Sunday, September 30, 2012

Hard to believe we have only been here a week. Seems like a lot longer than that, and I think it's because we have seen so much. Saturation. Overload. Trying to take it all in, taking pictures to jog our memory. It's been a trip of a lifetime, and so much more.

Started the day heading east to Wall, SD. Wall is a small western town that made it's mark on the map because of a pharmacist that wanted life in a small town. He built Wall Drug, from nothing, to a small amusement park like atmosphere. 

We noticed a great deal of bill boards along the highways. There were 7 of them in about 1/4 mile here. I am so glad Maine does not have them anymore. 

 We immediately noticed a change in the geology, going from the granites of Mt.Rushmore, and the Black Hills, to the soft sandstones of the Badlands.

 These next few signs are just a small portion of the Wall Drug signs that inform you all along the road as to what they have to offer. 

 We did take advantage of this while we were there.

 Huge rolling grassy prairies  that go on for miles and miles. Some had been hayed recently, others were grass with herds of free range cattle on them.

 We think this might be a natural snow/wind fence. There were 5 rows of different trees and shrubs planted along the sides of the highway. Further down we saw some that were much taller, a natural way to slow down the snow.

 The other side of the road, a bit hillier, not grassy. The most interesting scenery is in the west. You just never know what is around the next turn.

 We made it to wall drug. The town has a 2 way, 4 lane Main Street with parking on both sides in each direction, almost 8 lanes wide!! 

 And this is what it looked like inside the door. A strip mall of sorts with every souvenir you could imagine.

 Inside the actual pharmacy, were lots of old apothecary products and supplies. Really neat stuff. Here I am signing a visitors book, for pharmacists. I looked back through, and didn't see any other names from Maine. Am I the only crazy one out there?

 Ken and his friend......fun time,not at all what I expected. But a good stop!

 Into the Badlands.......

 Our first stop, and the scenery was like nothing I had every seen. It didn't look real. And you could see for hundreds of miles.

 Trying to get a picture of the layers, so interesting.

 ...didn't see any, thank goodness.....

 ...it just went on and on, the valley off in the distance...

 Here you can really see the sandstone, and it is eroded by heavy rains and winds. Looks like something a mud wasp might make back home...

 This was at Yellow Mounds overlook. Hmmmm, wonder how they came up with that name?

 Conata Basin overlook, looking back towards yellow mounds.

 And right across the road from that view, long stretches of grassy lands. 

 When we stopped at Homestead Overlook, I saw the one animal I had hoped we would see, the long horned sheep. I was surprised that it didn't really look like a sheep, as far as it's coat was concerned, but more like a deer. 

Just look at the different types of rock here. There were 5 visible layers, and then the grassy land above. Just amazing.

If you look closely, you can see 2 more sheep atop that "mountain" of sandstone. I don't know how they got there.

I think this is one of my favorite pictures. It has 2 long horned sheep in it, some green grass, and miles and miles of the ridges of rock formations. It was unbelievable to see. 

...good one to show the colors of the layers....

...and this one looked like it had adobe bricks in the mountains....

What a day. Two hundred miles, through the badlands, the Indians named them land sickly. I can see why. If anyone tried to cross them, they would face many obstacles. Rattle snakes, prairie dogs, big horn sheep, bison, extreme drought, and I'm sure, many other things. I also read about Wounded Knee. How sad, depressing. We also visited the Minuteman Missal site. Kind of creepy and eerie, too. 
We have pretty much finished the sight seeing part of our trip. Whew! Not sure I could take in much more. Tomorrow we head west to Casper WY, about 4 hours away. It's also laundry day..yippee! Guess I better do my research on Casper to find out what we will be doing tomorrow. 

Saturday, September 29, 21012

Breakfast at Denny's and we were on the road, little did we know what an awesome, inspiring day it would be. The temperatures were warm, skies were clear, and we were off to Crazy Horse.

Guess where we stopped first? Yup, you got it. The Visitors Center in Hill City, SD. The girl in there was helpful, and full of local information. She told us to be on the lookout for long horned sheep. The only ones I saw were these bronze ones. It about the only wildlife we haven't seen. Maybe today? Again, Hill City had a bustling main street, lots of businesses, good roads, like so many of these small towns.

 We headed out onto Crazy Horse Memorial Highway. It wasn't too far, and we came to the entrance of the the monumental carving in process. It has no federal or state funding at all. All private. Beautiful sign to welcome you. 

