Monthly Archives: October 2015

Nebraska Part I: Ashland

We haven’t planned our route and schedule too far in advance during The Lower 48 in 48 Tour, but we do generally have a reservation at ‘the next’ campground when we pull out on travel days. That wasn’t the case when we left South Dakota, though. Mike had his heart set on staying at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park on I-80, directly in the middle between Omaha and Lincoln. The only problem was that all the reservable full hook- up sites were booked. The park also had three full hook-up spots (water, sewer and 30 amp) that were available on a first come, first served basis. Mike was hoping our travel angels would be looking out for us and one of the three spots would come available when we needed it. I was skeptical. I’m a professional organizer, for heaven’s sake. I need a plan. I typically enjoy a confirmation number too.

We left Mitchell, SD around 10 AM and drove east on I-90, around Sioux Falls, south on I-29 past Sioux City (which was completely under construction), around Omaha and then west on I-80. When we reached the exit just before the state park, we stopped for fuel and Mike called to see if one of the spots was open. No openings.

Plan B was a KOA about 3 miles from the Flying J Fuel Station. We drove the Monaco to that campground and asked if they had a spot that might be available for a time span of 2-days to 2 weeks. They loved me at the check-in counter. I convinced them to move some reservations around so that the spot they gave us would be available if we needed it. Then I asked them to hold it open for two weeks until we came up with a plan. I must be some sort of smooth talker, because they agreed.

The KOA was awful and expensive. The spaces were very tight and there was no place to walk the dogs. I guess their location means they can charge anything they want, because the place was full by the time we were on our prior-to-bed-dog-walk. Most of the campers were just in for an overnight stay while on a bigger trip.

The next morning we drove over to the State Park around 9AM. We went to the main office and asked if any of the three magic spots were available. The ladies said that they were occupied at the moment, but one camper was due to leave that day. The only caveat was that the camper had the option of extending their stay (up to two weeks within a 30-day period), and they didn’t have to make a move until check-out at 2PM. We would be first in line to get the spot if they left, but if WE left the office and someone else came in for that spot… it would go to them. We had to physically wait there in the office if we were going to be ‘first in line’. I convinced Mike to drive down to spot #46 and just ask the people if they were indeed planning on leaving that day. The answer was yes!

I left Mike at the state park’s main office and I drove back to our spot at KOA to get the coach ready to move again. We had paid for two nights, but we just decided to take the loss on the second night. He waited for a couple of hours. The people left, he paid for us to stay two weeks, and called me to come get him. I brought him back to the KOA and we moved the rig 6 miles down the highway to the spot Mike was hoping for.

I’d like to say we got all settled in and enjoyed the next two weeks exploring the area, but I can’t. Yet.

The first priority was finding a place to stay in this part of Nebraska for two weeks. Once that was settled, Mike had another objective. He needed to get the Monaco’s engine serviced and our generator had stopped working. The Cummins shop in Omaha had a Coach Care unit. While he was waiting in the state park office, he called Cummins and scheduled an appointment for us at 8am the next morning. As we moved the rig to spot #46, it was hard to relax because the next morning would start our third travel day in a row. We had a couple of martinis and went to bed extra early.

The next morning he started the engine in the dark at 6:30 AM. He pulled out of the park while the dogs and I followed behind him in the Honda. The plan was to drop the rig at the shop, then go have breakfast and explore around Omaha while they serviced the engine. We would pick up the coach later in the afternoon to go back to the state park and get settled once and for all. The first part of the plan went great. We had a big breakfast at a Cracker Barrel down the road, then we drove to downtown Omaha and walked the dogs around the city. After we had wasted as much time as we could stand, we drove back to Cummins.

The shop manager greeted us with some not-so-great news. The engine was fine, but they needed to replace a stater and control board on the generator. Our bill was going to total around $3,000 and the job wasn’t going to be finished before the end of the day. New decision. Do we drive the coach back to the park and do this all over again the next day? Or do we hook-up to the water and electricity in the Cummins parking lot and wait it out on site. We decided to camp at Cummins until the generator was fixed. We drove the Honda back to the park, covered the stuff we left with a tarp (in case of rain), told the camp host about our dilemma and then returned to the shop for a night of camping with the mechanics.

