Day 18 Dalhart to Home

Home is where the heart is! We drove 12 hours straight to get here! ...through rain all the way I might add.
We covered 4,355 miles, and crossed the borders of 8 states!
What a wonderful experience it all was.
A few things we have learned on this trip:
1. Trust Tom (our GPS system)
2. Talk to people--everyone has a story to tell.
3. Most people are friendly if you give them a chance.
4. Seeing these wonders in person is much, much better than seeing them in a book or on the internet!
5. It is a Big, big world out there.
6. Every place has its history...take the time to find out.
7. God has created a marvelous world for us to explore.
8. There's No Place Like Home! (and sleeping in my own bed!)
Great to be home! Now, who wants to help with the unpacking and laundry? ;-)

Day 17 Home to Texas!

"Rocky Mountain High....Colorado" John Denver
and we did see the Rockies as we zipped from Rawlins, Wy, through Colorado, New Mexico, and Finally landed in Dalhart, TX! We left camp at 6:30 this morning and were set up here in Texas at 6:30 pm...ok, I'll admit it, we added on an hour for time zone change! But that is still a lot of driving in one day. Tomorrow will probably be even longer as our sites are set for home!
One humorous thing in Denver. We came to an exit that said Santa Fe and Alameda! We thought for a second that we were back in Corpus! (2 streets in Corpus near my 50+ year childhood home)
Took a picture of the Denver Bronco stadium, but not sure how good it is as Phil did not stop! We had rain on us all the way from Colorado Springs until after Raton, New Mexico. But not bad.
Guess that is all the news from the McCamper tonight. Sorry it is boring now, doing nothing but driving, driving, driving. Phil listened to an Audio book about the building of the train that connected the Florida Keys, and I finished my book about Henry the VIII and took a good nap! So, goodnight from the McCamper, where the women are cooking Nachos, the men are watching TV, and the children are doing something I'm sure!

Day 16 --On the Road Again!

I was awakened this morning by an air raid siren! Thought I had a childhood flashback to the 50's! That is the Lander, WY call for the volunteer fire department!
We spent most of the day waiting to hear from the mechanic. Finally picked up the truck at 2:52 MT! Loaded up the camper and we are off again! We made it to Rawlins, WY.
They are so excited up here to be playing UT tomorrow! But, no one has illusions that Wyoming could win! I guess we'll drive by the whole thing in Laramie! I'll have to throw out a "Hook 'Em" sign or 2!
No pictures today, but we did drive through some wide, wide country. The hills are covered with wheat colored grass and sage brush...not really very attractive. But talk about some wide open spaces!
No news from the McCamper tonight where the women are strong once again, the men are stuffed with a rib-eye, and the above average children are starting their weekend. Goodnight all...wish us safe traveling!

