Greetings from Gillette, Wyoming and the Country Inn and Suites!
Hours Driven: 7.5
kms Travelled: 743
Money Spent: $307
“Are you Serious? ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
I wouldn’t have been more surprised and abruptly awoken if Emile jumped up on the bed and shouted “Google provides 1000 mbps to select customers in Connecticut!” as loud as he could. Which in fact is what it sounded like. Not the Connecticut part, but the on our bed part. At 6:30 in the morning, some crazed woman started screaming at her child. Our hotel was not soundproof and I would have sworn she was right there.
“What did I tell you? We are GOING to Have a Good Day! And here you are being Difficult!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
I laid there wondering where she was and what this child did to deserve this wraith. What time is it? Where are we? What is going on? What is it that happens to some people that have children? The ones that become overbearing and borderline abusive to their kids. Lady, its 6:30 in the morning and no doubt you have driven the Great American Road Trip, feeding your kid sugar, getting them to bed late and then awakening them at 6:00 am to “get a good start”. So give us all a break!
“Your FACE will STOP being RED in 5 Minutes!! Stop Crying!! Are you SERIOUS??”
Finally this delightful mom and family left and we were able to go back to sleep. Emile grabbed an extra pillow to cover his ears, built a pillow wall to block out the dawn sun that was streaming in and promptly returned to peaceful slumber. I lay awake a little longer convinced I would never get back to sleep. But soon I awoke at 10 am.
Our hotel included breakfast and we certainly were going to take advantage of it. As Emile ate my waffle and his, I sipped at a tea and wondered if I would ever feel rested again. I gathered the free condiments I always do, as I reminded Emile what our Nutbar Neighbour was screaming at the crack of dawn.
So, a bit of a late start. The sun shone and the hotel parking lot was empty. We were the late departure.
There is a reason Montana is called big sky country – it truly feels like the world is vast and open. It was a tremendous drive and we both enjoyed it – being able to see the scenery this time.
We debated and debated whether to swing through South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore as it would add extra hours to our trip. Emile said “Well, I think we should go, then we can scratch it off our list”. I am not sure what the list is that we have, but well, he knows me. Crossing something off a list is my motivation. Of course we headed south!
That meant a dive into Wyoming, and the instant we crossed the state lines, the highways turned pink. And I thought Wyoming’s borders were arbitrary! What an incredible feeling – I want to come here and buy cowboy boots and find a ranch and do cowboy things. Wide open like Montana, but with unique pink and black rock formations. Exploring Wyoming goes on this list we apparently have. But probably just after returning to Paris.
We pulled into Gillette – debating the pronunciation – at 7:30 pm and could not bring ourselves to risk driving further despite our paltry 700 kms. We were tired, hungry and road weary and needed a good night’s sleep. Surely Gillette had a room for the night. First hotel we tried – internet, fridge, breakfast and less than $100. We are in.
The clerk told us we were lucky that we were here tonight (double the rate) instead of next week – it’s the big Motorbike Rally in Stugis next week. And the connections were made – no wonder there have been so many bikes on the road!
Despite my assertion that Wal-Mart is destroying North American society, we went to the Super Centre across from our hotel. We wanted the real modern American experience you see – and Wal-Mart fit the bill. All we needed were some “pry it from my cold dead hands” guns and cheap tacos.
We crawled into bed with the alarm set for the first time in weeks. I have the idea of running in Wyoming because it sounds really cool.
Aaah. Bed with a new box of Cheeze Its, some weirdo Key Lime diet soda pop and Family Feud.
August 4th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary: Finding a hotel before dark – new, clean, friendly, and cheap with fresh baked cookies and chocolates at the front desk.
The Daily EO 
Am, I the crazy lady?!????
Were you screaming at me at 6 in the morning?