Billboards!

SEE THE BIG THUNDER GOLD MINE!

CHRISTMAS VILLAGE TURN HERE!

WHOA! DON'T MISS BEAR COUNTRY!

TWO NIGHTS RUSHMORE SHADOWS $29.95

Billboards suddenly disappeared when we crossed into a stretch of National Forest land. It was a pleasure to see the scenery, even if it was just trees, especially since the Black Hills are the highest mountains between the Rockies and the Alps.

"South Dakota defies the federal billboard laws by zoning the area around billboards as industrial," Andy explained.

"I don't care how they do it," I told him. "I think it's tacky and ridiculous. Why do the people of South Dakota allow it? Why don't they do something about it?"

"It's my guess that billboards attract attention of children who nag their parents to go to everything!" he suggested. "I wish there was a billboard for WalMart, so we could find a place to have our oil changed. We have covered 3,221 miles in 21 days."

"In Hill City we usually have snow by now," said the gas station attendant when we stopped to fill up. The temperature on the First Interstate Bank across the street read 79 degrees at 3:25 p.m. "We had a frost two nights ago, but it is supposed to be in the high 80's tomorrow. I don't know what is happening," he mused.

Nothing like global warming! I thought.