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Published: August 25th 2007
Smokey Bear
With all the smoke haze around, Smokey couldn't cope and just froze with this blank look on his face.After Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, Shazza and I headed north through the Big Horn Mountains, which were covered in the smoke haze from the ongoing forest fires. We took a detour west to visit the Battle of Little Bighorn National Memorial, better known as "Custer's Last Stand". It was where up to 2000 Sioux warriors defeated the U.S. 7th Cavalry and killed close to 300 soldiers and Crow scouts as they tried to force the Sioux Indians back into the reservations. It would be the last victory for the Plains Indians, led by Sitting Bull and the legendary Crazy Horse. The native ranger gave a passionate presentation of the events leading up to and including the battle, incorporating quotes from those present on both sides. One description upon seeing the Sioux's 20,000 strong herd of horses from a lookout, was that it looked like "a massive pile of maggots wriggling around on the plains below".
Dark storm clouds started to brew as we continued on our journey east-bound on the interstate. They gradually got blacker as we went and before long the National Weather Service broadcasted a severe storm warning over all commercial radio stations for the town
Polar Bear
This is a stuffed beast that was "taken" by hunter in the Artic. No wonder he has an angry look on his face. of Gillette- which happened to be on our course. They instructed all residents to seek solid shelter and keep away from all windows. They obviously didn't know how tough Shazza is, so we pushed on at 75 miles towards the blackness. Like a couple of storm-chasers, we tailed the pitch-black clouds for several hours and across half the state of Wyoming, while it put on the most amazing lighting displays I've seen (Shazza thinks she's seen better). It was constantly moving away from us, meaning we got the full light and sounds show without the rain. Fittingly "highway to the danger zone" came on the radio as we pushed on, with lightning and thunder cracking in front and on both sides. Behind us, a crimson red sun was setting in the smoke haze, which made the clouds look even more menacing. It turned out later that the tornado sirens were sounded further along in Rapid City, the first time in 12 years. Unfortunately we had to stop our chase when we reached the rest-stop at the tiny town of Moorcroft, our bed for the night. To get something to eat, we only had one available option- "Donner's Diner" which was
Battle of Little Bighorn
The ranger gives her presentation with the Custer's Last Stand Memorial on the hill in the background. like something straight out of the movies. The smoking waitress greeting me while still sitting down as I entered, before taking my order and giving me a dirty plate for the salad bar that was coated in small fruit flies type things. The food was terrible to say the least, and I can't even say the beer was good as it was a Millers.
The next morning we drove up to see the Devil's Tower National Monument- a sacred native site that rises straight out of the ground where all around is flat. Its now used largely by rock climbers, testing themselves on the verticle faces. From there we cruised down into The Black Hills, South Dakota- most famous for being home to Mount Rushmore. Traditionally it was always a special place for the Plains Indians and was originally awarded to them in a land treaty by the U.S. government (that was revoked once gold was discovered there). Mount Rushmore boasts that its a free monument for the people of America, which it is, you just have to pay $8 for parking to see it. The walk along to the mountain is called "Presidential Avenue", where every state's flags
Storm chasing
This shot doesn't even do justice to the lightning display. are proudly flown on either side and marching music softly plays in the background. I went for the night show, which is a typically cheesy and over-the-top presentation given by a park ranger. She went into the history of the flag, sang some removed verses of the national (as well as the normal version by the whole crowd), before inviting active and retired service men and women from the audience to help her retire the flag for the night. You have to give them credit though, no-one puts on an entertaining show like the yanks, and seeing the famous presidential carved faces lit up at night was a pretty cool sight.
