Wednesday & Thursday

Well, have not been able to post for a couple of days and so will try now....pictures are finally posting, but not with blog dates...by the time the trip is over I may have this down pat.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23

Got a late start b/c we were on the phone w/ Cingular for about 2 hours STILL trying to get phone mess straightened out....Jerry's frustration this time.....oh well...FINALLY got it straight for his phone anyway....mine - well, I give up. My advice to you all...don't get voice mail transfer.
Got away from Kadoka about 10 a.m. and on to Badlands. Lots of rolling, very green pasture land till we got to Badlands. THEN....the Badlands were just such a contrast....lots of gray, pink and yellow tints, but very little vegetation. Cliffs and towers, etc. It is beautiful! Hard choosing only one picture to post. Then on to Mt. Rushmore. That was spectacular also. The story behind the sculptor is fascinating. He made plaster masks of each of the presidents depicted on the mountain and they raised them to the cliff face for the workers to use. In taking off rock, he told the men who were sculpting the faces to "feel" the masks and then to "feel the cliff" and they would know how much rock to remove. Granted they did have measuring devices hanging off the top of the cliffs to get the proportions right, etc, but that was most interesting.

Drove on to Devil's Tower, but no place to stay so on to Hulett - the nearest town to DT. Late dinner, and was unable to get passcodes from desk when we returned so no post....to bed instead.

THURSDAY, MAY 24

FROST on the truck this a.m. Real frozen stuff! Yes it was cold this a.m.! However it warmed up quickly. The town of Hulett fills up w/ motorcycles when the rally in Sturgis is happening...glad we are not here for that. Walked to diner for coffee and cinnamon roll, then left for Devil's Tower. That was AWESOME! There is paved path around the base and we walked around it. About a mile walk and we discovered how hard it is to walk and look up at the same time! For those of you who don't know, Devil's Tower is where the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was filmed. It is a monolith rock that sticks up out of the floor of this valley. We spent several hours there. Found a trail/road with great view of tower and Jerry let the dogs run while I got out sketchbook.

Then we drove for a LONG time across Wyoming to Montana to get to Little Big Horn - the place of Custer's last stand. There is a national cemetery there as well as the Little Big Horn battlefield. It is strewn with headstones marking the places where soldiers and Indians were killed. It was hallowed ground for sure for both sides - one trying to preserve a way of life and the other trying to expand a way of life. It is a beautiful place...rolling hills with the Little Big Horn River along one side. There were some huge thunderstorms that were moving in and the sky was spectacular. They don't call Montana "Big Sky Country" for nothing! Got into a little rain, but mostly watched it in the distance.

Drove on to Cody Wyoming to spend the night. Cody is about 50 miles outside Yellowstone which is where we head on Friday. It is a neat town also, with a HUGE Buffalo Bill Cody museum. I think we are going to pass on the museum and head straight into Yellowstone. If roads are open we will also head into the Tetons either Fri. or Sat. as it is so close.

Well, that catches you up on our wanderings. There are still hills in the distance and roads before us, so I guess we will continue! Dogs doing OK...not eating much yet, especially Gabby, but since she had 4 teeth pulled right before we left she may still be a little sore. They are beginning to adjust to life in the truck. They have been so good and seem to be traveling well. I know they will be better when we get into the RV and they have more room to get up and move around.

We have seen some wildlife.....turkeys - females and males in full strut, deer everywhere, antelope everywhere, mountain goats, rabbits, chipmunks and pheasant. Hopefully we will see lots more in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Love to you all, Linda

P.S. Please note that the photos do not always match up with the text on the blog....will try to do better! LOL