Blogs from South Dakota, United States, North America

Once upon a time, and as I have mentioned a few times throughout my previous blogs, we decided to go on a big long roadtrip – the furthest we’d ever driven one way! From Calgary to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but primarily through the United States. The problem with roadtrips is backtracking…in my opinion… The roadtrip is really fun and exciting the entire time, UNTIL it’s time to come home, and then I just want to be home. Instantly So, we decided to by a “disposable” car. It was 1984 Ford Marquis, purchased for $400. It was SO comfortable – it passed inspection – perfect! Our plan was to drive it one way, and, if it made it in a decent shape, donate it once we were ready to come home, and then fly home. It was ... read more

Our goal was to get to Rapid City, SD, where we would stay, relax, and visit with some friends from once-upon-a-time. We drove straight there, with no stops. However, there were places to stop, especially if you are travelling with children, so this blog is going to be about places we missed. If, by chance, we are ever back in this area again, we might even stop at a couple of the places... like... The Wind Cave. THE WIND CAVE is about 2.5 hours from Alliance NE North, or 45 mins South of Crazy Horse. It is a sacred place for the Lakota Sioux, and has been known to them for centuries! It was found again by Jesse and Tom Bingham in 1881, when they heard the air whistling out of the cave. Apparently, the wind ... read more

Seven years after the completion of Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial was started. Mount Rushmore (which we'll discuss in the next blog) took about 14 years to complete (well, as complete as it will be - more later on that). Crazy Horse is still being worked on. What's the difference in delay? The main delay is financial - Mount Rushmore had government funding and sponsorship, whereas Crazy Horse is privately funded, funded by donations and by admission fees to the location. In 1939, Chief Henry Standing Bear (Lakota tribe leader) wrote a letter to Korczak Ziolkowski, asking him to carve the monument. He said in his letter: ""My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes also." Ziolkowski was a self-taught artist, born in Boston, in ... read more

Day 11 – Tuesday August 28th, 2012 We had reserved 2 nights in Keystone because there were several things in the area we wanted to see. The first thing on our agenda for the day was to go to Mount Rushmore. Mama had been there before with Daddy but this was the first time for me. The drive out to Mount Rushmore was pretty. It was interesting seeing it in person after only seeing it in pictures and on travel show for years. We saw the presidents then went through the visitors center and watched a video on the constructions. I was more impressed with Crazy Horse than I was with Mount Rushmore. After leaving Mount Rushmore we took Hwy 16A out of town. This road is a pigtail road with 3 tunnels which frame Mount ... read more

The Tour de Dad has entered the brutal phase. Less than 250 miles remain, but each comes at a price. Yesterday, the Weather Channel had promised northwest winds, and the athletes gamely talked of another 90-mile day. The morning’s southeast winds, the riders knew, would fade. But they did not fade. They strengthened. Around noon, the winds seemed to shift, only to cruelly smash right back into the riders’ faces. And then there were those hills. “Baby Monster,” ravaged Fred’s legs – he nearly called it quits after the 26th mile. When my dad reached BM’s peak, he slowed to yell another joke in the direction of the sag wagon. Instead he wobbled and, still clipped in, the wind threw him to the ground. Yet the riders again showed resilience. The got their 60 miles. But ... read more