Hi all,

I’ve managed to find internet access, so I figured I’d send out an email while I’ve got the chance. I’m currently staying in a hostel in Deadwood, South Dakota, about 30 miles or so from Wyoming. It’s currently pretty dreary and rainy here, but I walked around some and it seems to be an interesting town. Lots of casinos. I’m guessing they get lots of business from the Sturgis rally, which is right near here.

Rain seems to be the theme of the trip so far. It rained buckets on me across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota on Saturday, and then last night I got trapped in a thunderstorm (complete with gravel-sized hail) in the Badlands. So a little drizzle is something of a welcome change. The Badlands are pretty spectacular, though, as are the Black Hills. I’d email back some pictures, but the computer they have is locked down to only provide web access. I’ll send them when I get a chance.

I’m going to try to make it to Grand Teton on the other side of Wyoming tomorrow, and then onward to Washington. I’m not sure that they’ve heard of things like “the internet” or “cell phones” in Wyoming or Idaho, so I may be out of touch for a while. I’ll email again when I can.