The following day turned into another waiting game. The control panel issue was fixed, but now the generator needed a new belt. The long story short is that we spend two-nights and three full days at Cummins. We finally made it back to #46 by Friday evening. We were tired and ready to get busy relaxing!

In retrospect, we should have driven directly to Cummins when we left South Dakota. We did not know they had free hook-ups for customers, or that might have factored into our logistics. We could have dealt with the generator repairs, and then taken our chances on a spot at Mahoney. However, we had such tunnel vision for one of the three magic spots, we couldn’t think of anything else until we got that issue settled. If our coveted spot in the Little Creek Campground section had been any less spacious and pretty, I might have had regrets. In the end, we had a wonderful stay in Ashland, NE, and the cluster of getting there was all worth it.

The Omaha KOA was really more of a glorified RV parking lot than it was a campground.

We had to keep our fingers crossed and jump through some hoops to secure this spot at Mahoney State Park for two weeks, but it was all worth it. The park is an outdoor wonderland, featuring an aquatic center, tennis courts, disc golf, a driving range, a fishing lake, paddle boats, horse back riding, hiking trails, volleyball courts, miniature golf, an observation tower, a conservatory and a restaurant. They also have an ice rink and toboggan runs in the winter.

The very first night we stayed in the state park, it was basically empty aside from us and the camp host. The deer roamed throughout the area during the evening before sunset. This picture was taken from our dining room window.

Checking the Monaco in at Cummins. The morning errand that turned into a 2-day waiting game.

Checking the Monaco in at Cummins. The morning errand that turned into a 3-day waiting game.

The Cummins Coach Care facility had four hook-up spots with water and 50amp power. We stared at concrete for two days while our spot waited for us back at Mahoney State Park.

The Cummins Coach Care facility had four hook-up spots with water and 50amp power. We stared at concrete for two days while our green and roomy spot waited for us back at Mahoney State Park.

I didn’t know Omaha had a canal running through its downtown until we stumbled upon it. Lots of nice public art in the area too.

We found a pleasant walking path in the 31-acre Heartland of America Park near the Old Market Entertainment District in downtown.

The fountain in Heartland of America Park sprays water 400-feet into the air and has a light show at night. It is considered one of the tallest shooting fountains in the world.

A cool baseball sculpture in the middle of the city where they play the College World Series every year.

At the end of the 1800’s, Omaha was thriving as a great railroad center. Its location provided a connecting point between the country’s established eastern side and the wide-open west. The Old Market Area in downtown was a busy commercial area filled with produce dealers, buyers and transporters.

June of 2015 was the 65th year for the College World Series to be played in Omaha.

While we were in Omaha, we treated ourselves to lunch at a Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives place called Brewburgers. Since we were waiting for news on our generator repair, I drove over and placed an order for take-away. Mike ordered a West Texas Burger and it was ginormous. Local lore says that the Reuben Sandwich was created in Omaha, so I went with local tradition and ordered one of those. We were stuffed at the end, but at least it made waiting in the Cummins Driver’s Lounge a little more bearable.

Our lonely spot #46, waiting for the Monaco to return.

The paved walking trail through Eugene T. Mahoney State Park was really pretty.

Morning coffee and computer time.

The entrance to the Holy Family Shrine is highlighted by perennials, displaying colors symbolic of a pilgrimage with the Holy Spirit.

The Mission of the Holy Family Shrine, as a Catholic Chapel on the Highway, is to be a gateway to heaven for pilgrims and travelers to experience the healing presence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit that awakens them to God’s will in their journey through life.

An estimated 25,000 people visit the Shrine each year to pray, meditate, have meetings, or stroll the grounds in tranquil peace. Mass is offered Saturdays at 10AM.

The view from inside the Shrine is glorious at it sits high up on a bluff and looks down on the rolling countryside in all directions.

