We spent more time than we ever desired in Sioux Falls. Because we’re a couple of idiots and broke Dyna. But as soon as we remedied that tribulation, we took a poop dump, filled our diesel tank, and booked it 900 miles. This took us around 16 driving hours. Because Dyna. She’s a synonym for ‘slow’. And I am not a very talented long hauler. I require naps. And diet cola pitstops.
“But Liz, can’t you just store some diet cola in your wheeled house’s fridge and nicely ask Jake to retrieve the diet cola for you when you need another diet cola while you drive your chugging beast down the road?”
Amateur question.
Road colas require ice. Preferably crushed ice. They are best supplied by the fountain pop machines installed in almost all truck stops. Taste the difference, tenderfoot.
Jake tolerates me.
It took us 3 days, two overnights, and 5 diet colas to cross South Dakota and Wyoming on I-90 and Hwy 26.
Check this rest area!
Our first overnight pitstop was at a lovely rest area in Chamberlain, SD. You’re not actually supposed to sleep overnight in South Dakotan rest areas, but everyone does it. We’re probably fugitives now. A refrigerated semi-truck was also breaking the law right next to us all night. I considered becoming a multi-crime fugitive that night. Thoughts of how in the hell I could stop that damned refrigerator truck from cycling one more damned time kept me from sleeping. Which maybe means we didn’t break the South Dakota overnight sleeping rest area laws? Because of no sleeping? So now I’m either a regular ‘one charge’ fugitive or not a fugitive at all.
Wall Drug 
Wall Drug
A couple of hours down the road, we pulled into Wall Drug because that is somewhere you stop when you are driving through the state of South Dakota on I-90. It is a glorious tourist trap. I love being a tourist. We photo-opped, perused a wide variety of tschotschkies, and waited for a dinosaur to shoot smoke out of its face and make roaring noises.
We grabbed two (surprisingly tasty) donuts and a 5¢ coffee, then we put Dyna back to work headed West on I-90 until we hit I-25. Jake didn’t drink any 5¢ coffee because he’s a mutant who hates caffeine. We didn’t stop at Mt Rushmore. We probably should have. But we didn’t.
A long day’s haul led us to a cushy parking spot in the back of a Casper, WY Walmart. We have avoided Walmart parking lots for damned near 4 years of full-timing in Dyna. But on the evening of June 15th, 2019, we realized our ‘no Walmarts so far’ blunder. Walmart overnighting is awesome!
Walmarting like a bunch of bosses.
We spent some evening hours perusing the aisles of a store I usually hate to be in (Walmart. The store I hate being in is Walmart), restocking on poop tank deodorant and Oreos, then wheeled our shopping cart right up to Dyna’s front door. I felt super cool doing that.
A big perk of overnighting in a busy parking lot: it compels you to wake your asses up and get them out of bed and get on with your day. And our day involved more driving – with hopes of finally reaching our intended destination: Moose Wyoming, and a very popular camping area overlooking the Teton Mountain Range.
Dump and drive.
We drove. We dumped and filled (one more time). And by around 3pm on Father’s Day Sunday in June: we made it! (Happy father’s day Dad).
And thanks for behaving and getting us there Dyna.