Boston Area To Mt Rushmore

[jrock]

We are thinking of going out to Mt. Rushmore next late Summer and were wondering what is the best time weather-wise is to head out that way.

Also what are the best things to see.

[BillAdams]

The best time is before the kids get out of school or after they have returned to school.  Summer vacation times make all the major visitors area more of a chore and less of an attraction.

The best thing to see at Mt. Rushmore is Mount Rushmore.  Nearby is what was to be the Crazy Horse monument but it will never be anything more than it is today and you can drive by and see it from the road saving the $14 per person admission fee.  You can mail me $10 for saving you the cost of admission to help compensate me for the $28 I had to pay!

Not too far away is Devil's Tower which I love and the town of Deadwood which is a casino/tourist town.  You won't win any money but I still like the place.

Now, how much time do you have?  It's 1900 mile trip so you are going to burn up a lot of time in travel in both directions.  If you have enough time there is also a lot to do along your travels.  Let us know if you have time to make some stops along the way.

[jrock]

I hear you on peak tourist time we are thinking of after the minions have returned to the education mill. We are more concerned with weather don't like to wander around if it is real hot. Longest trip so far was to Ft.Sill Oak. For our sons grad from boot camp in last week of Aug. 2002 CAN YOU SAY HOT. Only gone for 2weeks had to cut short due to family med emergency. We tag teamed around the clock to get back. We plan on taking lots of time on this one we are retired now and in no hurry.

[Eyephoto]

We went there in Sept 2010, had great weather then. Did the Monument, Crazy Horse, Sturgis, Geographical Center of US, Needles Hwy (encourage you to do,only in the jeep), Deadwood, Badlands, and Wall Drug.  On the way there, stop in Mitchell, SD for the Corn Palace.

[wildebill308]

Well as far as how to get there just take the Mass Pike West I-90. Don't plan on being in the area August 4-13th that is the date of the BIG motorcycle rally in Sturgis. The town of Sturgis has a population of under 7000 but last year they estimated they had over 760,000 at the rally. I wouldn't be in the area for a week before or a week after. 

The last time we were in the area we stayed out in Hermosa at Heartland RV Park & Cabins, 24743 SD-79, Hermosa, SD 57744, heartlandcampground.com, (605) 255-5460

Nearby Rapid city has some interesting shopping, dining and is interesting because each street corner has a statue of a president.

Badlands National park is just down the road. You are not that far from Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. 

About 250 miles west on I-90 is Little Bighorn Battlefield National Park

Lots more to see and do. Let me know what you like or are looking for on the way out and what rout are you taking back?

Bill

[jrock]

Eyephoto, we're considering Sept. Bill I 90 does look like the way outa town as far as the Rt.back we are still kicking that one around.

I mentioned Albuquerque to the wife thinks that might be to much for our first extended trip we are still in the planing stages. We still do a lot of 150 200 mile hops around New England states.Still ringing out problems with the meticulously maintained coach (said the salesperson at Camping World) we got to be real good friends with Milton Cat three months after we bought it but that is a whole other story.

I will have the coach all set by the time we go west. Seen enough of the east coast for now time to venture out west.

[wildebill308]

It depends how long you want to be West. You could tempt her with a side trip to Las Vegas then you are on track to drop down 93 to I-40 and head back and stop at The Grand Canyon then Albuquerque. 

We were west this summer so if you have routing questions or questions about places feel free.

What toad are you bringing? 

Bill

[BillAdams]

If you are thinking September and the Albquerque Ballon Fiesta is in early October, you MUST include this in your plans.  Janet and I simply cannot by-pass this event any time we are anywhere in the area.  You need to make reservations early for the best sites but you can also dry camp at the Sandia Casino (yes, you are very welcome) if you don't have any other options (we almost always stayed at the casino except for the one year we paid to be on the grounds).  I mentioned earlier that you should give us some details about your travel plans (places and time available) so we could make some additional suggestions.

[jrock]

Wildbill, Bill A we are just starting to look into the trip have been talking about it for a while. We will be going out I 90 wondering about terrain hills and road conditions. This summer we went up to Cooperstown the hills killed me overheated on all of them it was in the 90s at the time.CAC is filthy and I found a trash bag between the rad and CAC. I will be cleaning them in the spring no problem right now. A bit cooler now after I got the bag out I could see temp fluctuate normal. This is the only thing left to address. Change regulators and belts and l think I will be good to go. After I get things done I'll run out to the Berkshiers when it gets hot and see how she behaves.

[wildebill308]

41 minutes ago, Jrock said:

Wildbill, Bill A we are just starting to look into the trip have been talking about it for a while. We will be going out I 90 wondering about terrain hills and road conditions. This summer we went up to Cooperstown the hills killed me overheated on all of them it was in the 90s at the time.CAC is filthy and I found a trash bag between the rad and CAC. I will be cleaning them in the spring no problem right now. A bit cooler now after I got the bag out I could see temp fluctuate normal. This is the only thing left to address. Change regulators and belts and l think I will be good to go. After I get things done I'll run out to the Berkshiers when it gets hot and see ho she behaves.