Day 15 Lander, WY / South Pass City

"When Life hands you lemons, make lemonade"
Had a great day!--thanks to Susan! We decided to "never give up" and try once again to get down to South Pass City. That is where we were headed when our truck gave up the ghost! We found out that South Pass City and the South Pass are actually 2 unrelated places and events! I actually could have done some panning for Gold today, and may still have to after we pay for our new transmission! South Pass City is an old, deserted mining town off the highway down a curving, dirt road. We didn't care today, we were in our "Rent a Wreck". The sad thing is that it is very unadvertised, but one lady told me they get about 14,000 visitors a season so someone must know about it! Not touristy at all, more like a giant, spread out museum. South Pass City was laid out in 1867 when gold was rediscovered there. It quickly became populated by 3,000 people, mostly miners, and was the largest town in the territory of Wyoming! As we walked through I could picture the movie "Paint Your Wagon"--anyone remember that one? The town is pretty much non-existent now, but what they have done is remarkable. They have completely restored any remaining buildings, down to having the original wall paper reproduced, re-nailing painted muslin on the walls which I have never seen done before. In several buildings they even had photographs of the original rooms so you could see how accurately they have been restored. It was amazing! In each building they have added all the furnishings which you can observe behind a glassed-in wall. Some buildings had only a two foot space inside the entry way for you to stand and see the entire room. The buildings included homes, general store, hotel, saloon, butcher shop, and barber shop. Where the buildings no longer remain, they have put markers in their spots. We spent several hours here going through each building. The most amazing one was the hotel, with 9 of the upper bedrooms all completely restored with old iron beds and some high back beds. During those times you might have to share a bed with a stranger who might even be dirtier than you! And often they woke up with a thin layer of frost covering their blankets. South Pass City was in a windy desolate draw. I also got to go in a real dugout, which I have been wanting to do since we started seeing them up here. You would not believe how much cooler the part underground, or dug into the hill was! But, a little creepy for claustrophobic Duellen. I did learn one interesting fact: Ever heard, when you were a kid the old joke about which is heavier, a pound of gold or a pound of feathers? I always thought the answer was that they both weighed the same....INCORRECT! Gold is measured by the Troy weight system, where 12 oz. equals 1 pound. Feathers are measured by the Avoirdupois weight (American and English) system where 16 oz. equals a pound. So really a pound of feathers weighs more! Am I the only dummy here?
We got directions to the South Pass, which Susan recommended! Either the lady did not give directions well or Phil and I both thought the other was paying attention but really neither of us were! I think we went down every dirt road for miles searching for the wagon wheel ruts of the Oregon Trail! We were mostly on public land so we weren't too worried about tresspassing and proclaimed several farm roads as being The Trail! Even had my friend Mary Alice searching in her travel books...and she was in Helena at the time! We finally stumbled on 2 game wardens. Today is opening day for antelope hunters. And ladies--I might add that the game wardens here in Wyoming are mighty fine looking men! Well, believe it or not, we were finally on the right road, just needed to go about 1-2 more miles. I cannot describe the awesomeness of standing there and seeing that trail stretching for miles into nothing with the lonely sounding wind blowing dust! Found a pillar marking the trial as the Oregon Trail, The California Trail, The Mormon Trail and the Pony Express! Travel had worn down the ruts 2 feet and even 3 feet in a few places. What perseverance those emigrants had. I was hot and dusty after just standing there 10 minutes or so! Thanks Susan, great experience!
And to my Scrapbooking friends and Jacalyn, both daughter-in-law and scrapbooking friend---I am trying to stay up with my scrapbook, at least printing the pictures and putting them in the slots. Not much decoration yet...no time! and will probably save that for home.
The last bit of news from the McCamp...the McCampers have "seen the elephant". If you have read the blog, you know that means we are heading home--hopefully tomorrow. If all goes well with the truck repair we plan to head south back to good old Texas either tomorrow afternoon or early Saturday morning. I'll let you know if we happen to Whiz by anything interesting! When Phil picks up the scent for home, he doesn't like to stop! So, goodnight from the McCamp where the women are ready to go home, the men are readier to go home and the above average children are the readiest of all!

Day 14 - Sad and broken down in Lander, WY

The Middle of No Where, WY--where we broke down!

#1 McCormick traveling rule--Never, never back-track. That rule cost us today! But, then again, our bad luck could have happened anywhere! We had pretty much done Yellowstone and had planned to go explore the Tetons. Instead of driving south and then back to Yellowstone, we decided to just leave, drive south through the Tetons, and then camp somewhere in southern WY, to get to Colorado sooner! My sister-in-law, Susan had suggested a stop I wanted to make, to South Pass, a historical site on the old Oregon Trail that actually still has the old wagon ruts. Long, lonesome drive in the middle of nowhere....our transmission went out. Coulda', shoulda', woulda'! Other than that, things are hunky, dory!
This morning we left Yellowstone at 7:00 am and the temp. was 24! Drove to the Tetons and they are awesome! Took some pictures that I wish I could post, but this wifi connection here is the pits!
Stopped to eat in Dubois, Wy. Great little town! If you are looking for a place to retire, it would be high up on my recommendation list. One small thing, men, you would have to grow long hair and a beard and wear a bandana (on your head) . I think it is a requirement in this town. We ate at a great restaurant--best food I have had since we left. The owner, long grey hair, bandana, long grey beard...was from Edinburg, TX. Small world! He had gone to engineering school at The University (his words, not mine Jeremy!), and then moved to Florida. He got sick of 7 months of summer, so moved up here for 7 months of winter. Really nice guy. I think this may be where old Hippies from the 60's go to die! ;-) All the businesses, homes, etc. in Dubois are log cabins. Really very quaint! From there we drove south through an Indian Reservation, with beautiful painted mountains. We had gotten about 20 miles south of Lander, WY in the middle of no where....and now you know the rest of the story! The good thing was that our cell phones worked (in the middle of no where, remember?) and have not worked for most of the day! We called an RV park and the lady gave us phone numbers to call a wrecker and the Ford dealer in Lander--20 miles BACK! So, we ended up breaking the McC#1 rule of travel anyway! So, I'll have to let you know tomorrow what is going to happen to the McCamper...we don't even know ourselves. That is about all the news I have for now at the McCamper where the women are very sad, the men bewildered, and the above average children are all saying "I told you so!"

