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Black Hills, South Dakota
Back when Mike was riding motorcycle, he cruised through the Black Hills several times as he was going or returning from the West Coast. He even stopped in Sturgis during Bike Week to get t-shirts. Unfortunately he never had the opportunity to spend any time looking around.
We stayed two weeks at Whispering Pines Campground which is about 17 miles up in the mountains from Rapid City, SD. It was centrally located so we were close to all of the places we wanted to visit.
Rapid City was a surprise. Every Thursday in the summer they closed off a main street to have a stage for a country band and vendors. Several blocks away there was another stage; this one was with a rock group.
On each corner of every intersection in downtown Raid City there are life size bronze statues of all of the past US Presidents. This privately funded project commissioned several artists over a period of years to create statues of every President.
We stayed two weeks at Whispering Pines Campground which is about 17 miles up in the mountains from Rapid City, SD. It was centrally located so we were close to all of the places we wanted to visit.
Rapid City was a surprise. Every Thursday in the summer they closed off a main street to have a stage for a country band and vendors. Several blocks away there was another stage; this one was with a rock group.
On each corner of every intersection in downtown Raid City there are life size bronze statues of all of the past US Presidents. This privately funded project commissioned several artists over a period of years to create statues of every President.
Our favorite among all of the places we visited was the Crazy Horse Memorial; this privately funded Memorial was special because of the dedication and drive it has taken to bring a dream to reality. The head of Crazy Horse can be seen for miles, but it will decades before the sculpture is finished. Part of the Memorial’s master plan was an Indian Museum and Native American Culture Center, which has been completed. Korczak Ziolkowski, the sculptor was hired in 1948 by Henry Standing Bear, an Oglala Lakota Chief. The Crazy Horse Monument has become not only his life’s work, but that of much of his family.
Several times in our wandering through the Black Hills, we viewed Mount Rushmore. On July 3rd, we and several thousand others decided to go to view the Presidents. As part of the Independence Day Celebration, the four Presidents were also invited by Park Service. Each President had an opportunity to speak in one of the theaters, sign autographs, and mingle amongst the crowd. We attended Jefferson’s talk; he was personable and highly interesting – that is for a dead guy.
While in the Black Hills we traveled on Needles Highway, visited Wind Cave, Custer State Park, Deadwood, a rodeo and watched a cattle drive in Belle Fourche.
Belle Fouche cattle drive....you'll have to image the theme song from Rawhide!
Custer State Park Wildlife
Outside of Custer, Mike visited a sawmill and was given a couple of odd pieces of wood that were lying on the ground. He entertained himself for several days carving a face into the wood. When he was done, he felt it was too big to take with us. It is now hanging in the Whispering Pines Campground’s main building and posted on their Facebook page.
Scotts Bluff and Gering, Nebraska
We often say, “We are a day late and a dollar short,” because as we have traveled, it is common for us to arrive at our destination and have people tell us, “You should have been here last week……”
When we arrived in Gering, NE, our camp hostess greeted us with, “You are just in time for the 96th Annual Oregon Trail Days. It is Nebraska’s oldest continuous celebration.” We have enjoyed 4 days of festivities, including the Regional Quilt Show, the Oregon Trail Art Show and Sale, and the Rod and Custom Car Show. Of course no celebration is complete without the parade down the main street of town, which we thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to those events, we listened to bands each day and night, and attend the 27th Annual Nebraska State Championship Chili Cook-off. For the slight fee of $3.00, visitors can sample the chili and vote for their favorite. The chili was delicious, but it was a double dose of Tums in the evening.
When we arrived in Gering, NE, our camp hostess greeted us with, “You are just in time for the 96th Annual Oregon Trail Days. It is Nebraska’s oldest continuous celebration.” We have enjoyed 4 days of festivities, including the Regional Quilt Show, the Oregon Trail Art Show and Sale, and the Rod and Custom Car Show. Of course no celebration is complete without the parade down the main street of town, which we thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to those events, we listened to bands each day and night, and attend the 27th Annual Nebraska State Championship Chili Cook-off. For the slight fee of $3.00, visitors can sample the chili and vote for their favorite. The chili was delicious, but it was a double dose of Tums in the evening.
Gering is close to landmarks use by the settlers going west on the Oregon and Mormon Trails such as Scotts Bluff, Chimney Rock, and Castle Rock. After a little searching, we even found the gravesite of Rebecca Winters. Rebecca was a Mormon who died of cholera and was buried along the Mormon Trail; her grave marked by an engraved iron wagon wheel. Years later, her solitary grave was rediscovered by railroad surveyors who reroute the new tracks to avoid disturbing her grave.
One side trip took us to Alliance, NE to see Carhenge, a creation by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father. While Jim was in England, he studied the structure of Stonehenge, which allowed him to recreate the structure’s size, shape and proportions. As you may have guessed by the name, Jim’s creation is made of old cars. In addition to Carhenge, there are other structures. One is a tribute to the seasons of the year. It is entitled The Fourd Seasons. This is the spot in our entry that you can hear a collective groan. Yes, it is made from old Ford cars!
No trip to Alliance is complete without a trip to Dobby’s Frontier Town with its 24 buildings filled with artifacts and memorabilia. When we arrived, there was no one on the property but all of the doors to the buildings were open. Like Carhenge it survives though donations.
Robert Anderson Log Cabin
Author of "From Slavery to Affluence:The Memoir of Robert Anderson, Ex-Slave
Author of "From Slavery to Affluence:The Memoir of Robert Anderson, Ex-Slave
We have been told that if we could stay longer, we would be in a perfect place to see the solar eclipse. Back to, “A day late, and a dollar short.”