Teton drive through towards Jewel Cave and Wind Cave
July 25 2016 After packing up at Indian Creek Camp, we headed for the South entrance. The plan is to pass along the Grand Teton Mountains and travel toward the two cave systems in South Dakota.
As we're driving along on a clear sunny day near the Tetons, we see heavy cloud up ahead but as we get closer....
FIRE.
Near Dubois Wyoming the capricious mountain winds were carrying embers over 10 miles, where they started their own flash fires.
We were the last cars to get through before the troopers closed the road as the winds changed direction.
Several miles down the road, these intrepid bikers look ready to go, but will be enjoying the town until the fire subsides.
An hour down the road and it's wall to wall sunshine again, as the temperture climbs. But there's a problem- the power steering fluid is leaking, but more than before.
IT's a log way to anywhere at this point, and it really doesn't matter where we stop to look at it.
At the side of a nice long stretch of highway we stop and wait for the pavement to cool down unough under the van that I can get underneath on a tarp to take a look.
It's a slow drip from a steel high pressure line going from rear engine to front steering, For decades a RUBBER hose had been gently rubbing against the steel, all the while using road dust and grit like sandpaper. The rubber was fine.
Using a small round pebble, some fast moldable epoxy and a small screw clamp, the tiny hole was plugged enough to slow the flow to an odd drip. By topping up every day, it shoud be ok. Waiting at home was a set of new hydraulic hoses that I didn't have time to install before our trip. There seemed to be no need since there was no leak before the trip.
Needless to say we didn't get as far as planned that day, but did get a great night's sleep and pizza at La Quinta Inn, Casper Wyoming.
Today July 26 we make our way east to the southwest corner of South Dakota and the Wind Cave area. Arriving in mid-afternoon, we easily find a camping spot at Commanche State Park, but miss the last Wind Cave tour of the day.
But we didn't miss the show
Weather between Caper and Rapid City SD is strongly influenced by the Black Hills and the wide open spaces, with hail being very common.
Quite quickly the sky darkened, and it started to hail. We were parked under tall pine trees, and they did a great job of slowing down the falling ice, but imagine being under a tin roof with rocks falling.
Fortunately everything was completely ok including the solar panels and the windshield. The fiberglass pop top took shots straight on, but the 4 steep sloping sides of the van only got glancing blows.
In Custer a while later, everything looks fine.
Bison are a big thing in these parts.
Now we're off eastwardly to The Badlands
