..........no internet at the Econlodge!

No post last night - no internet at the Econlodge. We stayed just a couple of miles away from Mt. Rushmore last night, and most of the hotels were booked-up pretty early in the day. The Econolodge in Keystone, South Dakota had a room with one queen bed (that means the girls slept on the floor in sleeping bags). At any rate, yesterday was a blast! We traveled through more of the South Dakota prairie lands and to Badlands State Park. What is really amazing about the geography out here is it just changes immediately to something that may be just the opposite of what you are presently in. I hope that made sense. After some walking around in the Badlands, we headed for Mount Rushmore. Amazing is the only word to use for this work of art! The carving was started in 1927, and was completed in 1941. We also got a chance to see the beginnings of the Crazy Horse Monument. It is a work in progress. When finished, it will include Crazy Horse on his horse.

Today found us heading for Devil's Tower. I was surprised to find out that this was our first national monument. Devil's Tower is located in Wyoming, and is a little over 1,200' high. It is a common trek for avid climbers during the summer months. Following Devil's Tower, we started our journey towards Yellowstone. Now, I'll pause here to tell you how much Wyoming reminds me of Ashe County - it is beautiful country, but there are no straight shots of highway to get anywhere! To get near Yellowstone, we had to cross the Big Horn Mountain Range (named after the Big Horn Sheep that live there - no, I didn't see any). It was a beautiful drive through the mountains. I was really impressed as to how high the elevation is at the top - over 9,600'. After we came through the mountains, we passed through almost desert conditions. There were oil pumps working in the desert areas. The temperature ranged from 69 degrees on top of the mountains to 100 degrees at the bottom! We are presently in Cody, Wyoming. We will see Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks tomorrow. Yesterdays milage was 298, and today we traveled 450.

Cool rock formation in the Big Horn Mountains.

Elevation sign at the top of the Big Horn Mountains.

Mount Rushmore National
Monument, a rock formation coming down from Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower (featured in the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and Big Horn Mountain.





Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Another picture from the Badlands.

An American bison (buffalo) in Custer State Park, SD. You have to watch out for them - they just wander around at their own will.

I sign that kept me on the trail an looking at the ground in the Badlands!!!

Prairie Dogs in the Badlands.

I wish I could have posted all the pictures. This is a facisnating trip. America is a beautiful place, and I hope that all of you have a chance to do this sometime. Don't wait until you have the time - take the time to do it. I'm sure there will be some great pics to post after Yellowstone tomorrow.