And I mean the Really Big Boys!

We had a beautiful day today as we visited Mount Rushmore and neighboring Custer State Park. And it wasn’t only the bright blue sky that made it beautiful – it was a day spent with our good friends, John and Rosie!

Mt. Rushmore was quite fascinating. We enjoyed a couple of great “Ranger Talks” that helped us better understand this monument – it’s purpose, why the presidents that are there are there, and how this mammoth sculpture was actually accomplished.

It was a very interesting morning!

From there we headed a little south to take in some scenic drives through Custer State Park. We had lunch with the Bison -

Squeezed through some teeny-tiny tunnels -

and I mean really teeny-tiny -

We passed several beautiful lakes


and saw lots of beautiful scenery!

And somehow, before the drive was over, we managed to find some ice cream.

Yep, a pretty darn perfect day!

We were back on the “big road” on Saturday, and even though the bright blue skies were just a memory, it still was a lovely drive!





And the good part was that those long ribbons of road led to South Dakota – a totally new state for us.

Back, oh, a lifetime ago, it seems, we had planned on working a SOWER project in Rapid City. Our plans were changed with Gary’s hospitalization, but we still wanted to spend at least a couple of days checking out the sights around Rapid City. And as an added bonus we’re hooking up with some good buddies that are going to be working that SOWER project in July. Today, after we worshipped at a friendly neighborhood church, we checked out The Journey’s Museum, which had been highly recommended to us.

It started with the dinosaurs,

explained all of the geology in the area

had some great displays about the Lakota Indians (which I failed to photograph ) and then moved on to the settlement of Rapid City itself.

It was a good day!

We’re still in boon docking mode (tonight we’re enjoying a nice quiet Cabela’s parking lot), but tomorrow we’ll be heading into a campground as we move into full-fledged tourist mode! It will feel very good to push out the slides and not worry about the length of my showers!

Mt. Rushmore and those Black Hills – here we come!

We had a great day today – combining some scenic non-interstate roads with a little history, some wonderful wildflowers and a little bit of good neighboring.
Here are some of those ribbons of road -





With all that road stretching ahead of us, it only made sense to break up our drive at Independence Rock -

During the middle of the 19th century, the rock was a prominent and well-known landmark on the Oregon, Mormon and California emigrant trails. Apparently it was about half way – and folks often reached it right around Independence Day – hence the name. We could see why it was a good stopping place – there was water, and lots and lots of grass for the livestock. We hiked around it and found many spots where the pioneers had left their mark on the rock.
Here are some shots from our little hike!





All along the way around the Rock there were beautiful wildflowers – I had to combine them into a collage so you wouldn’t tie up all your bandwidth with the pictures!

As we returned to the rig we noticed an older couple with a 5th wheel that seemed to be having some trouble with their awning. And even though Gary is not supposed to be doing ladder-type things (ahem), there is something in his nature that requires him to help. It wasn’t a permenant fix, but I think it will get them to civilization and a true repair!

Later we stopped to see if we (he) could help with a flat tire – but they seemed to have it under control.

I love this man.

The wildflowers along the way were also stunning.

And a couple of times Gary even pulled over so I could get a closer look!


Those seed “puffs” were about 3″ in diameter. So cool!

We’ve made it to Gillette, WY – just a stone’s throw from South Dakota, and it’s back to interstate driving (I-90 this time). It was delightful to take “the road less traveled” today, and it was especially nice that we did indeed get to stop and “smell the roses” along the way!

PS – there are a couple more shots from our day HERE just in case you’d like to see more!

Today was our very first venture into Wyoming! And while we never traveled farther off the interstate than to stop at a rest area, we thoroughly enjoyed the drive! And since I KNEW you would like to come along, I’ve tried my hand at making a “movie” of some of the highlights (ok, so it’s really just a slideshow, but let’s pretend, OK?). Fair warning – I’ve put some music to it, so if that annoys you, feel free to hit the mute button!
Here goes -

I think it’s a little fuzzy, so if you’d like to see the pictures individually (and without the music!), you can do so HERE!

It was a good travel day – full of all new road and some interesting sights along the way! Thanks for coming along! Tomorrow we break away from the interstate as we head north for a stretch. As much as we like “making time” on the big roads, I think we’re ready for the change – it’s always interesting to actually drive through some of these small towns. The memory card is empty and the batteries are charged!
Just sayin!

Today isn’t going to be counted as one of our longest travel days, but it will certainly rate right up there with one of the best! We were blessed again with beautiful weather as we continued toward Salt Lake City.


Although we had driven through SLC before, we had never approached it from the west. Sometimes I am surprised at how surprised I am by the geography around cities. I mean the Winter Olympics were here several years ago, so just why did the fact that the road looked like this after we left “downtown” seem so unexpected?

We were joined by my niece, Bethany, for the afternoon (the reason this was such a lovely day), and we took a little drive to check out nearby Rockport State Park.

And then we joined Bethany as she led worship around a campfire at a small camp near where we were parked for the night.

A very special time.
And to top it off – God gave us this on the ride home -

Ah……

The next couple of days look to be pure driving days. Well, at least that’s how it looks now. And you know what that means – more windshield shots!!!!
I’ve been told that cell and internet connectivity will reduce to zero once we get outside of SLC. So you may not hear from me for a couple of days, but beware – when I come back there will lots of shots of the (new to me) road ahead!