Day 13- Northern Yellowstone-Mammoth Hot Springs

“Life is not about the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away!” We have had several such moments today. Woke up early (as usual) to a chilly 34 degrees. When we left camp 2 ½ hours later at 8:45, it had warmed up to a whopping 36 degrees! Warm clothes today!
We drove the north circle of Yellowstone today hoping to see some game. I got excited to spot some Elk high on a hill, too far away for pictures but fun to watch through the binoculars. Made a side trip to see a petrified tree. It stands on a hill side. It was covered in ash 50 million years ago by volcanic action. When the trees were discovered in 1917, there were 3 trees, but only 1 remains today from tourists taking home “souvenirs” of the other two. Now the tree is fenced in. Further up the road we took another side trip called the Blacktail Plateau Rd. You are supposed to see lots of game on this 6 mile dirt road…none.
On down the road a bit more with no game sightings we came to Mammoth Hot Springs. Nice hotel here. There are several “villages” throughout the park some with lodges, grocery stores, gas stations, souvenir shops, and/or restrooms which makes it very convenient. Mammoth is larger than most villages, and we think that the dorms for the employees are here. Teens and even older folks (my age!) come work here for the “season”. We met people working here from Florida, Missouri, China, Taiwan, New York, Alabama, and more…sounds like a fun thing to do if you are “footloose and fancy free!” The hot springs here at Mammoth are beautiful, different than the ones around Old Faithful. These hot pools are active in limestone and build up sometimes 1 foot a year! They are mostly a brilliant white, with terraced ledges and puffy marshmallow looking rocks. The micro organisms live here too, and make ridges along the rock that make beautiful patterns like sand blowing on a desert.
We drove through a pass that is called Golden Bridge. At one time the bridge along the cliff circling the mountain was a wooden trestle bridge built in 1875 “ish” to allow people to get from Mammoth to the Yellowstone Plateau – where all the game is supposed to be. Thank goodness now it is a strong sturdy steel bridge!
Finally we saw a buck Elk, close enough for photos. Beautiful, huge, rack—Phil is still drooling. Made a restroom stop down the road and as I walked out there was a female in the woods, 25 feet away! Then our animal highlight comes along! The traffic was backing up, tail lights flashing and a huge crowd gathering. We asked a bystander what was happening, and she told us (in a strong British accent!) that a buffalo was in the road (AGAIN!) and they were also watching a grey wolf. WOLF? We pulled over quick, spotted the wolf and watched him until he disappeared over the bluff going down to the river. We left and pulled over up the road where we could see the other side of the river. Sure enough, here he came, swimming across! We watched him for a long time stalking prey—sometimes catching it and sometimes not. Then…here came another wolf, swimming across the river, following the same path as the first and then…yes! A third followed! We probably watched wolves for 1 hour. Very exciting. Have any of you ever seen a wolf in the wild?
Tomorrow we are driving down to the south entrance of Yellowstone and into the Tetons. Hope the old truck transmission holds out!
That is the news for today from the McCamper….where the women are going stir crazy with no phone or wifi, the men are watching “Planet Earth” (thanks Mom!), and the way above average children and grandchildren are being missed by their momma!

Day 12 Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin

Need a geyser picture? –how about another hydrothermal feature (there are 10,000 of them in the park!...and I think we saw them all but 3! ;-) ) such as a hot spring, fumarote, mudpot???? Got ‘em—by the hundreds! Today we went first to Old Faithful (called that because of its predictability, not size) —quite an experience. Eruption times are posted and folks start gathering up to sit on the provided benches. It is so exciting! We then took the 2+ mile walk around the entire Upper Geyser basin. Geyser, after geyser, after geyser! The pools are really very beautiful because of their coloring—which is determined by heat loving organisms, algae, bacteria, and archaea. Believe it or not, scientists extracted an enzyme from one of these bacterias which contributed to developing DNA finger-printing! Maybe they could find an enzyme to take care of that Pine Bark Beetle that is destroying all those beautiful pine trees in the Black Hills. ;-) The different rings of colors in the pool are attributed to the type of organism that can live in the temperature of the water…blue-160 degrees, green-140 degrees, yellow-120 degrees, orange-100 degrees, and red (my favorite color) 80 degrees. They are difficult to photograph because the steam rising from them clouds the picture. But they are spectacular to view. Jeremy and Jacalyn…not sure you could stand it up here…so much Burnt Orange! My pictures almost don’t look real, the colors are so vivid!
It got cool here today. We left the camper at 9:00 (after sleeping almost 11 hours!) and the temperature was 46, but the sky was clear with the sun shining. As we progressed on our walk the wind would pick up in spots and blow straight through us. Seems even cooler tonight.
We crossed the Continental Divide twice today, well, actually 4 times if you count coming back to camp and stopped to take a picture like all the other tourists!
I am getting so many beautiful photos. I am trying to keep up with my printing and getting them in my album, but am starting to lag behind. Mary Alice was right…I’ll probably need 2 albums for this trip!
So, that is all the news today from the McCamper, where the women are tired, the men cooking frozen pizza for dinner, and as far as we know the above average children are still at home after an extra long weekend!

