I was right to feel optimistic. I woke up and could breathe again, I could hear, and I could speak! The monster lives! It was hard to say goodbye at the ranch, I took a farewell photo of the Devil's Tower as we drove past. We made it to Rapid City and to the Television Station in good time. Good enough time that we were forced to idle away half an hour buying books at a good used bookstore down the street. The interview was good. I worried that we didn't say enough to promote the Festival, but it was the interviewer's program and he wanted to know if it was hard to write a book. Then asked how one writes a book. Hmmm, hard question to answer, actually.
Afterwards we stopped at Dinosaur Park in Rapid City. I have a photo of myself as a child sitting on those dinosaurs. Notice they are painted green. I used to think dinosaurs and elephants were green because of that park.
We got checked in at the hotel in Deadwood. As we walked in Sherry DeBoer said, "You must be Spring Warren!" For a moment I felt almost famous, then she introduced herself. We had exchanged e-mails, and, I imagine, she must have seen my web-site to know what I looked like. In any case she made us feel very welcome. We even got a gift bag.
The street you see above is Main Street in front of the Lincoln Hotel where gunfights are held every night during the summer, no matter the crosswalks. We are staying in the Hickock Hotel named after Wild Bill who was shot just down the street. The Hotel is newly renovated and quite plush with chocolates on the pillows and bathrobes, monogrammed with the dead man's name, hanging in the bath. Go down a flight of stairs, however and there is gambling and smoking in the lobby. No poker chips and whiskey, but video and one-armed bandits. Tonight we go to the author's reception. Tomorrow the Festival begins.