Cleaning the CAC and radiator are/should be an annual task. Just part of your annual maintenance. When driving in the mountains you may need to be a little more proactive in using the gear pad to keep your RPM up to help keep it cooler and ease the load going uphill.  The basic rule of thumb is if you can't accelerate in a gear on a hill you should drop down to where you can. There are hills out west but nothing you can't get over.

Bill

[jrock]

Bill the dirty cooler is something I inherited with the coach. Have no idea how the bag got in where it was but it did and I got it all out.1st pusher and I'm learning fast I guess the problem was due to the previous owners "meticulous"maintenance.  Cat and Freightliner said they had no record of anything being done. I'll get it to where it should be and believe me it will stay their.

CW gave it to me for a what I thought was a good price so I had room for unexpected. We won't talk about their service can you say sucks. We will put plenty of miles on it up in NH before we venture west. I have been reading what you guys have said about shifting I'm still learning it. Have had several gas class A mh over the years and won't go back.

[wildebill308]

1 hour ago, Jrock said:

We will put plenty of miles on it up in NH before we venture west. I have been reading what you guys have said about shifting I'm still learning it. Have had several gas class A mh over the years and won't go back.

It's not as hard as it sounds. I would look up what your max rpm is so you can stay below it. I don't know if your Cat has a rev limiter like my Cummins. My little 5.9 is limited to 2800. On big hills I will down shift till I can maintain about 2200- 2400 rpm. This keeps the fan speed up and the coach runs cool.

Bill 

[wolfe10]

With the Caterpillar C7, 2,000- 2,100 is a good RPM for climbing long grades where you could overheat.

RPM range for that engine is 1,440 RPM (peak torque) to 2,400 RPM (peak HP and governed RPM).

[wildebill308]

56 minutes ago, wolfe10 said:

With the Caterpillar C7, 2,000- 2,100 is a good RPM for climbing long grades where you could overheat.

Thanks Brett, 

Bill

[jrock]

Thanks Brett I hadn't gotten back to you yet.

Bill I was looking at what cat spec was for max hp and torque Brett's numbers are what I found. I know that is what I'm looking for and not chase speed-- take what It gives you. I may have added to the problem not running up hill right. Also said don't run wot back off downshift and hold rpm. I will practice this in the hills up in nh next spring when I go up thru Franiconia Notch again.

Guess I have some work to do before heading for real mountains. Guess we got a little Off subject. Got to get driving technique down have had a cdl for years but trucks I have driven have been mostly buckets and on mostly flat terrain. DPs are a whole different game.

[tbutler]

Mt. Rushmore is great any time of the year.  South Dakota is hot in the summer but at altitude it is a little better.  If you miss the kids there, you miss a chance to see the wonder in the eyes of the little guys.  Kids can be fun if taken in small doses! 

Be sure to visit Custer State Park.  They have large herds of free roaming bison in the park.  We've had our best luck seeing the herds at their best with summer visits. It will send chills down your spine watching several hundred bison wending their way across the landscape.  There is great scenery all over the Black Hills and Custer State Park is no exception.  Badlands National Park is also nearby.  This is spectacular scenery but can be very hot in mid-summer.  Still, watching a summer thunderstorm in the distance from any viewpoint in the badlands is spectacular.  On I-90 you will see many advertisements for Wall Drug, might as well stop to see this 1940's tourist trap, everyone should stop once. 

Deadwood is more than Casino's, it is a National Historic Site.  They have a variety or reenactments of events that occurred in the area.  The actors are professionals and they do an excellent job of explaining what the whole scene is about.  They will also bring visitors into the play including children.  The results are some charming situations.  There is a campground in town on the grounds of the Deadwood Historic Museum.  Water and electric only but they have very nice showers and restrooms for the campground.  Those are housed in the Museum with access from the campground only.  There is a shuttle that runs through town, it stops at the campground entrance.  For those who enjoy walking, the main strip in town is well within easy walking distance from one end to the other.  There are plenty of shops, stores and bars to provide rest stops along the walk.  And, yes, there are several casinos. 

The Crazy Horse Memorial near Custer, SD is worth visiting, we have enjoyed the Volksmarch which takes you to the outstretched arm of the monument.  Admission on the day of the event is a canned food donation.  There is a small fee to the Volksmarch organization for the walk and you can purchase medals commemorating your participation.  They are now doing one in the spring, June 3-4 2017 and another in the fall, October 1.  It is a five mile walk through the woods where you see the monument from several different viewpoitns before climbing the maintenance road to stand under the face of Crazy Horse!  We've done this several times and will do it any time we're in the area when the hike is scheduled.  There is a nice museum there and during the Volksmarch they have many of the native American vendors with their wares.  There is also a restaurant on site so you can make a nice day of it there. 

