Stark silence in the Badlands this morning. Deafening rumble in Sturgis, as half a million bikers descend on the area. Pre-rowdy crowds in the historic western town of Deadwood. Silence and tears during the moving patriotic program at the Mount Rushmore Memorial.
It was a cool, beautiful morning with temps in the low 70s, perfect for the morning walks we planned in the Badlands. One of the great things about this park is they have created wonderful accessible trails for anyone in a wheelchair.
After a scenic drive through the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands (sans buffalo) across the Cheyenne River, we went through Rapid City and hit Sturgis. Amazing. Intimidating. Loud. So happy to see a slice of this annual (76th) rite of passage for the Harley crowd; so glad to move on.
We sidled up to the bar at Deadwood’s recreated Saloon Number 10 for a coke and sandwich. With sawdust on the floors and some costumed re-creators, it was a fun break. Wild Bill Hickok died here after being shot in the back of the head during a poker game, dropping his cards to the ground, creating what every poker player knows as the “deadman’s hand,” black aces and eights.
Deadwood.
We left Deadwood to the bikers and took the scenic route through the Black Hills to our final destination for the night, Keystone. These hills do look black from a distance, due to their lush forest, and were aptly named by the local Lakota Sioux.
Keystone is the gateway town to Mount Rushmore, a good central spot for our activities. After drinks in the Red Garter Saloon and a dinner of locally caught trout at the adjacent Ruby’s, we headed the Mount Rushmore.
The evening program and lighting ceremony is not to be missed. Most people stop by this National Park and grab a quick photo-op, but this program was not to be missed.
Waiting for the program to begin, I listen to the elementary age kids behind me telling their parents history facts they had learned in school, and then speaking in a native tongue I couldn’t identify. Just one representative slice of what our country is all about.
Patriotic, visual and extremely moving, park ranger and former Marine Sergeant, Brian Jones did a masterful job as host. His well-spoken introduction set the stage for a wonderful video by Discovery Channel, and the dramatic night lighting of the memorial. He invited veterans to the stage for the taking down of the flag and flag folding ceremony, and then had each one introduced. The crowd of thousands, including many small children, was silent and attentive, people cried, everyone sang the national anthem.
It gave me great hope, with citizens like this, our country will continue to thrive, in spite of our politicians.
On the road in the Black Hills.
Bad Wi-Fi prevented posting last night . . .
It’s been a long, jam-packed day, so I will let the pictures tell a little bit of the story. I say a little bit, because photos don’t begin to capture the grander, starkness, colors and uniqueness of the Badlands. Many of the formations look like castles or buildings enhanced by Antoni Gaudí. The stone texture looks like poured cement, but much of it is soft and crumbly. With symmetrical, red striations, it almost looks man-made like something in a Disney theme park.
We arrived in South Dakota’s Badlands National Park in time to see quite a bit. We did a couple of short hikes, drove the dramatic scenic “loop” (which is not really a loop), and attended an evening ranger program.
The best of the two-part program with the park rangers was the session with the park astronomer. It was a treat to look through the 160X telescope, see the craters on the moon, the rings of Saturn, Jupiter and it’s moons and the amazing summer constellations in the incredible dark sky. It was a late night and we were tired, but even more astounded by what our beautiful country has to offer.
Corn Everywhere
On our way through South Dakota, we made a pit stop in Mitchell to see the world’s only Corn Palace. In the late 1800s, farming communities competed to put their communities on the map. There were 34 palaces at the height of the era, but only the Corn Palace remains. Today it is decorated with 275,000 ears of corn in 12 different colors, and accented with ryegrass and sour dock (a prairie plant). They take their corn seriously here- the high school team are the Kernels, the radio station KORN and the town mascot? What else, but Cornelius.
Little House on the Prairie
This is some of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s territory. She and her family homesteaded in Desmet, SD, moving to and from a number of towns in the mid-west, sometimes when crops failed. In South Dakota, the Laura Ingalls-Wilder Memorial Society has preserved her family sites and have a variety of special programs celebrating her books and frontier life.
I just needed one more day . . .
The Cliff Shelf Nature Trail.
The Gateway Arch, the world’s tallest.