 Once inside, we watched a short video about how the carving came about. Very interesting, and certainly learned some about the meaning behind the concept. The visitor center held many, many beautiful artifacts from the Licata and from tribes all across the country. Gorgeous baskets (this one reminded me of some that the Penobscots make)

 Choktaw basket, about 4 feet long- beautiful craftsmanship.

 Outside, between the buildings, is this model of what the completed carving will look like. If you stand just right, you can see both this, and the mountain, and compare as progress is being made.

 The small hole you see is going to be under the arm extending over the horse. The 4 faces of Mt. Rushmore could fit in the head and hair of Crazy Horse.

 We headed south on the Needles Highway, going the scenic route around Custer State Park. Clear skies, 75 degrees. We encountered our first disgruntled employee of the trip, a state worker that was so rude to us as we entered the park. Guess she forgot to take her "Be pleasant to your patrons" pill this morning.

 You can see why it is named Needles Highway, with these long finger like spires of rock loom up around every turn.

 One of the 4 VERY narrow, 1 way rock tunnels we passed through.

 This little tree was growing on top of these rocks, about 25 feet up? Not sure what it's roots are holding onto, but I hope it's something that will allow it to grow tall and strong.

 It was a bit nerve wracking to go through, but we had a compact SUV, and had no problem at all. Not sure how those campers and RVs made it through. You could see many scrape marks along the sides where some were just a tad too close to the sides.

 ...more needles......

 Some great vistas......

 ..gorgeous country. I also have determined that I am afraid of heights. Yup, I am sure of it. There were some corners, where the land dropped away sharply that I had to close my eyes, lean towards the center of the car, and use my imaginary foot brake the whole way around the hairpin curve. Needless to say, I think our scenic drives through the mountains when not necessary is a thing of the past. Ugh, it was not fun at times. We stopped at Coolidge General Store, in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Restrooms, ice cream, souvenirs, maps- everything you needed, once again.

 But then, we came through one tunnel and the few ahead of us was what I had been waiting to see for years. Mt. Rushmore through the tunnel was, well, indescribable. The emotions I felt were elation, pride, satisfaction, and the thought that I was seeing this for real, overwhelming.

There it was. So proud, so beautiful, the image one has when we think of USA, and our history. 

 

Here we are, standing before that great scene in the mountain and the walkway with all the state flags. So moving. 

 Our Maine flag

 I can't describe how I felt. I was here, at Mount Rushmore, looking at one of the most well known icons of the United States. What these men did for our country, the dreams they had, the ideals they set, made me feel so proud to be an American.

 We had planned this trip in hopes of catching a picture of the full moon over Mt Rushmore. We had the timing right, but not the location of the moon. The faces in the hill face SW, so to see the full moon OVER the mountain, we would have to be at the park around 4 in the morning. Here you can see it rising behind us. It was OK that we had misjudged. As it got darker into the evening, and the moon rose higher, we watched as the faces were illuminated by moonlight, so much more than I imagined. Perfect.

 Each evening during the summer hours, they have a program in the amphitheater about the 4 presidents, and the United States, and freedom. I guess I don't have to tell you it brought me to tears. A park ranger gave a moving talk about Lewis and Clark, and their explorations across this country. I also learned that that team of explorers held a vote to determine which direction they would go. The vote included a black slave, and a Native American woman. They cast votes over 100 years before it was allowed. 

After  the short film, the ranger had all veterans come down to the front of the amphitheater, and be recognized. Oh my....there were some that couldn't make it down over the many steps, and remained in the audience. Very very moving. They represented so much- our freedoms, our liberties, our life as we live day to day.  How to you give thanks to these men and women? Six volunteers stepped forward and took down that huge American flag, folded it, and then gave it to the ranger. He then went through the lines of veterans, allowing them to place their right hand on the flag, state their name and what branch of the armed service they served. Very moving. Very thankful.

 Heading out after the ceremony, with the moon over the flags.

I guess if I had to sum it up, I am proud. I am thankful. I am so glad that I worked hard to be able to travel to these places, that mean so much to me, and now, mean so much more. To see these beautiful places and monuments for real, up close, is more than I ever could have imagined. To travel through this part of our country is amazing. To see the scenery and wildlife that I had never seen before. To spend time with the love of my life, and share these experiences has been priceless. I honestly don't know how it could have been any better.

The full moon over our flag was then ending to a perfect day. I found this whole experience at Mount Rushmore as moving as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, only on a different level. Yet because of the tomb, I could enjoy today. Ken and I sat in the amphitheater for a while after most everyone else had gone. Taking in the breeze, the illuminated faces of the mountain, and the serenity that I found there. So very thankful, for so many things.