Day 11 Yellowstone

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Long, long day today, but did we ever see a lot! The drive from Cody to Yellowstone only took about an hour and is a beautiful drive, running along the Shoshone River. But then the drive to our camp took another hour. On this drive we suddenly came on a crowd of people, putting on brakes, cars pulled over haphazardly, people running across the road! I was sure that there had been a wreck! No wreck, a grizzly bear beside the road. I thought it was illegal to get within 100 yards of one, but I guess no one cares for safety, me included. Got 2 great pictures. But when the bear started moving, so did the people, fast, and it didn’t take me long to get out of there either! The Eastern entrance is really ugly, many of the trees destroyed by forest fire. Still want a picture of Smokey the Bear…and yes, he is still around for all you children of the 50’s.
Camps are very compact, but fine for our purpose. We set up quickly, and then took out on our first drive. More buffalo (sorry, Bison) herds everywhere, even walking in the middle of the road! Our first stop was “Thermal Springs”. Ugly, ulgy view, and even uglier “rotten egg” smell! In the back of my mind I am sure the place is going to BLOW any minute! Imagine boiling , bubbling mud….left over from a Mud Volcano. The thermals are bubbling and boiling as well. About the only pretty thing was the damaged grass areas…beautiful colors!
On up the road to see the falls made by the Yellowstone River. Magnificent! The park has done a wonderful job of marking the road and creating pullouts for viewing. You might have 100 cars parked at one site. An also beautiful site is the Grand View, or Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. You can definitely tell why Yellowstone got its name—yellow rock. One observation point we went to was 100 feet shorter now because of an earthquake in 1975! Makes you wonder doesn’t it? How much time would I have to get off there if things started shaking and rolling? The drive here along the upper Canyon Rim, and the observation pullouts and walks are the most beautiful in the park and have inspired many, many artists. Makes me want to paint again, but I am smart enough to realize I could never capture the beauty of these canyons.
Lots of traffic here, and a huge crowd today. Hopefully everyone will go home tomorrow, Labor Day.
So, that is all the news from the McCamper, where the women are cooking hamburgers for supper, the men are complaining of a sinus infection (?) and the children are “who knows where, doing who knows what”—I hate having no cell phone or wifi!!