The view from inside the Shrine is glorious as it sits high up on a bluff and looks down on the rolling countryside in all directions.

I tried to go to mass on Saturday at 10, but the morning I got there, they were having a special pilgrimage walk and confessions. Mass was to follow around noon. I wasn’t signed up for the event that was already in progress when I arrived, so I missed out. I was so bummed!

One of the 57 cabins at Mahoney State Park. Most are two bedroom. A few are four bedroom, and a handful are six bedroom. They all come with linens, tableware, basic cookware, A/C and heat, fireplace, satellite TV, refrigerator, range, outdoor deck and grill.

The 70-foot tower at the state park offered panoramic views of the area. I’m afraid of heights, so I didn’t make it all the way to the top. Mike did.

My view from the tower climb.

Mike’s view of the tower climb. I almost made it, but no one was going to pay me money for making it to the top platform, so I chicken’d out and turned back down.

An air boat on the Platte River.

Mike was born in Lincoln so when we drove over to explore, I insisted on finding the hospital where he was born. He refused to take a photo in front of the building. My in-laws don’t even believe it was the same hospital… said it looks totally different (53 years later).

A beautiful church across the street from the Nebraska State Capitol.

The Nebraska State Capitol. Constructed between 1922 and 1932, it is home to the only non-partisan one-house legislature in the United States.

We enjoyed lunch on an outside patio in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District.

I thought this sculpture in Lincoln looked so friendly!

Geese. I wonder how many pictures of geese Mike has taken since February of 2013…

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium boasts the world’s largest indoor desert, nocturnal exhibit and America’s largest indoor rainforest. I went by myself on a beautiful afternoon. It was a lovely facility, although it seemed like two-thirds of it was under construction at the time I was there.

Inside the Omaha Zoo’s rainforest exhibit.

At least I got to see my favorite animal, the sloth. It is understandable he was asleep...

At least I got to see my favorite animal, the sloth. It is understandable that the laziest animal in the rain forest was asleep…

The butterfly garden at the zoo was very lush.

Pumpkins carved with all sorts of animal designs lined the sidewalks at the Zoo.

The Cathedral of Saint Cecilia in Omaha is located on the highest hill in the city and can be seen for miles around. Begun in 1905 and consecrated in 1959, the historic Cathedral was designed by renowned architect, Thomas Rogers Kimball. Like 60,000 other visitors each year, I stopped in for some quiet time and to light some candles.

The altar inside Saint Cecilia Cathedral.

The Lodge at Mahoney State Park has 40 guest rooms, a restaurant, a gift shop and a bar.

The view from the Lodge at Mahoney State Park. The guests on the back side of the building can see the Platte River off in the distance.

The Strategic Air and Space Museum is located right next door to the state park. The permanent exhibits include a huge collection of famous aircraft, missiles and spacecraft. Local Omaha pride abounds in the exhibits featuring Clayton Anderson: Heartland Astronaut and the Martin Bomber Plant, the largest and most historically significant structure on Offutt Air Force Base in nearby Bellevue, NE.

This exhibit at the Strategic Air and Space Museum was called Tie Towers. This sculpture was designed and constructed in the months following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Towers. It is a memorial to lives lost that day. 1,452 neckties are hung from a steel wire frame, representing the number of lives lost in the collapse of the North Tower. The artist is Gregory J. Laasko. He works as an artist in the Omaha area, and has also served in the U.S. Army and the Nebraska National Guard, completing two tours of duty in Iraq.

In addition to the SR-71 (which they first put into place when building the museum, and then construction the glass atrium walls around it), the facility displays a B-1, B-52, B-36, MiG-21, FB-111, Vulcan, and Apollo 009.

In addition to the SR-71 (which they first put into place when building the museum, and then constructed the glass atrium walls around it), the facility displays a B-1, B-52, B-36, MiG-21, FB-111, Vulcan, and Apollo 009.

Mike, Cessna and Piper collaborated on one of the pumpkins we decorated as part of the state park’s Halloween Festival which took place on the second Saturday we were there. I can’t stand Donald Trump, and wanted no part of the Trumpkin… so I carved my own separate pumpkin.

