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 (Rapid City: The City of Presidents)

The morning after reaching Rapid City, my wife and I were up bright and early to venture to the downtown area to see the statues of presidents that line the corners on Main and St. Joseph's streets.

Lincoln and son

As noted in previous posts, seeing the statues was one of the reason we made the trip. We wanted to see Mount Rushmore, and after reading about the statues in a magazine, that sealed the deal to make the thousand-mile drive to South Dakota.






The project, made with private donations, was started in 2000 and the statues are by artists with South Dakota ties. Truly impressive. Something the city can be proud of as well as doing something that can be shared and treasured with future generations.

Nixon

Eisenhower

And we were not disappointed by what we saw walking up and down the two streets . The statues certainly complement the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln on Mount Rushmore.

Kennedy 

The life-size bronze statues are unique and capture the essence of the the former presidents -- from Harry Truman holding the Chicago Tribune declaring Thomas Dewey the winner of the 1948 election to John F. Kennedy holding his son's hand to Abraham Lincoln seating with his son. The details are amazing.

Truman

I'm not going to show images of all the presidents, just a sampling of the statues. You can see them all by clicking here or visiting my Facebook page. Better yet, go to Rapid City and see them in person. It's worth the trip. Maybe by the time you arrive the statue of Barack Obama will be erected.




Here are several other statues and city scenes from this lovely frontier city that is the hub of many activities in western South Dakota. 


 

Next stop: Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial

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.....