South of the Black Hills is the town of Hot Springs.  They have an incredible fossil quarry there,  The Hot Springs Mammoth Site has an indoor excavation of an ancient hot spring that became a trap for Mammoths.  Dozens, perhaps hundreds fell into the springs, were trapped and died.  Their skeletons are slowly being extracted from the quarry.  Visitors can tour the quarry from an overlook walkway,  There is a museum featuring some of the skeletons and information about the site. 

If you are interested in pioneer history, Scottsbluff, Nebraska has a number of points of interest.  Located on the Oregon Trail, they have a nice museum with historic records and stories of the pioneers who traveled through the territory in the mid-1800's.  Scott's Bluff National Monument provides scenic views of the area and there are a number of other scenic landmarks that guided the pioneers westward.  Several years ago we enjoyed following Lewis and Clark across country from Louisville, KY and Clarksville, IN, all the way to Ft. Clatsop, Oregon.  We purchased a guide book at the visitors center in Clarksville and Louise read an entry from Lewis' journal related to our travels each day.  It made for a wonderful way to explore their historic journey.  The same could be done with the Oregon Trail.

A little further afield is Yellowstone National Park and to the north, Glacier National Park.  When you finish all that, you could head south to Arizona, Texas or Florida for he winter before returning home to Boston in 2018! 

[jrock]

Thanks Brett. I hadn't gotten back to you yet Bill I was looking at what cat spec was for max hp and torque Brett's numbers are what I found. I know that is what I'm looking for and no to chase speed take what It gives you. I may have added to the problem not running up hill right. Also said don't run wot back off downshift and hold rpm. I will practice this in the hills up in nh next spring when I go up thru Franiconia Notch again. Guess I have some work to do before heading for real mountains. Guess we got a little Off subject. Got to get driving technique down have had a cdl fly years but trucks I have driven have been mostly buckets and on mostly flat terrain. DPs are a whole different game.

[jrock]

Thanks tbutler a lot of great info everyone has been sending great things to see after holidays are done we will be putting a plan together 

[obedb]

I agree that I-90 from the Boston area to the south side of Chicago is a good idea, but!!! To minimize the problems often associated with Chicago, I would join I-80 west bound south of the Windy City and eliminate at least some of the congestion. Join I-29 northbound just before you get to Omaha. That will take you north to Souix Falls SD where you can join I-90 and head west to Rapid City and all of the neat stuff in the area.

Hitch hiked to the 1962 Worlds Fair with a friend, to celebrate graduating High School. Out of Rapid City we were riding with an engineer that went out of his way to make sure that we got a look at Mt. Rushmore. It was really something. You have definitely made a good choice.

[wildebill308]

2 hours ago, Jrock said:

Thanks Brett. I hadn't gotten back to you yet Bill I was looking at what cat spec was for max hp and torque Brett's numbers are what I found. I know that is what I'm looking for and no to chase speed take what It gives you. I may have added to the problem not running up hill right. Also said don't run wot back off downshift and hold rpm. I will practice this in the hills up in nh next spring when I go up thru Franiconia Notch again. Guess I have some work to do before heading for real mountains. Guess we got a little Off subject. Got to get driving technique down have had a cdl fly years but trucks I have driven have been mostly buckets and on mostly flat terrain. DPs are a whole different game.

I wouldn't get to worried about the mountains out west. If you can drive the mountains in the East you can drive the mountains out West. I have found some steep grades in the east that made me question the 6% grade singe as they looked more like 12%. 

I have been up through Franconia Notch. We stayed down at Newfound Lake at Newfound RV Park. We were going to drive the toad to the top of Mount Washington but the line was 40 cars long and they wouldn't let anyone up till some came down. Maybe next summer.

Bill

 

[jrock]

Bill we've been up several times be sure to pick a day with sever clear weather otherwise you will find out what the inside of a cloud looks like. Another good ride is the kancamagus highway nice windy drive 34.5 miles long some steep spots from Lincoln to Conway no facilities no cell service. Not sure if you can do it with the coach not a bad road some steep sections I think up to 8% not many turnouts big enough to get out and enjoy the scenery.

[wildebill308]

46 minutes ago, Jrock said:

Not sure if you can do it with the coach not a bad road some steep sections I think up to 8% not many turnouts big enough to get out and enjoy the scenery.

This is why it is so important to have a toad. If you don't have a toad there is so much you miss because it is not accessible in a coach.

Yes I have driven The Kancamagus Highway, great drive, I have recomended it to my friends with motorcycles. One thing I thought was fun is I-93 through the gap becomes a one lane freeway. Your basik 2 lane road made like a freeway.

Bill

[jrock]

Ya and the speed limit is 70 scary. We take our toad every time unless the son and his family are with us he has a trailer so we just borrow his truck if we need to go out.