Day 2 – Adventures of Ms. Caviar and TunaGirl

Day 1 had a few glitches, but we would not be discouraged. We were determined to have a good time on this journey and refused to let the issues of yesterday get our spirits down. It was, after all, a new day, and we had BIG plans to see some epic scenery.

Rested and refreshed we woke to see the turkeys had joined us for our happy morning and coffee.

If you plan to camp, I highly recommend a stove like my SilverFire Camp Stove for quick preparations and, most importantly, coffee! We cannot recommend this quaint little campground enough. Fort Welikit in Custer, South Dakota, which we discovered using the iOverander app was simply wonderful, and the next morning, when it was a bit nippy in the mountains of South Dakota, the hot showers were just what we needed to shake off the dust of the issues from the day before and begin renewed for only $27 it was an excellent deal.

It was time to head out, and today, we planned to take it easy; it was about the sights. We planned to see all that the area had to offer and packed up, ready to leave. But—as normal for us “Monkey Wrench” moment!

I want to take a moment to touch on this one because it was not something that just “happened,” but more likely poor quality in a service. We rented the vehicle from Avis at the Denver Airport, and if you recall from yesterday, there was something awry from the very beginning. After taking 45 minutes to find us a vehicle and that vehicle not starting the next morning, when we got in this morning to find it again, it would not start. We knew it was not us. We’d worried we left a light on, but this was not the case. We discovered they KNEW about this issue BEFORE renting this vehicle to us. It was dark when we loaded up, and we missed this until this morning. Something we note here is that AVIS did NOTHING to make this right and, in fact, seemed as though they worked to make it more difficult. Needless to say, we will not likely rent from AVIS again.

Well now, I bet you know by now that we will not be recommending rentals from Avis. We had to have a tow company come and jump the vehicle, backtrack into Rapid City, South Dakota, and swap our ride. If you recall from the preparations, the car was full. We were transporting things to Maine on this trip, and that was what actually prompted the adventure. A real time suck this became, but we were undeterred. We made short work of it and were back on the road and off on our day’s adventures.

Up next Cathedral Spires.

The views were stunning, and we spent a good deal of time in the area. We snacked on the munchies (remember, these were free) and took lots of pictures. The parks were not free but a very reasonable price given the amount of things we did.

Depending on the type of entrance fee charged at a site it covers. One private vehicle fee or Four per person fees. America the Beautiful National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Passes

Type	Available to	Price
Annual Pass	Everyone	$80.00
Annual Senior Pass	US citizens and permanent residents 62+ years old	$20.00
Lifetime Senior Pass	US citizens and permanent residents 62+ years old	$80.00
Annual Military Pass	Current US military and dependents	Free
Lifetime Military Pass	Gold Star Family members and veterans	Free
Access Pass	US citizens and permanent residents with permanent disability	Free
4th Grade Pass	US 4th graders	Free
Volunteer Pass	Federal recreation site volunteers with 250 service hours	Free

Note** America the Beautiful Passes are non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen. Passholders must show valid photo identification (ID) with each pass.

The National Parks system has parks nationwide and can provide excellent opportunities for outings and adventure. We also visited Mount Rushmore [$10], and the cost overall for the day [besides fuel] was nominal. Consider picking up a pass for yourselves, and note that military and dependents are FREE!

Mount Rushmore’s various views are astounding and speaks to the ingenuity of the time.