On the Road Again (Looking Back and Ahead)

It was a memorable nine days on the road in October, visiting places such as Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Devils Tower in Wyoming, Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

My main regret is that the trip through nine states didn't last longer because there were a few sites I would have enjoyed spending more time, especially the various museums.  

But time was of the essence since one person (my wife) had to return to work. And one person (me) had things to do such as get back to  my work in progress. And we did leave our two doggies, Bailey and Belle, at home so we wanted to get back to see them. And it wasn't a free ride either.

Some reflections:

• We would have liked to see the Lakota museum in Chamberlain, S.D., especially after seeing the majestic 50-foot "Dignity" statue. 
• While in Mitchell, S.D., to see the Corn Palace, we learned that the George S. McGovern museum was located there.
• We arrived in Winterset, Iowa, shortly after 8 a.m. to see the John Wayne Museum, but it didn't open until 10. We had to hit the road.  
• We stayed overnight in Sheridan, Wyo., after visiting Devils Tower. We would have enjoyed spending more time in this cowboy town there but we wanted to stick to our planned itinerary as much as possible. 
• I had heard from others about the brilliant night sky in Wyoming and Montana but we were never in a place to see it. And we're not night owls.
• I was surprised that Wall Drug in South Dakota closed at 6 p.m.; we arrived about 30 minutes after closing. With all the roadside advertising, I thought it might be a 24/7 operation. 
• While in Wyoming, several people said that we should drive another three hours or so west to see Yellowstone National Park. We gave it some thought but decided that you don't pay short visits to Yellowstone; it deserves a few days. And it's on our bucket list along with a few other sites in Montana, Washington, and Oregon that we may travel to in 2017 or 2018 -- but not by car.
• Our timetable was to get to Rapid City, S.D., in two days. It's about 1,000 miles. I figured 600 or so on the first day, then 400 the next day. We did it but it was a big mistake. Too many miles. And you have to factor in lunch, pit stops, etc., so you're on the road longer than initially calculated. It makes for very, very long days. 

We got terrific gas mileage from Mary's Toyota Prius, about 52 mpg over 3,800 miles. And with gas prices down, that was one of the bargains. Traveling during the off season, especially the places around Rapid City, made the trip more enjoyable, unless you prefer big crowds and long lines. Motel rates were less expensive as well. 

Almost forgot...we had a great time seeing other scenic parts of our nation!

Now to start planning our next big adventure in the U.S. That's kinda fun, too.

Until the next time....

On the Road Again (Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial)

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is certainly a sight to behold after traveling more than a thousand miles -- the majestic busts of  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved out of granite in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941), with the assistance of 400 workers over 14 years (1927-41), used dynamite and jackhammers to construct this piece of earthly art of Harney Peak granite. He selected these four great leaders for symbolic reasons in our country's history: Washington (birth), Jefferson (expansion), Lincoln (preservation), and Roosevelt (development).

Borglum bust at Mount Rushmore

Borglum has an interesting and controversial past, from being involved in the initial carving of Stone Mountain in Georgia to being a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Read more about him here. 

Mount Rushmore attracts about three million visitors a year. I was thankful that I arrived in the off season because there weren't long lines to the entrance. 

Scale models in Borglum's studio

By the way, you can see the memorial from several vantage points without entering the park. Click here for some facts about the memorial. While there you can hike to the base of the memorial, tour Borglum's studio, and visit the gift shop and information center. 

Sixteen miles away is another landmark -- the Crazy Horse Memorial. The site is a work in progress as only the head of the legendary Indian has been carved. The work was started by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski (1908-1982) in 1948 and has been carried on by his family. Ziolkowski worked with Borglum at Mount Rushmore in 1939.

Face of Crazy Horse

In addition to the massive sculpture that will be carved out of the granite hilltop, the memorial campus includes an Education and Conference Center, Indian Museum of North America, Korczak's studio, restaurant, gift shop, and theater.

I recently read that it will take a hundred years to complete the Crazy Horse sculpture. A park guide informed me that Korczak worked alone for many years, and only today there are 16 workers at the site. The guide said it would probably take 15 years just to finish the outstretched arm and hand. 

Scale model and memorial

Compare that to the 400 it took to finish Mount Rushmore and you'll get an idea about how long it will take. It won't be during my lifetime, or probably that of my grandchildren. Maybe great grandchildren. 

Another interesting item is that the memorial does not take federal or state funds; it's strictly a private endeavor through the nonprofit Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.

I suggest watching the short film in the learning center about Ziolkowski and his inspiring work at the memorial.  His motto was: "Never forget your dreams." And the dream lives on.

After leaving Crazy Horse, we drove through the southern tip of the Badlands region, near Custer State Park. It was a landscape that certainly earned its name. More about that later.

You can see more images at my Facebook page by clicking here.

Next stop: Deadwood, Belle Fourche and Devil's Tower.

Until the next time....

On the Road Again (To Mount Rushmore and More)

My wife and I just returned from a nine-day vacation that involved driving more than 3,800 miles, covering nine states and many stops along the way.

Mary and Michael at majestic Mount Rushmore

We had always wanted to see Mount Rushmore but didn't want to make that long trip there without taking in some other sites. I also had read about the statues of U.S. presidents in Rapid City, South Dakota, which I had read about in a magazine.

One thing led to another, and we planned our trip for October, knowing it was off season at many places and we could explore without dealing with heavy traffic and throngs of other vacationers. And we went to expected and unexpected sites, the serious and silly, the traditional and offbeat.

I'll be making brief posts about our trip over the next few weeks. If you're interested in reading and seeing about the various places in America's Midwest and West, then stay tuned (and share and subscribe to blog).

As for working on my novel, as mentioned in my last post, I didn't write a word but the long drive did help in mentally reviewing what I've already written and plan to write in the next two weeks. And I do intend to finish it by the end of the month.

So come along for the ride.

Until the next time.....