Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Day 15 and 16: Great Faces and Great Places!

Greetings from Rapid City, South Dakota!








Yesterday, we got up early and after eating breakfast at Irma's, we set out for John and Sue's home in Rapid City.

Along the way, we saw some of the most beautiful scenery that we have seen thus far!







We took a route through the Big Horn Mountains and it was incredible... it just took your breath away at every turn.







There had been a very recent wildfire and we saw helicopters making water drops on the hot spots.

The photos speak for themselves though they do not do justice to the beauty of the area.







(Craig, this is the place, buddy... we have been right all along... Wyoming is the prettiest place I have ever seen... I am ready!)









We got to Rapid City at dinnertime and Sue had a great meal waiting for us. We met Joseph (Mel's new husband) for the first time and he is a great guy. We visited for awhile and retired early (for us anyway) so we couldget up early for our adventure today.


Today we went Mt. Rushmore. Before we went to the monument, we went to a little museum in Keystone that told the story of the man who created the monument, John Gutzon Borglum. It was well worth the visit to see how it was done.










We then went to the monument and it was incredible. As usual, photos do not do justice to the majesty of this work.


We decided the monument could be improved by adding the busts of two more great American Republicans... What do you think?










After we left Rushmore, we decided to drive to the Crazy Horse monument just outside Custer. Somehow we took a route that took us through a very out-of-the-way drive through some very beautiful backwoods country.












We passed through some very cool tunnels that framed Rushmore way off in the distance... it was beautiful.

We finally arrived at Crazy Horse... it was very expensive to enter the complex so we took photos from the road... and probably saw it better from where we were.









John and Sue Live near Ellsworth AFB and a B1 Bomber flew over tonight... it was awesome.


Tonight, we went to Mel's work and ate some great pizza. Then we went home and played "Five Crowns" and "Ticket to Ride" (John played hookie from school so he could spend the evening with us). It was fun. We have had a great visit here... the Rudolph hospitality is second to none!

Tomorrow, we will start towards Fort Dodge, Iowa... Deb is about ready to wet her pants....

3 comments:

heidizinha said...

deb looks like she is having an absolute BALL.

Anonymous said...

Hope you made it to the potty, Deb! Wet pants not fun!:)
Nice country. Glad you are having so much fun. Things okay here. Thanks for the photos and running commentary. Miss you. Hurry home, safely. Take care. Love ya!
Mom & Dad

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping in the great Black Hills. We enjoyed having your company and playing games. Brush up before the next time. Maybe one day you will be able to beat the Rudolph's. Sorry we didn't have as much traffic as the Portland area. Sorry for the detour getting to Crazy Horse memorial. I was navigating by using the Democrats travel guide and I took too many "left" turns and we got lost.
John and Sue