Day 10 Cody, Wyoming

"Happy trails to you...until we meet again.
Happy trails to you...keep smiling until then!"
What a memorable day in many ways. When I was a little girl, I would strap on my six shooters (yes, I was a tomboy) and pretend that I WAS Annie Oakley. I was sure I would grow up to be just like her! Cowboys (not Dallas) were my heroes. But then the 60's came with Hula Hoops, Skateboards, and the Beatles and I completely changed my mind. But today in Cody, I went back to those days.
I fell in love with Cody, WY, what a great little town. William F. Cody, "Buffalo Bill", started the town in the middle of this Wyoming desert in 1896. What a man he was! Do not get him confused with Wild Bill Hickok, even though they did work together for awhile in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. William Cody was born in 1846 and had to become a man early at age 11 when his father died and it was up to Bill to support his mother and sisters. He worked on wagon trains at that early age, and started riding for the Pony Express at 14! It is reported that he was a Spectacular rider! He was an excellent scout, and Indian fighter, and a buffalo hunter for the railroad. That is where he got the nickname, "Buffalo Bill" and it stuck. He was probably the most well known man during his lifetime, partly because of his traveling show and because of dime novels written about him...by 1900 more than 1 billion words had been written about Buffalo Bill! He even won a Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in Indian Wars. But, what was amazing to me was how he also later supported Indian rights, as well as supporting women rights! Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote! How progressive thinking of them. His Wild West show included Indians and Cowboys and was known world wide, even traveling Europe for 10 years. It is said that Queen Victoria, who never went out, went to his show in England. At the end of the show, she bowed to the American flag. With that one unusual act, Cody claimed that his show caused American and England to bury the hatchet! There is an interesting mystery concerning Cody's burial. He loved his city here and wanted to be buried on the top of Cedar Mountain, overlooking Cody. He died in Denver while visiting his sister. Cody and his wife Louisa did not "get along" and were separated for much of their married life of 50 years. She "sold" Cody's body to Denver (which he hated for economic reasons) for burial there. The Denver men promised a lavish funeral, and it was, but they were also hoping to create a tourist attraction, which they did! The people in Cody were up in arms. They wanted Buffalo Bill to be buried here on his mountain. Cody's body was in cold storage until the ground could thaw for burial. Legend has it that 3 men from Cody set out for Denver with a "look a-like" body, switched the bodies and brought Cody back and buried him here, the exact location on the mountain a secret. Denver denies this version, but just to make sure it could not happen after burial, they poured 30 tons of concrete over his grave! He died in 1917, but the controversy lives on! So much more I could write about Buffalo Bill, but I have to stop somewhere!
If you ever go to Cody, you must take the Trolley ride. They say if you give them an hour of your time they will give you 100 years of history...so true. We saw some Sears catalog homes from 1909, the bank that was robbed by the Hole in the Wall Gang, Cowboy red light district, old beautiful restored homes and much more.
Now to the highlight of our day, The Buffalo Bill Historical Center. What a Fabulous museum and truly the Smithsonian of the West. There are actually 5 different museums under one roof, the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Cody Firearms Museum, and the Draper Museum of Natural History. We only touched 3 out of the 5, not making it to the natural museum or Indian museum. What we saw was wonderful! There are so many artifacts from Buffalo Bill's life. The neatest thing was that they would show a picture of him (blown up large) and then have the clothes he wore displayed in front of the picture. I can't tell you what a fascinating man he was! I very much enjoyed the art museum (I studied art too--if some of you don't know that). Phil really loved the firearm museum. I liked it a bit when I saw Little Joe, Pa, and Hoss's 6 shooters and holsters! Those are the Cartwrights of "Bonanza" fame for all you young folks out there! and if you don't know who they are, I am sad for you. What has happened to all those good western shows out there?
After the museum we went to the Irma hotel, built by Cody in 1902 and named after one of his daughters. It is a beautiful old building..just georgeous and visited by many dignitaries of Bill's time. We ate dinner there and then topped off the evening by going to a "Cowboy Music Revue". Now that was a blast--hearing those old songs, and singing along! They closed with "Happy Trails". Did I mention that the old Cowboys were my heroes--Roy Rogers being tops!
If you ever get up this way, you absolutely MUST stop for at least a day, preferably 2 in Cody. Great Town!
I'll be out of touch until Thursday (i hope that's all). We are going in to Yellowstone. Excited about that and I am sure I'll have many pictures Jeremy! Hope all is well with all of you reading. The numbers are growing and I am glad you are enjoying our adventure! so with that...
that is the news from the McCamper, where the women are hyped up, the men are in bed, and the children are at home missing their momma! Right boys?

Friday Into Cody Wyoming

"You take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and I'll get to Cody before ye"
3 Roads to take to Cody--Thus began The Great Debate! We poured over maps, we talked to everyone we ran into, we measured, we added miles, etc. etc. etc...the decision was made, and we'll never know if it was the right one or not, but it was Ours!
The Big Horn mountains were named by the Indians because of the plentiful Big Horn Sheep. Didn't see one! Lots and lots of antelope though, so now they are a bit boring! Before we started our climb into the Big Horns, Wyoming is big rolling, grass covered hills. Several homes, garages, and/or sheds are built partially into the hills, I guess for insulation or protection from snow. We are seeing many "high snow" markers here and there. Also seeing lots of sage brush, low, brushy plants, greenish-gray in color. Not really very attractive. We could get our first glimpse of the mountains. I will post a pict. but I am sure it, as usual, will not do it justice.
I guess I know very little about the Indian wars, treaties made and broken, forts, etc. We stopped at several Historical Markers today showing where battles had taken place, the calvary was slaughtered, or a band of Indians were slaughtered, or forts were built to protect the emigrants. Must have been a brutal time to live around here, for the white man, and for the Indians.
We knew we were going high today, one pass was shown to be 9,000 + feet high. But we had no idea about the road condition or the grade percentage. And what a surprise it was! The first sign that showed us the grade was 10%. For those of you who have no idea--that is pretty darn STEEP! Not counting the twists and turns! (sorry Mom, hope this doesn't scare you!) Phil couldn't get in a low enough gear (there's no lower than first ;-)to keep the engine from over revving. That was bad enough, now throw in ROAD CONSTRUCTION. and they mean construction, not repair. The road was gone--just dirt, no side rails, no stripes and we were slow. They are putting in a whole new road. I don't understand why they didn't leave the old one until the new one was finished. Anyway--we made it, and I got in my cardio exercise for the day! ;-) get it? heart pumping fast? We did see some beautiful views, but could not pull over to take many pictures today. The state did have some markers dating the strata in the rock, some as old as 2.5 billion years. Very interesting.
We skipped seeing the Medicine Wheel, a rock structure laid out on a mountain. It is a mystery as to who put it there and why, but is considered sacred by the Indians. We just couldn't handle the gravel road while pulling the trailer.
So, a short entry for tonight. Phil and I are getting very good at setting up and tearing down. He has his responsibilities and I have mine. Of course I think I do much more than he does! ;-) I am weary each night when I lay down, but feel rejuvenated when I wake up, ready to go again. Looking forward to tomorrow. We are supposed to go to a fabulous museum and probably more...
So, goodnight from the McCamp, where the women are getting ready to fix nachos for supper, the men are finishing up "Lonesome Dove"-2nd half, and the children are preparing for an extra long Labor Day weekend.

