On the Road to Las Vegas – Berlin Wall, Independence Rock & Home
/For some reason, it's difficult for us to stick to travel plans... there always seems to be a diversion along the way, something we didn't think of or know about before making the plan. The plan was to leave early, get on the road without delay and make 400 miles or so, before calling it a day. Maybe it's wanderlust or dragging our feet to make the road trip last just a little longer or maybe just the inability to stick with a plan. We couldn't even get out of Rapid City without changing our minds.
First of all, getting up early was a no-go. The alarm went off... several times... and we finally killed it. Leaving early was a past tense impossibility by the time we got moving. The hotel coffee was an anemic weak brown brew, so we stopped at a local place for a cup. Across the street was the pleasant green expanse of Memorial Park with obvious walking paths. Since we'd be driving all day, we decided we'd get in a few steps before heading out of town.
Entrance to the Berlin Wall exhibit in Memorial Park, Rapid City, SD
As we entered the park, we noticed a memorial that looked interesting and thought we'd check it out. It was, surprisingly, a Berlin Wall exhibit. In fact, we were to learn later, one of the largest Berlin Wall exhibits in the USA. Installed in 1996, the exhibit was inspired by a traveling Berlin Wall Expo. Some local citizens privately funded the purchase of the wall sections as well as some tank traps which were originally installed along the Wall that separated East and West Berlin. When the Wall came down in 1989, sections of it were saved and sold. Just click on an image to make it larger.
We walked along a pleasant little stream, through underpasses and followed the paths for about a mile or so. Another exhibit provided insight into the Black Hills Flood of 1972. According to Wiki, “The Black Hills Flood of 1972, also known as the Rapid City Flood, was the most detrimental flood in South Dakota history, and one of the deadliest floods in U.S. history. The flood took place on June 9–10, 1972.” We had no recollection of this catastrophe and read with interest about the havoc and losses caused by the flood.
Photo from the Black Hills Flood of 1972… the worst in South Dakota’s history.
It was late morning before we finally headed out of town and we knew we had a long road ahead of us. We hit the highway, stopping every couple of hours to stretch our bones. One of the most interesting stops was at a pleasant Wyoming highway rest stop, the landmark known as Independence Rock. “ Located on the Oregon Trail, Independence Rock received its name after an Independence Day celebration with William Sublette and 80 pioneers. The name stuck and became a landmark and goal of the more than 550,000 westward travelers.” This route was a meeting point of the Oregon, California, Mormon, and Pony Express roads and provided a natural wagon pass along the Platte and Sweetwater Rivers.
We couldn't resist the 1.3 mile walk to the rock to view the thousands of signatures (and a little modern graffitti) that were inscribed on the rock as pioneers passed through and left their mark. The surrounding views were grand.
Independence Rock … what a great highway rest stop. Thanks, Wyoming!
Not far up the road, a sign pointed us to yet another landmark, Devil's Gate, a narrow cleft in the granite carved by the Sweetwater River that is about 370 feet deep and 1,500 feet long. A paved pathway led us close enough for a view. There are all sorts of legends and myths concerning its name.
Finally, we decided it was time to get down to business and get a few more miles logged. We managed a few more miles and tallied up about 400 miles total for the day before stopping for the night in Rawlins, Wyoming.
The next day we managed another 400 miles to Fillmore, Utah with a few non-distinguishable stretch and pee breaks, then made the final sprint through the Virgin River Canyon into Las Vegas. The surrounding scenery is lovely in this area, but we've traveled it so many times, it went by in a blur.
It's always bittersweet to get home. We were glad to be in our own beds, see the sibs, watch a little tube and relax. On the other hand, the road trip was complete. We'd driven 3,769 miles in the past month and those miles didn't include what we walked or bicycled, but now it was over and we’d be reverting to the same old chores and schedules. Definitely, time to start planning our next adventure.