Rapid City South Dakota.

Why you ask would someone want to go to Rapid City? Well, its where you have to go to see Mount Rushmore, the iconic symbol of America. Its an amazing thing to see in person and to hear about the millions of tons of rock which was removed and all the years it took; wow.

After a decent amount of looking we managed to find some cool mountain goats. Note we kept Mount Rushmore in the background just to prove we hadn't forgotten about it.

The next can't miss must see spot was the partially completed Crazy Horse statue. This thing is huge. The mountain has gradually been reduced since 1948 from a untouched rock to a rough shape with a completed face.

By using clever camera techniques I have superimposed a model of the statue against the partially completed mountain image. To give you an idea of how large this will be, all of the heads at Mount Rushmore would fit in the area covered by Crazy Horses head. The original sculptor died years ago but 8 of his kids and his wife continue the work. It is not expected to be finished in their lifetimes either. Thats dedication.

The next thing thats a must see in the area is Custer State Park. Its in the centre of the Black Hills and has incredible rock formations and tunnels barely big enough for a car to get through.

The road winds through amazing hills and meadows with lots of wildlife. That bull in the middle of the road wouldn't move so I have to drive through the ditch; he never moved a foot. Punk bison!

We saw dozens of prong horn antelope as well as turkeys, deer and other stuff. Lots of signs said to watch for rattlers so I couldn't get grammie out of the car.

OK, I lied. She got out once or twice. As the road climbed through the hills, there were places where you could see Mount Rushmore in the distance. Look close, its a long ways away.

Part of the road is called the needles highway. Rock formations like this cover miles of the park.

Pretty and rugged isn't it.

Years before Custer met his end at the Little Big Horn he led an expedition through the Black Hills and wrote glowing reports about the beauty. Thats why the park is called Custer State Park. What a good day. Stroked off 3 of our objectives for coming here. Lets see whats next.

Next Stop - Rapid City South Dakota

After spending a couple of nights at York, Nebraska where, obviously, nothing happened, we headed on to Valentine Nebraska.

We passed train after train loaded with dozens of cars of coal. I assumed coal wasn't used much anymore, silly me.

The campground in Valentine was a cute little spot right next to the stockyards. Cows bellowing, strange odours and hordes of flies made this one of the more interesting sites yet.

Fortunately there was lots to see in the area so we stayed away as much as possible. Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge was only a few miles away and was a goldmine of wild life. These bison were right beside the road with no fences.

Along with bison comes their odoriferous droppings. Sure glad I didn't step in it.

I moved this tumbleweed because it looked close to rolling into a sticky pile.

On the road through the park we managed to put the run on these wild turkeys.

Just down the road we came across about 40 or 50 deer. Most ran off but this one just stood and watched us. Must have known he was safe in the park.

Our goal in the park was to find Smith Falls, the highest falls in Nebraska. They may be the highest, but not much water goes over. They are 70 feet high and are fed by a spring so the volume never changes. Very pretty.

Next stop is Rapid City but on the way there we had to stop at Wall Drugs. Since I was a kid I have heard about Wall Drugs and have been curious about it.

Have you ever seen the inside of a drug store the looked like this. During the depression in the 30's they started putting billboards along the highway offering free water. This drew in customers and they now have about 100 billboards promoting their store as you approach Wall, South Dakota.

The place is huge with dozens of rooms selling different things. Some rooms, like this one , are just for fun; as long as T. Rex doesn't break through his cage.

Only the bravest try riding the Jackalope. This is quite the drug store isn't it?

I've always wanted to come here and I sure wasn't disappointed. Lunch wasn't bad either. They still offer free water and coffee for 5 cents.

To Des Moines, Iowa

Time to leave Elkhart, the RV capitol of the world and continue our journey of exploration and adventure. Not every campground is situated in pristine wilderness as you can see here in Colona, IL. The works yard next door started their day with a siren at 7AM and filled the silence with loudspeaker announcements on a frequent basis. Got us up and going early.

It was a nice campground to walk around although it was covered with Canada geese and their fertilizer.

Colona is right on the Illinois and Iowa border so we went for a drive to see the area. This is the welcome centre with a view of the Mississippi river behind me. Buffalo Bill Cody and Wyatt Earp were born just down the street from here. Every place has a story.

Our next stop is in Des Moines, Iowa. This campground is much prettier without the morning wakeup call. I just spent the day driving through the worst winds and that evening drink was more medicinal than social.