Day 8 Into Wyoming

"Tower Power"--or so they say at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Our camp site is right at the base, so we have an excellent view. It is an awesome sight to see, very strange. We watched some climbers come down today--Phil decided NOT to make the climb! ;-) We could go watch the movie, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", the Steven Spielberg movie made at this sight, but wanted to stay in tonight and are watching "Lonesome Dove" instead (again).
Found out today that even a breakfast can turn into a memorable experience. We stopped at a small cafe in Hill City on our way out of the Black Hills. After we sat down in a small, secluded room, we thought we had to ourselves--in walked 12 Bikers and their "Babes" completely decked out in tats, studded black leather from head to toe, all speaking a foreign language (sounded German). They separated and sat down completely surrounding us. Phil says he felt like a very small pebble! Turns out they were from Austria, with only a few of them speaking enough English to barely order breakfast--and here they were, in a small town in the Black Hills of S. Dakota, biking their way, to who knows where! Leaving the cafe we saw a beautiful metal sculpture of a horse. Couldn't resist a picture, with some close ups of the "parts"--wrenches, saw blades, etc.
We took our last scenic drive in South Dakota, the Spearfish Scenic Byway to Deadwood. This was a beautiful drive through the Spearfish valley. Stopped to take a photo of one fall, the Bridal Veil.
Deadwood, a National Historic Landmark, was such a disappointment to me. Phil tells me to not share my feelings here (really got angry about a tour bus!) so, I'll just briefly touch on the town. Deadwood started as a gold mine town...dirty and rowdy. That is why "Wild Bill" Hickok, gunfighter, scout, lawman, and gambler was there, to make his fortune in gold. He ended being shot at a poker table there holding what is now called "the Dead Man's Hand"--aces and eights, with a queen kicker! We visited Mount Moriah Cemetery, high on a hill above town, where Wild Bill is buried, along with Calamity Jane beside him--(at her request!) My historian friend, Robert, tells me that Jane was madly in love with Wild Bill, and that he had partially gone to Deadwood to escape her--but alas, she followed! Jane was a woman of semi--ill repute, and I say semi because she was proud of the fact that she had never bathed! Hard to draw customers that way I imagine! Thanks Robert! Main street in Deadwood does have some beautiful old buildings, but you are surprised when you open the door to see casino after casino, which helps fund restoration projects! I guess that is a good cause!
When we reached the Wyoming border, the sky just seemed to open up. Never have I seen such beautiful wide open spaces! Rolling hills, dotted with Ponderosa Pines and sky as big as you can imagine. Beautiful country...then stick Devil's Tower out there in the middle! No wonder the Indians thought it was sacred. They hang medicine bags, and talismans in trees around the base, which Phil walked around, I might add--I just ran out of gas and relaxed in the truck. So now, we can mark off another sight we wanted to see. Tomorrow on to Cody for 2 days to see a fabulous museum that they say is the Smithsonian of the West! We'll see.
Been noticing some cute names for businesses up this way: Curl Up and Dye (beauty parlor), Bobbie Pins (alteration, sewing shop), Sole Perfection (shoe repair shop)--clever folks up here!
So, that is all for today from the McCamp, where the women are going to bed early tonight, the men are engrossed in "Lonesome Dove", and we finally talked to one of the children at home today--NO PHONE SERVICE now....email me if you need to!

