkey Kong.
The Plan:
Our plan was simple. Drive out the Badlands for a week and explore the surrounding area. That morphed over time to include Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We cut short some of the caves and sites around the Badlands for the other parks. We were going to accomplish this all in about 8 days. Oh and we would be camping as well.
The Trip:
Day 1
So on a warm morning in July (with a slight rain) at about 4am my brother and I set out. Energy drinks and corn nuts seem to fuel the early morning hours. My brother was rocking his 3 Wolf sleeveless shirt to impress any ladies we saw along the way. We stopped quite a bit and just took our time with it. The one annoying thing was the 4,000 signs for Wall Drug we saw as far back as Minnesota. We drove by but didn't stop. We soon found ourselves rolling into Rapid City for the night. I was amused, being the IT nerd that I am, that our hotel was on Disk Drv. It was nice to get some rest after the long car ride.
Day 2
We set out early to explore Custer State Park, which was to be our camping site as well. Well the camping idea faded pretty quickly as we found out all the spots were booked. I thought it was first come first served but I guess I was wrong (we ended up spending the money and enjoying another night in a hotel. We are wimps). We shrugged it off and started to drive around the park. We made it to the south side just in time for all the buffalo to come walking out to the pasture (thanks to the wonderful woman at the souvenir shop who told us when they usually move there).
This is right out of the camera and more of a snap to show how many.
A young calf.
I like this guy's beard
Grazing
I jumped up in the back bed of the truck and played safari as we drove along. It was a lot of fun but things got a bit hairy when we were stopped dead in the road with 2 buffalo males squaring off. Then a third came and completely ground traffic to a halt. I was kind of freaking out though watching these massive (which didn't seem so big when I was in the car) beasts square off. We eventually made it through only to be accosted by a group of donkeys shaking cars down as they drove by.
Eating grass
Wrinkled Nose
Day 3
Day 3 saw us hitting up Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Mount Rushmore was simply amazing and the drive in alone was very majestic. There were so many people there it was a bit much but we still managed to get the shots we wanted. Sorry for the lack of shots with me in them but I hate taking pics of myself.
The standard
Washington lovin
Crowd Shot
Thats all for now. I will post more of the journey later tonight. Don't want lose this post.
====My Gear=====
Canon 5D Mk.2/Grip || Canon 7D Backup
17-40 f/4L || 70-200 f/2.8L IS || 100mm f/2.8L Macro || 24-70mm f/2.8L
Wedding Photographer
www.cwphotos.net
Canon 5D Mk.2/Grip || Canon 7D Backup
17-40 f/4L || 70-200 f/2.8L IS || 100mm f/2.8L Macro || 24-70mm f/2.8L
Wedding Photographer
www.cwphotos.net
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Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
Day 4
We finally decided to go and check out the Badlands. We left the hotel early and grabbed some Denny's along the way for an energy boost (and some WiFi thievery). The drive was actually pretty long from Rapid City. We came in on the south side of the park and accidentally took a side road into the park which I guess is no longer used. Thankfully we didn't get pulled over for not having paid to get in. We ate lunch at the lodge and checked in to our patch of dirt, I mean campsite. We then drove around the park stopping anywhere we felt like taking pictures. It was really hot and dry that day.
Obligatory sign picture. Another snapshot.
Prairie Dog Town
Snapshot of me rocking the SmugMug Hat
Bands
Little Brother with the G9
Sunset blaze
We went back after dark to setup our tent. Needless to say we had no idea what we were doing but did manage eventually to get it set how we wanted it. I can tell you it was the worst night sleep ever. So hot and the ground was like concrete, even with a roll out foam mat.
Day 5
With South Dakota leaving us behind we made our way to Yellowstone. Stopping at a gas station we asked the nice lady there which was the most scenic route to Yellowstone. She told us where to go and said it was the nicest. Yeah it was only the best if you like hours of desolate desert roads and nothing but oil derricks for miles. Did manage to grab a couple of nice road shots but overall it was pretty boring. Got a nice suntan on my driving arm though......
Road Warrior
We finally neared Cody about an hour outside of Yellowstone and we stopped at the Dam that they have there. Though they don't allow camera bags into the museum above the dam the guy at the counter will hold it for you, though you can still take pictures. Odd I know.
Nice Dam View
Another snap of the Dam
We then trudged on to the main gates of Yellowstone. It was like I was approaching a holy shrine. I was so excited to see it. We got to the gate and the lady told us all the camping was full. Wow. That works out great.
Wildlife
River bend
Snapshot of the shore
Dont step on the vents! (Dont hate me but I laughed so hard when I saw this drawing.)
Want to know where we slept that night? Want to see more pics? Well then stay tuned to the next installment!!
Thanks for looking.
Canon 5D Mk.2/Grip || Canon 7D Backup
17-40 f/4L || 70-200 f/2.8L IS || 100mm f/2.8L Macro || 24-70mm f/2.8L
Wedding Photographer
www.cwphotos.net