8-21-13 - Update

Hello friends it is time for another update.   I can tell you that I am enjoying the weather in Wyoming.  I spoke to my mom yesterday and she told me that it was 109 on Monday.  I looked at the current temperature and it is 70 degrees here now.  NICE!!!!

As I mentioned in my last post, Jon and I are volunteering at Curt Gowdy State Park.  We love it here.  The park employees are great to work with and we have enjoyed meeting other volunteers.  Curt Gowdy was a famous sportscaster from this area and the Park was named for him in 1972.  The park has a couple of reservoirs with good fishing.  But it is mostly known for it's mountain bike trails.  It is also becoming a popular destination for bouldering.

A Visitor Center is in the final stages of construction and I am hopeful that it will be open before Jon and I move on.  

We took a motorcycle ride last Saturday.  Here are some pictures.

The ride was great.  We left the park, went through Laramie and over the Snowy Range.  The highest mountain peak was just over 12000 feet.   

We have not done much traveling the last couple of weeks.  We are hoping to get in a couple of good rides in this weekend.  

8-05-13 - Update

Hello All!

I am very late in posting my weekly blog.  SORRY!!!!

We are now at Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming (near Cheyenne) and we do not have cell service or internet.  We have to drive about 14 miles into town to get service.  Also, Jon and I are volunteering until the end of September so until we leave this area - I am only going to blog every other week.

We had a great time in the Rapid City area.  Downtown Rapid is one of the nicest downtowns that I have been in.  Rapid City is the closest city to Mount Rushmore and one of its unofficial nicknames is the "City of Presidents."  On almost every corner in the old downtown area is a statue of one of the our previous presidents.

Jon and I had dinner and drinks at the Firehouse Brewery in Downtown Rapid.  Service was great and the place was packed.  Jon enjoyed the beer that he choose, mine was just OK.  The food was not great.  But the building and the furnishings were fantastic.

Here are some photos of Downtown Rapid City.

Last week, we also spent one afternoon at Mount Rushmore.  I was surprised that it was smaller than I had imaged.

Mount Rushmore doesn't have an admission fee, although you do have to pay to park.  They have a museum, amphitheatre, visitor center and an avenue of all the state flags.  It was very interesting to see and I enjoyed the museum.  They have two small movie theaters inside and they show a short film about the sculptor, (Gutzon Borglum), and how the mountain was transformed into the faces of these four presidents. From left to right, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abe Lincoln.  It also talked about how this enormous undertaking started and why these four presidents were chosen.

The idea of Mount Rushmore started as an idea to attract visitors to the Black Hills.  Borglum chose Mount Rushmore as the site for the shrine.  The following text is from a brochure that I picked up on our visit: "Gutzon Borglum's vision for Mount Rushmore was no less than the formal rendering of the philosophy of our government into granite on a mountain peak.

George Washington was our first president, so he represents the birth of our nation.   Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase, so he represents the expansion of our nation.  Teddy Roosevelt is credited with the Panama Canal, Trust Busting (the Sherman Anti-Trust Act) and finally the National Park Systems, so he represents the development of our nation.  And finally, Abe Lincoln, who was successful in saving the union during the civil war, so he represents the preservation of our nation.

Mount Rushmore has certainly done what it was intended to do, as tourism is the major source of economy in the area.

Custer State Park is very near Mount Rushmore and Jon and I took two day rides through the park and surrounding towns.

We also visited the Crazy Horse.   If you haven't heard of this, I am very happy to be the first to tell you about it.  It is another mountain being sculpted into a memorial.  But that is where the similarities end.

Crazy Horse Memorial was inspired by Mount Rushmore, and in 1929, Henry Standing Bear (a Lakota Elder) contacted the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.  Standing Bear told Korczak that he and the other chiefs would like the "white man to know that the red man has great heros too."

Korczak took on this project and stated that he was proud that this memorial will be his life's work.  They started the project in 1948 and it is still far from completion.  The entire project is being completed with private donations and by charging a very nominal admission fee as well as gift shop revenue.  

When completed, this sculpture will be the largest in the world.  Korczak died in 1982, however his wife Ruth and seven of their ten children still work on the memorial.  Korczak wrote a letter to his children in 1952, and his wife gave the letter to his children after he died.  The letter said that his children did not have to stay and continue the project if they didn't want to, but if they did decide to stay on, then he wanted them to stay for life.  One of Korczak and Ruth's daughter is a sculptor and has made a couple of modifications to her fathers original plans.  Ruth said that all of the children that stayed play an important role in the project. They all have individual talents that are crucial to the success of this extreme undertaking.

