September 22, 2009 “Bury my heart at wounded knee”. Travelled to a town called Wall today to see the Wounded Knee Museum, hoping it was better than yesterday’s quest. Although small and somewhat “touristy” looking, it gave a descriptive and moving account of what transpired at Wounded Knee. The stories were heart wrenching and deeply affected each of us. We left the museum and visited Wall Drug which is a well known South Dakota landmark and it reminded us of Clark’s Trading Post on steroids!!! We stayed long enough to sample the fudge (fair) and look in some shops (honky tonk) and then eased on down the road. Our next stop will probably be remembered as one of the true high points of our trip…and maybe our lives…we visited Mt. Rushmore and words will fail us ... read more

September 21, 2009 A lot of driving today as we moved south towards “Donna’s areas” of South Dakota. But what incredible scenery! Earlier today we saw Bison and then moved on and crossed the Missouri River…gorgeous. Onto The Cheyenne Reservation which looks like any other highway, but the sights we saw…brilliantly colored teepees, Prong Horned Antelope, Petrels (on their flyway…this from Bill), Horses..one Pinto, and a”Prairie Dog Town” with these adorable little creatures! Again there were miles and miles of farmland, so many cattle of all different colors. Also fields of sunflowers that literally go on forever! We stopped in Faith, South Dakota at Lynn’s Diner for lunch…Friendly people. The counter girl was a junior in high school and she told us their high school had recently been condemned…they were going to school in trailers. This ... read more

September 18, 2009 We decided to spend another night at our little cabin on the lake! It was very relaxing. Donna and I went to the beach…picture this…Donna in one of her “outfits” complete with a hat AND a fly swatter (the black flies were ferocious as if they thought it was spring) and me in my bathing suit and what I like to call my “stretchy” hat… let’s just say things will never be the same at Cass Lake. But we did see an American Eagle fly by….another interesting site was Donna and I trying to quickly hoist ourselves out of the beach chairs to get a picture. But alas our noble friend eluded us…as he hurried, back to the nest before he plummeted to his death in the throes of hysterical laughter….anyway… We rested ... read more

September 16, 2009 Beautiful day! Weather just lovely. Traveled along lake superior. Stopped for lunch at a rest area on the lake (Marquette). Cooked hot dogs and bratwurst on our Coleman…heaven (well not for me)! Found a little cottage on the lake for overnight. Perfect!!! Unloaded the car, planning our bon fire….a man comes to the door and tells us the cottage is already rented…TO SOMEBODY ELSE!!! We repacked the car, drove around and found the American Inn…not quite what we were hoping for! Today’s Road Lesson: Not so fast O’Reilly!!! Some additional impressions /memories: “Who ordered the tequila sombrero?” John listening intently to a French car mechanic giving direction when he could NOT understand a word the man was saying! Looking for hours for a hotel in Sudbury Ontario and found one beside the ... read more

September 14, 2009 Uneventful day. A lot of driving…didn’t see much of the Great Lakes though that was the goal. Tired and cranky. So far Canada is proving to be very expensive, for example room rates running in the $120s-$180s a night (Comfort Inn) when comparable rooms in the US are $60s and $70s a night. Plus the taxes are outrageous!! We are in Sudbury, Ontario tonight. After driving forever, we finally found a room for $100/night….and not a very nice room either! We’re thinking of leaving Canada earlier than originally planned… We’ll see. Today’s road lesson: Start looking for hotels EARLY and think about booking ahead. ... read more