Aug 20--Des Moines, Iowa to Home

I got a little ahead of myself and included our stop at the Amana Colonies on the 19th when we actually stopped there on the 20th. I guess we've been on the road long enough. It was a long day of driving but we made it home all in one piece. Gosh, did we see some sights!! The Jeep trip over the passes to Telluride and Marble/Crystal are something we'll never forget. Thanks to John and Elaine for hauling us to places that we would have never seen had it just been us two. Thanks to Karen for being so funny and to Jeff for the great kayak trip. I wish Larry would have been able to make the trip with us to Ridgway. I'm sure he would have added to the general craziness of the trip. According to our calculations our recent trip was just over 4000 miles. The month long trip earlier this year was about 3000 miles. Our little Starship Avion has performed like a champ. We are always the oldest unit in the park and usually the smallest, but we could care less. Our little old trailer is perfect for us. We'll unpack and clean up the trailer and truck, and then park them for a few weeks before we head to Arizona. Can't wait to hit the road again. We would be remiss if we didn't mention Tipper, our little travel companion. He had Katie, Rocket, and Woodrow as playmates on part of the trip. Here's a picture of the little guy in the sage brush. Also here's a picture of a little bull that watched us set up at our campsite in Oakley, KS. And finally, a repeat of the picture of the aspen tree's. We used this picture before but it's so magical that I couldn't resist posting it again.

August 19, 2008 -Mitchel, South Dakota to Des Moines, Iowa

We found ourselves in Mitchell, South Dakota home of the world famous Corn Palace. We just had to cruise by and take a picture and see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. You'll see it above. The 2009 murals, which they are now working on, depict everyday heroes. We took a special picture or two of the teachers in honor of all the teachers we know. Note how the mural is made in the close up of the teacher. The cobs are cut in half and stapled on. The sides are made with carefully bunched straw or seed heads. It truly is a work or art. After viewing South Dakota's idea of art we hit the road and were surprised by the landscape of Iowa. Rolling hills of corn and soybeans as far as the eye could see. The farms were very large and seemed to look quite prosperous. We are both glad we came home through another new state to us. Betsy

We also stopped in the Amana colonies which is a group of small communities with heavy German influences. Shops offered quilts, candies, meats, leather goods, etc. It reminded us of Nashville, IN but without all the junk for sale. As Betsy mentioned I too was surprized at the rolling hills of Iowa.

Aug 18--Custer, SD to Mitchell, SD

We departed from the beautiful Black Hills and less than 125 miles away we entered The Badlands. What a dramatic change of scenery! I can't think of a more appropriate name for a region. Shortly after The Badlands National Park we met the interstate and headed east. We are once again in the high plains with gently rolling hills and fields that go from horizon to horizon. It's so odd to look out the window and see one lone tree in all that space. At Chamberlain we stopped and visited the Atka Lakota Sioux museum. It was small but had first class exhibits. They had one exhibit showing several different moccasins, all with unique beading patterns, and colors. The infant moccasins have beaded soles since they are not walking yet. The only other time moccasins have beads on the soles are the funeral moccasins. While in Chamberlain we looked at a campground but were not impressed so we headed for Mitchell, SD. Our campground is small but we have wifi, and cable TV. Since it's still in the high 80's outside we have the A/C going. This outdoor living is great. Jamie
The Lakota Museum had some of the most exquisite sculpture, painting and collage I have seen on this trip. We also saw many blooming fields of sunflowers, always a joy. Betsy
Picture #1 - Starship Avion with Capt'n Jamie at the helm.
Picture #2 - The stark profile of the Badlands National Park