Day 7 Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, Black Hills

"Here in the West, we're livin' the best, Bonanza!"--Hope you know the tune! Even though we were not in Nevada today, I am positive that I was on the old Ponderosa!--rolling golden, grass-covered hills, spotted with Ponderosa Pines! Beautiful!
After a great breakfast in one of the small towns around here, we went in search of diesel fuel--Woulda', Coulda', Shoulda'!--enough said! Even though we had to back track, we found it in one of the several quaint small towns all in these Black Hills--Hill City, Keystone, Custer--just lovely. Most are built in the old western style architecture, log cabins, tin roofs. Pots or whiskey barrels or window boxes full of colorful petunias everywhere. Very charming.
On to the Crazy Horse Memorial. What a sight that is, and when finished will be the largest sculpture in the World. The sculpting is handled by a non-profit foundation. The Lakota Indian chiefs, wanting a memorial for their people invited the sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski to meet with them to discuss the memorial. He accepted the Indian's invitation, and arrived in the Hills in 1947at the age of 40, with only $174.00 left to his name. He met and married his wife there and had 10 children, 7 of whom still work on the project. He died in 1982, but his wife and children have carried on his dream. Because he knew that the project would take more than a lifetime to complete, he wrote 3 detailed books before his death leaving plans on how to proceed using the detailed models he had sculpted. Why choose Crazy Horse for this sculpture--which, unlike Rushmore will be "in the round"? Crazy Horse was a great warrior that fought for the indignities suffered by his people. The Treaty of 1868 had promised the Indians the sacred Black Hills will "forever be the sacred land of the Sioux Indians". That treaty was obviously broken. He was stabbed in the back by a bayonet while under a flag of truce, and died at the age of about 35. He is pointing in answer to the question "Where are your lands now?" and his reply was, "My lands are where my dead lie buried". Moving sight and very industrious project. Maybe it will be finished in 2 more generations! Future plans are to establish a University and Medical Training facilities at the site along with the already present museums. A few dimensions to give you an idea of the statue's size--the opening under his arm is about the size of a 10 story building, his head-9 stories high. The horse he sits on will be 22 stories high! Made for a nice stop.
The rest of the day was spent mostly driving the scenic byways around the Black Hills. Much of this drive had been mapped out by Peter NorNorbeck, a South Dakota politician. He loved the area so much that he laid out the trail himself, either on horseback or on foot, wanting to make sure he showed the best spots! We saw a wide variety of sights! We drove though several tunnels that I was sure we wouldn't make it through. Thank goodness they weren't too long and I could see the end or the old claustrophobia might have kicked in! The Needles Highway was awesome!--tall granite, rugged spires reaching for the clouds! I think I most enjoyed our loop through Custer State Park. We made twists and turns, up and down through beautiful Pines, Aspens, and Spruce trees traveling around 20 mph. most of the way. In the southern part of the park the hills become beautiful meadows full of golden grass and ponderosa pines. We saw more antelope, wild burros--that weren't really so wild and would come up to the truck begging for food, and my favorite-- buffalo--ok-technically Bison! We passed through the area that had been destroyed in 1988 by the Galena Creek Fires. Unbelievable how Mother Nature has recovered! Our last interesting site was the Pig tail turns! In order to best display views, and accomodate tunnels made to display Rushmore, and sudden elevation drops on Iron Mountain, Norbeck hired Cecil Clyde Gideon, a self taught master builder, architect, craftsman, lawman and highway designer to design and construct Pigtail bridges for safe travel and preservation of the mountain. The bridges were made of local wood and actually resemble a pig's tail, fashioned in a cork screw shape. Beautiful, but no where to pull over for a picture. I did photograph another wooden bridge I'll post.
Must close from the McCamper now. Time to pack up tonight to continue out of the Black Hills and travel into Wyoming! Next post should be from Sheridan, Wyoming! so, with that, goodnight from the McCamper, where the women are glad we are at camp early tonight, the men are grilling steaks, and the above average children are still at home, earning money so someday they can also see the Black Hills of Dakota!

Day 6 Mount Rushmore and The Badlands

"....for purple mountains majesty above the fruited plains!"