I am so impressed with this project and the dedication of the Ziolkowski family.  I can not say enough about them.  I could probably write a couple more blogs just on this subject.  If you are ever in the Black Hills, this is a must see.  We enjoyed our time here very much.  We are on to another adventure, but what I saw here will be with me forever.

7-24-13 Update

Hello All - It is time for another update.

Jon and I are staying in a South Dakota State Park outside of Belle Fourche located on a reservoir.  Belle Fourche is French and translated it means Beautiful Fork.  The town is located at the Fork of the Redwater and the Belle Fourche Rivers.

Belle Fourche's claim to fame is that it is the Geographical Center of the United States.  After the addition of Hawaii in 1959, the Center of the Nation was moved to a location approximately 20 miles North of Belle Fourche.  It is on private land, and the owner did not want a monument on the property, so a monument was placed next to the Visitors Center in Belle Fourche. 

The monument is located in a park setting next to the Belle Fourche River.  Along with the monument, there is a courtyard, picnic area and avenue of state flags.  In an article that I read about the monument, the director of the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce was quoted as saying, "It is more than a destination or mark on the map.  It marks the Heart of America where life is uncomplicated, people are friendly and a true sense of community rings true."  The monument was completed and dedicated in the summer of 2009, and in 2012 the visitor center estimates that approximately 20,000 visitors have visited the monument.

Belle Fourche was also the destination of a cattle drive in John Wayne's movie "The Cowboys".  Jon has this movie, and he showed it to me since we arrived here.  I actually really enjoyed it.  The railroad that came through this area in the late 1800's is what started the town.  Cattle from the all over the West were shipped by railcar back East from the Belle Fourche area.

This week Jon and I spent some time in Sturgis.  The famous or at least infamous weeklong motorcycle rally for 2013 will take place starting August 3rd.  Jon and I planned on going one day to see the bikes, but we will be leaving the area the day the rally starts.  I received a call this morning from the Superintendent of Curt Gowdy State Park.  He asked me if Jon and I would be interested in a volunteer camp host position in one of the campgrounds located within the state park.  I said yes, so on August 3rd we are going back to Wyoming until the end of September.  

I was going to show Sturgis "before" the rally pictures and "during" the rally pictures, but since I will not be there, I will show you the before pictures today.

I have learned that every town in the west has something unique about its history and Sturgis is no different.

Sturgis was named after Colonel Sturgis who was the commander of the Fort Meade Cavalry Base located just about 14 miles west of Deadwood.  There was widespread interest to develop a town closer to the post.  With a 20 dollar gold piece from the Colonel, the town of Sturgis was started with an 80 acre tract of land 1 mile west of the post.  

Colonel Sturgis was the commander of the Seventh U.S. Cavalry.  Fortunately for the Colonel and unfortunately for the rest of the regiment, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer was in charge of the cavalry when they all perished at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  

 Ft. Meade

Fort Meade is no longer an active military base, the Veterans Administration has taken over the area.  A VA hospital has been built on the grounds.  Employees of the hospital are allowed to live in the homes.  A museum is in the command building and the dorms are used for the National Guard when they are in training.

Fort Meade is full of history.  I mentioned Col. Sturgis and Lt. Col. Custer, and now I am going to tell you the most fascinating thing that I have learned in years.  Okay - well, I have to digress slightly.  On the Fourth of July, Jon and I were in Sundance WY.   Jon made a campfire and we sat outside to watch fireworks.  I chose that evening to look up information on America and the history of our country.  It seemed like an appropriate time.  Well, I learned the Star Spangled Banner was actually written during the war of 1812 and not during the revolutionary war like I had always assumed.  OK - I am finished digressing, now back to Fort Meade.