We headed out early for the longest drive of the trip, 650 miles.
A last-minute decision to see the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was a winner. This monument to westward expansion was an appropriate symbol of our journey. We went down along the Mississippi and tried to imagine how it would’ve looked 100 years ago with thriving warehouses along the riverbank and ships crowding the expansive waterway. Along with the debris rushing south, we encountered a homeless woman washing in the river. We actually discussed the cleanliness of that option and then gave her some bottled drinking water. So sad.
In the interest of keeping on schedule we didn’t make a lot of stops today. We did enjoy visiting Williamsburg, Missouri with Crane’s Museum and Marlene’s Restaurant for a delicious lunch. Crane’s Museum houses a rambling collection of five generations worth of, well, everything.
Dolls at Crane’s Museum.
On the road . . . must be headed to Sturgis.
We saw a lot of corn . . . and soy beans . . . . and wide open road.
Even on this route, there were unusual and odd “attractions.” I enjoyed rattling off tales about magical dogs, largest everything (12,000 lb cement pecan, 15’ fork with pasta), you get the idea. The site is great, because you can also search for categories – like aliens, history, ghost towns and miracles, to name just a few of the choices.
My favorite fact of the day was learning about the grave of the guy who shot Jesse James (one of his own posse).
We had beautiful weather until 20 miles outside Omaha, when the phone started blaring tornado warnings. After a bit of torrential rain, we were across the Missouri River and in Omaha, Nebraska. Apparently there was a tornado, lots of folks in Omaha were talking about it. We are staying downtown so we can conveniently walk around the Old Market area. It’s a charming few blocks filled with shops, galleries and restaurants. Upstream Brewing Company, housed in the original firehouse, was a fun spot for a good dinner. The local hot spot of Ted & Wally’s ice cream was a perfect end to a long day.
PS – we haven’t seen Warren Buffett anywhere.
Galleries and restaurants tucked between buildings in Omaha’s Old Market district.
We are driving. Driving far. Headed to South Dakota to see the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and more. And that is just the beginning of our latest road trip.
A trip like this means some serious time behind the wheel and hats off to my husband for doing all the driving. I navigate and try to keep things interesting and entertaining. One tool I keep in my travel bag is the app for RoadsideAmerica.com. It is loaded with quirky, oddball, funny and just plain strange sights and points of interest along the highways and byways of the USA.
Bean Station. The Cherokees, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett once fought, lived and traveled through this valley.
After leaving North Carolina just before 8 AM, we hit Tennessee for some $2 gas and a Waffle House breakfast. We were all set for a beautiful scenic drive on Highway 25E past Cherokee Lake, through the tunnel at Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky.
For the “Justified” fans out there, this is Raylan country, rural and a stone’s throw from the real life town of Harlan portrayed on the series. We breezed through without any problems from the Dixie Mafia or backwoods crime bosses.
Like the sign says, “Birth of a Legend.”
Next stop, Corbin, Kentucky, home of the original KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken for the uninitiated). We visited the small museum located in a reproduction of the first store (and on the National Register of Historic Places), as well as the new statue of the Colonel now gracing the center of town. No, we did not eat chicken (but we could have). I won’t give away any of the Colonel’s secrets for those anticipating a visit of their own.
Even when you don’t have time to make the crazy stops on the RoadsideAmerica app, it’s so much fun to read about them. I loved the story about America’s first train robbers who are buried in Seymour, Indiana, the largest sausage (in Kentucky and not real), and the history behind the Civil War-era Pigeon Roost Massacre site.
Four hundred sixty miles later, we reached our destination – Bloomington, Indiana.
Indiana University.
The birthplace of my Father and the campus of Indiana University, where Dad got his undergrad degree. I had never been here and it was nice to find the home he lived in from 1927 – 1931, still survives.
Phi Mu house; landscaping in progress.
The pretty campus was nice and quiet this time of year, and I was amazed at the size and quantity of sorority and fraternity houses; IU must hold some sort of a Greek-life record.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures.
At the end of the road: Great food and Guinness at the Irish Lion in downtown Bloomington. Open since 1982, in a building from 1882.