Fall colors.

I went on a horse trail ride at the state park one gorgeous Friday afternoon. Mike wasn’t interested so he stayed at the camp with the dogs. My horse was Scout, the brown and white horse on the far right side of the photo. He had allergies, so he sneezed and coughed through the entire outing. Poor baby.

A drive-through Wildlife Safari was located down the road from the state park. The 50-acre elk exhibit was pretty active during our late afternoon visit.

All God’s creatures: deer, turkey and squirrels.

All of the other bison we have seen during the Lower 48 in 48 Tour have been in state or national parks. These were in an outdoor zoo. I was trying to get a picture of the white one in the back. White buffalo were considered sacred by the Indians.

Most of the other bison we have seen during the Lower 48 in 48 Tour have been in state or national parks. These were in an outdoor zoo. I was trying to get a picture of the white one in the back. White buffalo were considered sacred by the Indians.

Two eagles had their own “tent” at the wildlife safari. I’m guessing they were injured and unable to thrive in the wild.

At selfie at Round the Bend Steakhouse, Home of the Testical Festival! Really.

A selfie at Round the Bend Steakhouse, Home of the Testical Festival! Really.

If we were going to eat dinner at the Home of the Testical Festival… we certainly had to order beef fries as an appetizer.

Just so you know we didn’t make this up.

Our nod to the site decorating contest.

These campers put a little more effort into their campsite decorations than we did.

I never found out which campers won the site decorating contest, but I think the decision would have been a difficult one to come by.

The Halloween festivities at the state park also included a pumpkin carving contest.

The park staff had a tram operating all day that Saturday. They circled both campgrounds at the park so campers could see all of the decorations.

After a campground clears out on a Sunday afternoon, we usually walk through and look for firewood that campers have left behind. When we find some we scrounge it up and bring it back to our campsite. We got really lucky at one spot… I think these campers left behind an entire tree. There was so much wood, Mike had to walk back to our campsite and drive the Honda over to transport our bounty.

They stocked the Lake at the state park with trout on the last full day we were there. Mike was there waiting. He had his limit of 5 in no time after that.

Some local turkeys checking out our campsite as we prepared to depart.

South Dakota Part II: Mitchell

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Our second stop in South Dakota was brief. Mike found a municipal campground on a lake in the small town of Mitchell, on I-90 about 60 miles west of Sioux Falls. The price was fairly reasonable, and he could fish… so we booked a reservation. We only stayed in Mitchell for one week. Aside from fishing, talking walks around the lake, visiting the Corn Palace, and making a daytrip to Sioux Falls, there wasn’t too much to do. The park was small, quiet and clean. We spent a lot of time just relaxing after our busy time in Rapid City. Mike also worked on the coach a little bit – doing some washing and other cleaning. The weather was nice and pleasant the whole time, so it was a nice stop on our tour.

Mike’s fishing spot on Lake Mitchell. This is why he booked a week for us here at this campground. (That, and the prices was cheap).

Falls Park in Sioux Falls. Very impressive.

A selfie at Sioux Falls.

The Sioux Falls Courthouse Museum. Construction on the County’s first courthouse began in 1889. It is constructed of native Sioux Quartzite Stone.

Downtown Sioux Falls has lots of public art sculptures placed randomly along the sidewalks and other public spaces.

Downtown Sioux Falls was very clean. The historic buildings were well-maintained and the landscaping along the sidewalks was very lush.

The World's Only Corn Palace. They call it ear-chitecture. 120 years old. The theme changes every year. "They" grow six different colors of corn in separate fields so the hues are not combined. Then they prepare a color-by-number design and start filling in the blanks by affixing ears of corn to the exterior of the building. As you can see, the 2015 theme is American Pride.

The World’s Only Corn Palace. They call it ear-chitecture. Get it? 120 years old. The theme changes every year. “They” grow six different colors of corn in separate fields so the hues are not combined. Then they prepare a color-by-number design and start filling in the blanks by affixing ears of corn to the exterior of the building. As you can see, the 2015 theme is American Pride. They are still working on the left panel, and Willie isn’t completely finished either.