I want to quote directly from an article that I read:     On July 4th, 1892, on the parade grounds of Fort Meade the final number that the regimental band played was the Star Spangled Banner.   As the first few notes rang out and echoed in the forest of the nearby Black Hills, everyone snapped to attention.  The footnote printed on the concert program stated "During the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner' all persons within hearing distance are required to rise and all men not under arms will remove their hats".  The order came from Colonel Caleb H. Carlton, commanding officer of the Eighth Cavalry who was also the post commander from February 16 to December 12 of 1895.  Carlton credited his wife with suggesting that he try to establish "The Star Spangled Banner" as the national air since America had no anthem while other nations did.  Colonel Carlton had another purpose - to enforce respect for our national flag by having everyone rise and remove their hats when the colors passed by them.  The New York Times reported that the Colonel of the Eighth Cavalry was trying to establish a National Anthem.  This attracted attention around the nation.  By the time of the Spanish American War, the music had become familiar enough to be considered an unofficial national anthem.  The headline of the New York Times of March 3, 1930 read "The Star Spangled Banner" is voted National Anthem by Congress.

On a side note:  The author of the"Star Spangled Banner", Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and author from Baltimore, Maryland, had been taken prisoner on a British ship during during the nighttime bombardment of the British Siege of Fort McHenry on September 13 and 14, 1814.  He composed the poem upon witnessing the embattled American flag still flying the following morning.

Ft. Meade Cemetery

The cemetery at Ft. Meade is the only Cavalry cemetery that is still in the original location.  All others have been relocated over the years.

Well, that is all for now.  

7/20/13 Update

Hello!

This has been a great week.  We are enjoying South Dakota.

We spent an entire day at the DC Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish SD.  Fish Hatcheries were started by the National Government in the early days of western migration.  Fish hatcheries were used to grow fish to plant into waterways, rivers, creeks, streams etc.,  as a food source for early settlers.  Fish were planted in areas where there were no fish or where the fish numbers had declined significantly due to overfishing.

The Booth hatchery in Spearfish was established in 1896, and is one of the oldest hatcheries in the country. The hatchery is staffed with full time employees from the National Park Service as well as volunteers.

This hatchery is beautifully maintained.  In addition to the ponds, and fish runs, this hatchery has a small museum, the original 1905 home for the Superintendent of the hatchery (DC Booth and his family), an Ice house and the most fascinating thing, a reproduction of one of ten original "Fish Cars".

Ten fish cars were built and used for 66 years.   The government built these cars, to transport the fish throughout the country.  The fish cars were staffed with a cook, three fish handlers and the captain.  They would travel from hatcheries to the railway stations in towns around the country.  Town leaders would make a request for the fish and in a few days they would meet the fish car to take position of the fish to plant in their local waterways.  By the early 1900's fish cars were crisscrossing the country en route as long as 10 days (with fish losses held down to only 1 percent).  They generally operated from April to November.  During the winter months, the cars were laid up for repair and maintenance.  The US Government has never charged for the fish.  Hatcheries are still used in much the same way today.  Fish are now transported by refrigerated trucks.

Deadwood...........  Well, I have seen a couple episodes of the HBO TV Series "Deadwood:, but that was my only introduction to the town and history of the area.

Deadwood is full of history.  It appears that the residents relish in their colorful history.  The entire town is on the National Historic Register.  You can't walk five feet without seeing historical markers.  Jon and I stopped into Saloon 10 to have a drink.  Saloon 10 is where Wild Bill was shot in the back and killed.  As we were sitting in the bar enjoying our beer, a local comes in with two tourists.  He was telling them the history of the Saloon and of Wild Bill.  He stopped where Jon was sitting and he said this is where Wild Bill was sitting when he was killed.

The saloon is on the other side of the street and down a bit from the original site of the Saloon 10, but it is a replica of the original.  

We visited Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood.  This place,  is more like a park / town than a cemetery.   It is absolutely beautiful.  

 Deadwood had a strong influence from early Jewish settlers and it is very apparent in the cemetery.  There are roads (lanes actually) and they are named.  A couple of the names are Solomon and Boaz.  I could have stayed in the cemetery for hours.  It doesn't look like a cemetery or feel like one either.  It is a bit morbid, but I felt very peaceful here.  The cemetery is closed - no new burials here.  Some of the famous residents include Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny, Preacher Smith and Seth Bullock.

Calamity Jane, used to tell people that she and Wild Bill were lovers.  But in truth, he hardly knew her.  She was enamoured with him and was a constant pest.  Wild Bill remarked that he had a hard time keeping her away from his whiskey.  Jane's dying request was to be buried next to Wild Bill and she is. 

We also took some nice motorcycle rides.  I love to ride and I enjoy the scenery.  I think South Dakota is a motorcycle enthusiasts dream.  Here are some pictures that I hope will capture some of the beauty of the area and give you a sense of what it is like.

Until next week!