Road Trip 2012 Part 4 / 4

This year, we visited Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park. On the way, as always, we stopped to visit our friends in Denver, and on the way back, we made a short stop at Mt. Rushmore. Our goal is to visit all 50 states together. Blue is where we’ve already visited, and Red is our home, Ohio.

US_States2012l1 — These are only the states that we (my wife and I) have visited together. We still have north, south and east states to concur.

Part 4: Heading Back Home ~ Wyoming – South Dakota – Minnesota – Iowa – Illinois – Indiana – Ohio

After spending last morning at Yellowstone National Park, we start heading back east on Route 14 to the Interstate 90.
It was a note worthy road! One of the best road I’ve ever driven on. up and down with some twisty, with 65 MPH speed limit (though the yellow sign “SUGGEST” 25 mph on many of the turns…) I really wish if I were on my RX-8, instead of loaded Highlander to be honest… but still it was a lot of fun driving through the road!

We stopped at a town called Cody. Founded by William Cody, better known as “Buffalo Bill”. It’s cowboy town, and of course we had to have some Beef!

Not very often you can try something called Rocky Mountain Oysters.
if you don’t know what they are, Google is your friend…

Steaks were huge, juicy, and cheap. and they really know how to cook beef to the perfection!

The route we took was not far from Sturgis, and it was just before the weekend of the famous Sturgis Rally. We saw so many bikers, and beautiful bikes…

South Dakota – Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore
We got off the highway I90 and onto Route 16, that lead us to the Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore

At one gas station, we picked up Sturgis’ Biker Ducky he’s gonna be my driving companion.

Crazy horse is an on going private project of curving Crazy Horse on a mountain. Its even larger than the Mr. Rushmore, and at this stage, only the head part has been finished. It’s hard to tell the scale of this project in the picture though…

There’s no need for explaining Mr. Rushmore

Some random pictures on our way across South Dakota

We made a quick stop at the Corn Palace. We were hit by storm with some tornado warning right as we pulled into the palace.

Then back on our way home.

Slice through the very southern part of Minnesota and stop to see the Green Giant.

If… only if you are driving through the I90 and have time to waste, stop by to see the Green Giant. there’s a tiny gift shop where really nice lady probably waiting for the people to stop by whole day everyday. she asked us where we are from, and I know she was wanting to hear something like Japan or China, and and ask what brought us here, etc… but before thinking, we answered.. “Ohio…” or maybe just my imagination… lol