MOVIN' ON.....

We left that fine Bedrock community early in the morning before everyone else got going. We stopped by Jewel Cave National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/jeca), but the kids were a bit mixed about going underground and we weren't going to be dragging them kicking and screaming into a cave.......

We were on the road almost as fast as we stopped. We take Rte 16 out of SD toward NE Wyoming and Devil's Tower NM (http://www.nps.gov/deto/) first made famous in the 1970s movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This monument is a bit out of the way, but is such a unique feature, it seemed like we had to go.

We are traveling the last week of July and into early August. The first week of August is typically the Sturgis Bike Rally and we are starting to see A LOT of bikers at the monuments. They are sometimes alone and sometimes in large groups. Some offer to take our family photo in front of the monuments, but all are friendly.

The approach to Devils Tower is just as dramatic as in the movie. It is visible for miles and we pull over often to get a photo. When we arrive, it is a relatively short 1.25 mile hike around the base of the monument and we decide we could use the leg stretch so we head off. It is relatively crowded by the time we arrived but few actually go much beyond the parking lot - big mistake. We spied a few ambitious people climbing the monument - well beyond my abilities, but allegedly a relatively easy climb that can be done in a day without too much problem for the skilled climber. I carried my 3 year old around the monument on my shoulders the entire way in what would become a training for her to simply refuse to walk anywhere knowing dad would carry her. This haunts me to this day where the word "hike" is literally a four-letter word.

Crazyhorse Comes Alive

I was so taken by the memorial, I returned in 2007 (almost four years after my initial visit). A lot of progress was made, but the scale of the monument makes it difficult to see. This time, I did make the effort (and commitment) to get to the top of the monument - the guided tour onto the Arm of the statue. Talk about bringing the statue to life and providing scale unimagineable before.

If you get to the upper mid-west, you must go to this site. It is worth every minute you can spend there. The memorial is being built with private contributions ONLY. They have turned down all government money that has been offered as it would likely lead to control over content, creative, methods, etc. Make the trip - you will be moved by it! Guaranteed!

TOO LITTLE TIME

We were keenly aware we shoved too much into the trip by now. This sleepy town has a lot to offer the typical visitor. I was trying to stay on a schedule, but in hindsight, I was in a hurry to go nowhere. The industry I was in was undergoing a total meltdown and I REALLY did not need to hurry back. But that can wait for another day.

We left Rushmore in the early afternoon for what is a 20 minute ride to the Crazyhorse Memorial. I hoped to come back after dark for the fireworks show at Rushmore. The Crazyhorse Memorial is worth every minute you spend there. Words simply CANNOT do justice to the work that has been done, is being done, and will be done. The scale, the vision, the commitment of this project are all too much to comprehend in a short visit.

I will post photos and more detail later. In the meantime, you can visit their website http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org/.

Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore (http://www.nps.gov/moru) is only a short drive from Badlands. Our route went from Interstate 90 entrance through the park and exited on the northwestern side leading toward Rapid City.

South of Rapid City we toured through Custer State Park (http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/custersp.htm). This is a great diversion. One of the largest herds of buffalo in the United States roam within the park. The lodge here is supposed to be first rate - it has housed many Presidents - but we did not stay there.

We then went through the needles highway toward Mr. Rushmore. This is a great way to approach. The highway is very scenic and an engineering marvel with some corkscrew turns and manmade tunnels. The last couple of these manmade tunnels "frame" Mt. Rushmore perfectly as you are headed through the tunnel - a nice intro to the monument.

It is a fascinating feat of man's creativity. The story behind the carving is equally fascinating. Gutzon Borglund, originally behind the Stone Mountain Carving near Atlanta, abandonded Stone Mountain and raced to South Dakota. The "rest of the story" is here: (http://www.nps.gov/archive/moru/park_history/carving_hist/carving_history.htm)

Places to go, People to See, Things to Do

We spent the night in Kadoka, SD just outsided the Badlands National Park (http://www.nps.gov/badl) in a questionable hotel (under a national brand). We got in late and up early so all we needed was a bed - I suppose it fit that definition. We made the mistake of getting breakfast there and lost an hour - just HOW LONG does it take to make pancakes? I suspect I could have fed the population of Kadoka in that time frame.

We entered the Badlands shortly after breakfast. It is tempting to stop very early due to the scenery early in the park. The reality is that the desolation and eroded mounds are throughout the entire park. There are places to get out and walk through the mounds and that is well worth it.

We were not spending long in the park - a couple hours - but it was long enough. It gets hot early in the park - basically a high desert. As we were nearing the exit, we saw a small herd of buffalo. Since it was our first sighting of "wild" buffalo (city folk), we were captivated by them. They were VERY close. Their size is AMAZING. We motored on toward Rapid City, Mt. Rushmore, lunch, and more.

ROADTRIP TO ADVENTURE

July 2003: After much convincing of the family, we load into the car for a long drive - St. Louis to Yellowstone National Park (http://www.nps.gov/yell/) and back with countless stops in between. We had three small children who were untested in their ability to sustain any lengthy trip in the car - but we were going to find out if it were possible.

It was not that long since 9/11, the economy was struggling, and my industry in particular was in meltdown mode. We needed some time away to focus on us.

First, we set expectations: Day 1 was nothing but driving; from the time they got up in the morning til the time they went to bed 16 hours later. Little to see - just road and more road. We had a TV & VCR installed in the Yukon for the trip; the best investment we ever made. There was the occassional roadside attraction like the "fake" golden spike in Iowa where there was allegedly a joining of the east & west built railroads - the "real" golden spike was driven in Promontory Summit, UT and is a National Monument. The golden spike we saw (Council Bluff, IA) was a distraction for the kids and a loss of about 45 minutes of important driving time for us.

We mapped the route, made reservations, created a book of activities for the kids to stay busy - information on where we would go, what we would see, and games for them to play (bingo, tic tac toe, hangman, etc). Each of the kids was given a disposable camera so they could participate in the sights. They felt very involved and we were off. The planning paid off in spades.