Just down the road, the massive Crazy Horse Memorial is still in progress. Commisioned by native leaders, a lone Boston man started carving (more blasting) a monument "to show the white man that the red man had heroes too" back in 1905. Passing away a few years back, his wife and most of his 10 kids (smart man) still continue work today. When finished, the 4 heads of Mount Rushmore will fit entirely into the head and hair section of Crazy Horse- a man who was never defeated
Devil's Tower Monument
The strange site from the road in. in battle, never photographed and never signed a treaty. He was even shot in the face by another member of his tribe over a woman (nothing much has changed) and survived. He was eventually stabbed in the back when coming into a reservation. The statue represents him pointing out to indicate "my lands are where my dead people lie buried", but it also points in the rough direction of Mt Rushmore. Ironic also is that 10 minutes down the road from the 'Loopy Stallion' is the small town of Custer and Custer State Park, named after the man who he killed back up at Little Bighorn.
I did a day trip out to The Badlands National Park- which is like no other park I've been to. I'm not sure if it was the name or the dry desert heat and rattlesnakes around, but Shazza turned a little wild. The whole area looks like a lunar landscape with dry soft rock formations sticking up above the ground, and jagged valleys sitting below. Home to few creatures apart from rattlesnakes, it has a strange, dead feel to it. Not much brighter was the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation down the road. The
Mount Rushmore
The view as you walk down Presidential Avenue to the famous heads. remnants of the the original reservation that included The Black Hills, this county is now the poorest in the U.S.A., with an unemployment rate of up to 80% and lower life expectancy figures than Bangladesh. Driving through you see hundreds of abandoned cars, roadside shanty's selling local goods to the few straying tourists and even the occasional dead pet-dog, lying like a regular piece of roadkill. I visited the Wounded-Knee Memorial Site, where 14 years after the Little Bighorn Battle, up to 300 men women and children from the Sioux came in unarmed to the reservation. An argument broke out, and the same 7th Cavalry that had been so badly defeated opened fire, killing all of them. Medals of honour were handed out to several soldiers following that event, to the disgust of many.
To finish off the day-trip I stopped in for a cave tour of Wind Cave- an amazing cavernous cave that has wind drafts passing through regularly.
From there we drove 815 miles (1300kms) across to Madison, capital of Wisconsin. The hostel closed 20 minutes before I arrived, but thankfully some guests gave me the door code so I could get some much needed sleep on
Crazy Horse Memorial
The miniature version of what the mountain will look like when finished. the couch. In Madison I picked up a free weekly newspaper called the Onion, which I will add a weekly horoscope from at the bottom. It was great to get back to some cities after so much time in the parks. It also meant the radio station choices were more varied. No longer would it be between "your local station of faith" or whatever country music was playing on several channels, which all seemed to be about a love triangle between a guy, his gal and the shiny new piece of farming equipment they'd just bought.
I drove up to check out Milwaukee for the day, famous as being the birthplace and home of Harley Davidson and Miller Brewery. Not being a fan of either hogs or watery beer, I instead opted to visit the very modern Art Museum, followed by some tasty micro-brews. Staying at a roadside trucker's motel that night, the huge storms hit just down the road in Chicago. The 'windy city' was more than living up to its name, with flying BBQ grills from apartment balconies one of the more obscure hazards! I arrived here yesterday where the damage is still very visible.
After
Badlands National Park
Me, trying to be bad in the The Badlands averaging close to 250 miles (400kms) per day for the past 3 weeks, as well as having a triple-decker sandwich for lunch every day, I was sure glad to hit some cities and a break from driving. Shazza has been great, I was becoming like Tom Hanks in that movie Castaway, constantly talking to her like she's a real person. I told her I wanted to have a break and see other modes of transport for a bit, while she decided to hang out with some other cars, consuming large portions of heavy weight oil and discussing how their owners don't polish them anymore.
Time to hit the sights of Chicago.
Distance Travelled: 5400 miles
Spanish known at this point: Can't concentrate enough to get off lesson 2 with all these tail-gaiting drivers
Horoscope for this week:
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Enlightenment and confusion will both be yours this week, when a tree falls in the woods only to make the sounds of one hand clapping.
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Tara
non-member comment
Eh?
Enlightenment and confusion WAS mine reading that horoscope! What the...? One hand clapping? Btw, I think u know more American history than I do now. Pathetic.