My characters got away from the other week; they went off on a tangent, a dialogue, that I am not entirely sure works. Or, at east, it wasn't the way I originally planned it, and this particular book has taken a lot of planning

Not entirely sure I was ready to deal with it on an editing level, I decided to take some time to mull it over

Which of course led into road trip territory!

I put in a request off work on Tuesday, and on Thursday evening we hit the road! Deadwood, South Dakota was the main goal, but there were things to see along the way.

First thing to note - Sprint does NOT get any kind of coverage past the I-25 in Cheyenne. We spent 3 and a half days unplugged, basically - which I know is, like, the thing to do these days, but, when you aren't trying to be unplugged and off the grid, can be a bit frustrating.

Google Maps, for instance, won't really work. It kind of does, but not in the way one is used to. And that's fine, if I kept an up to date road atlas in my glove compartment like it was 1996. But I don't. Nor did I anticipate my phone going offline, so there was no downloading of the maps till the next evening at the hotel (if it had Wi-Fi). So, that made the trip a touch more...interesting. None the less, we maneuvered pretty well and learned a good lesson - despite the technologies, it may be wise to keep a map in your car, or research which carriers may get service and at the least, buy a burn phone.

Moving on from this debacle...

The first stop was Cheyenne. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of it. The people were friendly, but the look of the place sets one on edge. A real juxtaposition city. I'd like to see more.

Then came Devil's Tower. A very interesting piece of geography. We did a quick hike around it, watching climbers insane enough try to grapple their way to the top, saw some deer and I hoped for a porcupine sighting, but was disappointed.

Then a leisurely drive through Spearfish Canyon. It was a pretty route to take into Deadwood.

And Deadwood itself. I'll admit, in my fiction filled head, I did honestly expect dirt roads and wooden sidewalks. THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE. It is a normal little town, real roads and hotels, and most of the bars of lore are now casinos. But, they notate historical locations and the events that cemented it into legend. We walked into the #10 saloon and ordered 2 whiskeys at 9 Am. We saw the re-enactment of Wild Bill Hickok's assassination. And we roamed the main street of Deadwood, where so much happened beneath our feet so long ago. It was exciting and fun to be a tiny part of.

We eventually pulled ourselves away from booze and gunplay to go see Mt. Rushmore. It looks exactly as it does in pictures. I was astounded and impressed that someone carved something like that in a mountain. wow.

Then, one of the more fun parts for me, the drive through Custer park and Wind Cave park. We saw Buffalo! Real live, wild Buffalo!!! And a pack of wild Donkeys!!!

One more stop at Hot Springs on the way home to walk through an on-going geological dig of mammoth bones. Impressive preservation from the sink hole. And one can volunteer to help dig out and discover more animals and plants that were buried thousands of years ago! I know I will look into it!!

Then, it was time to head home.

It was a three day round trip, all in all. Three days without thinking about my second book. Three days without wondering what my characters might be doing.

But now....it is time to get back to work. Let's see where this all goes!