A day off to relax seems in order so off we go to see downtown Des Moines. Quite by accident we came upon this little park alongside the river. A chinese pagoda with a symbolic rock garden was a real treasure to find.

Behind the pagoda, stretching across the Des Moines river is a artsy pedestrian bridge. Its so windy again today that we're glad for the security railings.

In the distance is the capitol building of the state of Iowa. It looks very impressive. Lets go have a look.

Looking up the front steps gives a great view of the building. Grammies leaning against the wind, otherwise she might end up in the fountain.

This is the inside of the main dome of the building. Its beautifully gilded with life size statues around the perimeter. We walked around for an hour and then had a cheap lunch in their cafe. Very impressive place.

 Original art like this showing the advancement of the pioneers adorn many walls and marble stairs make this a beautiful building. We do love to look at old buildings, especially when they are this nice.

Bach outside I found something solid to hold onto so the wind wouldn't blow me away. This area is famous for its "pumpkin cannons", I wonder if this is one?

Elkhart Beckons

I know that no one is in the least interested how a motor home is built so I'm not going to show much of the 6 factory tours we took over the week. I found them fascinating but Grammie was bored to tears after the first couple of tours. But, like the trooper she is, she hung in there and humoured me. At this spot in the assembly, they are putting in the furniture and doing the wiring.

Here is the next spot on the assembly line where they have added the slide outs. Under the tires are air pads which get inflated and allow it to float so 2 men can push the RV to the next station. It is interesting to watch the RV go from a bare frame and engine to the finished unit ready for the road. OK, enough about factories, lets check out the RV museum.

The RV museum is about 5 years old and is housed in a huge building that offers convention facilities and meeting rooms. RVs from the 1900's to now are displayed along a simulated highway. They are set up to look as if someone is camping in each one.

A lot of the displays have an interesting history. This coach was used by Mae West whenever she traveled to places that she was making a movie. It had a kitchen where her meals were made, a bed to sleep on and a rocking chair on the back veranda where she rocked and studied her scripts.

Some of the RVs were very ornate depending on how wealthy the owner was. This one had a wrought iron back sitting room as well as mahogany interior with dining services and smoking chairs.

Some were not quite so elaborate. This one was hand built so a mans daughter could use it as a doll house.

The early RV's had a lot of the same amenities that we do, just not quite as modern. Note the bath tub in the wooden chest and the toilet pot in its own closet. This was probably very modern at the time considering a lot of homes still had outhouses.

 This is a trailer which was bought in 1948 by a man who traveled all over the country working in different places. He and his wife lived in here for 40 years without making any changes to it. Original flooring, cupboards, stove and furniture. It has no toilet, no tub or shower, gravity cold water from a tank in the ceiling, a Coleman stove and an icebox. It is one of the few exhibits that hasn't been refurbished; it is exactly the way it was when they moved out. 

This was one of the original motorized RV's. It lacked most of the amenities we take for granted and the beds hung from the ceiling by leather straps. But, it was self contained and a lot smaller than units we have now.
There were dozens of other units but I'm sure boredom is setting in. Maybe you have to be an RVer to appreciate this museum.

Leaving on our next Adventure

Well, its finally time to head out on our next adventure. We are heading to Texas for the winter but plan on making this more of an adventure and not just a long boring drive. Oct 15th, we left home and family in Mannheim on a beautiful sunny day, heading for Michigan for the night.

To get to Michigan we must, of course, cross the US border. We have been sitting in line for over an hour before we reached this point, but we can see the end now. We've been here before and are actually pleased with how fast the line is moving. Only at the border would 2 hours of waiting be considered speedy.

As we sat on the bridge we watched ships travel up the St. Clair river. Lots of time to enjoy the sights sitting here. Finally, we made it through the inspection station and, joy of joys, we never got the full inspection like we have every other year. Of course this put us ahead of schedule because I had allowed an hour for the full deal. Darned inconsiderate of them I must say.

Of course, this did allow us to arrive earlier, get set up and connected and then do what we do best. Relax with a drink! Now we know we're actually on our way. Does it get any better than this? Here's hoping that the rest of the trip has the same nice weather and good driving as today did.

Is this a sign of things to come? Time to head out on our next leg and I need to scrape the windows of the car to hook up. I expect that this won't be the last time, but at least the day is sunny and the road beckons.

Elkhart Indiana, about 60 miles east of Chicago. We plan on staying here for a week, after all, this is ELKHART Indiana. So what you say! This is the centre of the RV world. Most motor homes are built in this area. The RV museum is near here. Factory tours, oh my.