What a long day we have had. It started off with my getting up at 5:30 AM, thinking it was 6:30! By the time I realized it, too late to go back to bed. Our KOA is very, very nice and huge, the 2nd largest in the US! Met some fellow Texans tonight and he called it the Hilton of KOA's! We ate a pancake breakfast in a breakfast tent. The cook and owner said he makes about 2,500 pancakes a day, 160,000 a season. He and his wife own the concession, and only work 6 months a year--but that is 7 days a week! His batter is a special blend he has made for this altitude! He boasted that he was the largest Batter Man Company in south Dakota! and people say everything in Texas is big! We left camp around 8:00 heading out to Mount Rushmore, only about 6 miles away.
We got to Mount Rushmore while it was still cool and not a crowd yet, which was a good thing! Can't even begin to tell about Rushmore, I just hope I can do it justice. My first glimpse was a bit disappointing. It looked smaller than I had imagined! But, by the time we left, I had fallen in love with it's history and now recognize the majesty of the mountain. We did the "Ranger Walk" with the park ranger and he was terrific (an ex teacher of course)! We walked from the terrace around to the base of the mountain, and then down to the sculptor's studio where the very large original model for Rushmore still is--can't remember how tall, but probably at least 2 stories. The sculptor was Gutzon Borglum. My friend Robert, a historian himself, tells me that Borglum's granddaughter lives in Corpus Christi, my old home town! Small World! This man was not only a fabulous sculptor and artist, but a genius. The invent of Mount Rushmore came about because of difficult economic times, around 1923. It was the brain child of Doane Robinson, the state's historian, who wanted to help the economy of the area, both by providing jobs and bringing in tourism. He wanted to depict western heros like Bill Cody, an Indian Chief, but Borglum had different ideas. He wanted to create a tourist attraction that memorialized the ideals of democracy. The sculpture went through 9 different changes before the final one was chosen, and even it changed because originally Jefferson was on Washington's right, but Borglum wasn't happy with it and blasted him off! A 12:1 scale was used to reproduce the sculpture from the model. 1 inch on the model equaled 12 inches on the mountain. For a size example, George Washington's eye is 11 feet wide. The method that Borglum used to create the eyes was amazing. He carved around the pupil, leaving a shaft of granite in the middle. His use of light and shadow was phenomenal. 90% of the work was done with dynamite! And we were amazed to hear that no one was killed during the sculpting, nor even badly hurt--and they wore no steel toe shoes or hard hats. The men were suspended from the side of the mountain by a cable no larger than their pinkie finger in a swing-like seat. They used jack hammers powered by huge compressors and might go through 400 bits a day. They drilled the holes for dynamite, or holes to make a gird of holes to chip away at the granite. Before they even got to the granite used for Washington's face, they had to blast away 30 feet deep of stone and even more for Roosevelt! To get to work the men had to climb over 700 steps, and were fired if late! Borglum was a task master. The work continued from 1927-1941, but was not finished...the original model showed the men to their waists. Now, how they did it all is amazing, but the thing that struck me most was why Borglum chose these presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Our guide spoke about each one and connected each with a word. Washington stood for the "Foundation", building our country, "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen". Jefferson stood for "Growth"--doubled the size of the US by the Louisiana purchase, not to mention he was a genius in his own right, scientist, inventor, eloquent writer (remember he wrote the Declaration of Independence and more!) Lincoln was chosen, not only for his background and how he was a self-educated man, and eloquent himself, but his word symbol was "Preservation" as he tried to preserve the Union.."a country divided cannot stand". And lastly, Theodore Roosevelt stood for "Development" --the Panama Canal, opening trade, breaking monopolys, and was such a conservationist, setting aside 240 million + acres of land for National parks, monuments, etc. We stayed at Rushmore for about 3 1/2 hours and then went back this evening for the lighting ceremony that Mary Alice said I Must Not Miss! and it was wonderful, very moving. If you have not visited Mount Rushmore, put it on your Bucket List. It is a fabulous sight and piece of Americana we should all revere. There is enough to do up here in the Black Hills, we could stay a week!
After we left Rushmore, we headed for the Badlands..but not before I met my new bff Ted from "Philly". Ted owns a sandwich shop we stopped to eat at in Rapid City. We started talking football, and of course he is an Eagle fan...well, Eagles and Cowboys don't mix! Ted and I had a great visit. We have met some of the nicest people on this trip! Everyone is so friendly.
On the way to the Badlands, we stopped at a small town called Wall--with the famous HUGE Wall Drug. It was funny--on the road miles and miles before Wall are advertisements---like 5cent coffee-Wall Drug. Free donuts to Veterans-Wall Drug. Homemade ice cream-Wall Drug....on, and on, and on...got to be a big joke and now I am sick of hearing "Wall Drug". The place was started in 1931, and almost went under until the owner's wife thought to start serving free ice water to travelers. That saved the business and now it is enormous, actually many, shops all running together run by 2 grandsons of the original owners. Fun tourist trap!
and now, The Badlands...and they are Bad Lands..perfectly named. Not much to say about them, but they are there, and we drove through them, and don't care to ever go back. But I could easily see how the Outlaws could find protection there from the Law! Phil wanted to explore down a gravel road through the park, but Thank goodness we did not have time! Rattlesnake warnings everywhere! Perfect area for snakes if you ask me!
So, as you can see, a full day...now to post pictures so I can go to bed. More scenic byways tomorrow and one more night in South Dakota...still "no elephant"!
so from the McCamper, where the women are pooped! the men are already in bed, and the children are very tired from reading all this with few pictures! goodnight! --please excuse any and all errors tonight. Just don't have the energy to proof!