Stopover in Custer

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Approaching Custer

The ride from Devil's Tower to Custer seemed very long and hot, through parched countryside with no shade for cattle. The light that seemed so appealing a day earlier bothered my eyes and I was mighty glad we had a spot for the night.

Said "spot" was the only available room in Custer. There's a certain excitement associated with booking at the last minute, a chance I never would have taken in the days before hotel databases on the Internet were so efficient. However, Expedia returned no results yesterday morning, and Trivago had only a few rooms at a mom & pop 11-room cottage that Bob wasn't willing to risk. Instead, he used our AAA book and started making phone calls. He got a last-minute cancellation at Econolodge in Custer, and while we were both a little dubious, we were in no position to be too fussy. I felt a litlte encouraged because Expedia had recently included Econolodge in its Custer selections.

The motel is pretty much what you'd expect, but much cleaner and "updated". The double queen is on the noisy main drag, but who cares. The bathroom is clean and the fridge works. Good reception on the newer RCA TV. Internet is easy to access and reasonably fast. The Willie Nelson lookalike at the front desk cheerfully visited our room and got the closed captioning off the TV. Breakfast this morning was predictable, except for the exceptionally good fresh watermelon slices. That said, I'm ready for a better hotel this evening.

We walked Mount Rushmore Boulevard yesterday evening looking for the restaurant recommended by Willie, but it was closed, along with most other establishments on the street. A passer-by suggested Sage Creek Grille, a gem you'd expect to fin in a "nouveau" neighborhood in a large city. We shared a sockeye salmon open-faced sandwich on wheat, with grilled potatoes and fresh greens. I had a lovely glass of Sterling pinot noir, evoking memories of a visit to the Sterling Vineyards in the Napa Valley many years ago. We shared an excellent crème brûlée for dessert.

We collapsed from exhausted and slept till morning, ready for another day.