Aug 17--Black Hills Scenic Drive Part 2

There sure is a lot to see around here! Yesterday we spent most of the day on the road looking at the sights and we're doing same thing today. We first saw the Crazy Horse Memorial and the fantastic museum. If you're not familiar with the history of the memorial just Google Crazy Horse Memorial. It's really an amazing story. Next we headed for Custer State Park to drive the Wildlife Loop but unfortunately timed it incorrectly and saw only antelope, wild burro, and one single solitary buffalo taking a nap.
On our way out of the park we followed a dirt road up and up and around switchback after switchback to the Mt. Coolidge Overlook. What a spectacular view! After we returned to Custer we looked in a couple of shops that specialized in animal pelts, feathers, teeth, claws, and skulls. Just the kind of shop that Betsy loves. Tomorrow we say goodbye to the Black Hills. Next stop are The Badlands.
Left photo - From Mt. Coolidge over the Black Hills
Right photo - Crazy Horse Memorial
Top photo - Lazy buffalo

Aug 16--Black Hills Scenic Drive

The sun is back and warmer temperatures are in the offing. We loaded into the truck and followed a scenic route that is in our National Geographic guide book. We left Custer and followed several rural scenic roads. One of the roads led us to Hill City where Wades Gold Mill is located and that is the location that was recommended for gold panning. We met Bob Wade who instructed Jamie in the proper technique. They give you a little bottle of placer sand which contains 7 small flecks of gold. The student is expected to learn the correct method of panning and come up with the same original 7 flecks. After that was finished we loaded up the pan with placer sand and headed to the small stream to learn how to deal with the large pebbles and larger pieces of sand. After about an hour on one pan Jamie found one more fleck of gold and many small garnets. Not bad for a beginner. Betsy got out her sketch pad while Jamie was panning. After Jamie had thawed out his feet we headed to the Mt. Rushmore area. We didn't go in the actual viewing area but got nice pictures from off site locations. Going up and down the roads was a nice experience. We ran into 3 or 4 very narrow tunnels through the rock which was interesting. We ended up in Hot Springs and visited a couple of antique stores plus another store that specialized in old western items and some very nice examples of Plain's Indian beading. From Hot Springs we headed back to Custer through the Wind Cave Park and again saw
buffalo. Tipper does not like buffalo. We don't know if it's their odor or the grunting noise they make. He's very quiet while we're stopped taking pictures, but as soon as we're rolling again he give's out a couple of barks. We think it's his way of saying, "You're lucky I'm leaving. I was about ready to kick some butt". Yeah, right.

The campground we're in has rabbits all over the place. They're the domesticated kind, but roam free in the campground. Tippy may have a nervous breakdown if we don't leave soon.

Picture #1 - Mt.Rushmore, SD
Picture #2 - Wades Gold Mill, Hill City, SD, Prospector Jim

Aug 15--Lusk, WY to Custer, SD

We awoke to a light rain which continued for most of the day. After breakfast in Lusk we hit the road and headed east to Nebraska. We stopped briefly in Chadron and then headed north bound for SD. The land has returned to a high plains area, but as we neared Custer, SD we got our first glimpse of the Black Hills. As we drove through Wind Cave National Park we saw buffalo grazing at the side of the road! We stopped at the Visitors Center and then continued into Custer to find our next campground.
After setting up we headed into Custer to see what it had to offer and found a couple of neat gift shops. Jamie inquired as to where one might learn how to pan for gold, and Betsy purchased an Effie C. ring. We returned to the trailer for supper and a walk but since we figured we had another hour or two of light we hopped in the truck and headed back to WInd Cave hoping to see more buffalo. We weren't disappointed as you can see from the pictures. We also found some kind of small deer. All we have to find next are the antelope to complete the list of animals mentioned in "Home, Home On The Range". Maybe tomorrow.
jamie

Denver to Lusk, Wyoming

We left our second home for the past week or so to head north along the route that Cousin John suggested to us. We traveled through the rolling short grass prairies of Wyoming. It is beautiful country, so vast and unpopulated. We arrived in Lusk and enjoyed some shopping in the little stores with a stop for iced coffee. We then stopped in at the Chamber to talk to the local historian. She gave us at least 5 pounds of tourist literature for all points. We left feeling well equipped to see all the sights in the Black Hills and surrounding area. Betsy
Picture #1 Wyoming rangeland
Picture #2 Lusk, Wyoming