While we were in town, there was a National Indoor Bull Riding Competition at the Corn Palace. This photo was taken after the event, they are cleaning the floors after they were covered in dirt. All of the murals on the walls are also made of corn and change each year!

Inside the Corn Palace. The interior columns are covered in mosaic tiles intended to resemble shucked corn cobs.

The side of the Corn Palace building.

The Missouri River. We crossed it on our way to Mitchell from Rapid City.

A view of Lake Mitchell from our campground.

Our spot, #4. Luckily there weren’t too many other registered guests during our stay, so we got to park our car in the adjacent spot for the whole week we were there. We couldn’t park the Honda in front of our rig because the spot was too short.

There was a hiking / biking trail around Lake Mitchell that was accessible from our campground. It was a great place to take the dogs on their walk.

South Dakota Part I: Rapid City

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When we left Miles City, Montana, we traveled south on Highway 59 and east on Hwy 212 until we hit I-90 to the west of Rapid City. It was an easy drive because the roads were practically deserted. The view of vast brown grassy plains and the wide open sky remained a constant for most of the drive. The highlight of the excursion was seeing the antelope. We must have seen 100 or more pronghorn antelope near the road and across the lands through which we drove.

We stayed at the KOA in Rapid City, which is on the northeast part of town. It was a fairly large campground and it stayed very busy. Most of the guests were travelers just making overnight stops. There were only a few campers like us who were there for extended stays. In our case we were in Rapid City for a total of two weeks. The reason Mike selected this campground for us was because they also had deluxe cabins and we had reserved one for his parents!

A few months ago, Mike had coordinated schedules with his folks and they had planned a trip to fly out to South Dakota and visit us for a week. It was time to get settled in and complete some final preparations for our family reunion! We spent a couple of days doing some deep cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, and outfitting their cabin with sheets, towels, pillows, and treats for the kitchenette. We finally picked up my in-laws at the airport on Thursday evening.

The Martins had actually lived in Rapid City when they were freshly married and new parents. Mike was a tiny baby. His brother, Pat, was born in Rapid City. They moved here because my father-in-law had gotten a job working with the Minute Man Missile Project near Ellsworth AFB. On several occasions during our visit, they both remarked that Rapid City was the favorite place they lived in all of their years together. It was so much fun to spend time with them in a place that held so many fond memories for them.

Our week together was jam packed with road trips, FOOD, football, and relaxing. We packed a ton of action into those 7 days, and enjoyed every second of them. Since the Martins made the effort to come out and see us on The Lower 48 in 48 Tour, it just might be one of my favorite stops on the entire trip! I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

This is what our drive from Montana to South Dakota looked like.

This was a very busy KOA. The lines for afternoon check-in were pretty long on some days.

The Martin’s cabin was directly across the street from our rig. It was the perfect set up!

A view of our spot at the KOA in Rapid City. We were in #120.

The Farmer’s Market in Rapid City had a little bit of everything: produce, jellies, jams, salsas, flowers and food trucks! For breakfast I had a sandwich of brie, apples and nuts melted between two slices of cranberry bread from the melted cheese sandwich truck.

This eagle sculpture is at Founder’s Park in Rapid City. It is dedicated to two fallen officers. I thought it was very beautiful.

Inside the cute little cabin where Mike’s folks stayed during their visit.

Cessna helped my mother-in-law and me keep a lookout for pretty vistas to photograph during our drive through the Black Hills.

We asked my father-in-law to name the first thing he wanted to do after they got to Rapid City. The answer: hit the casinos in Deadwood! We started at Cadillac Jacks and then moved the car to the middle of downtown. After stopping into some of the local shops, we finished gambling at the Silverado. Before driving home we enjoyed the crab and prime rib at the Silverado Grant Buffet.

The historic city of Deadwood is in the middle of the Black Hills National Forest. The natural beauty of mountains and trees provide a wonderful backdrop for the historic buildings and colorful characters up and down Main Street.

Deadwood was a prosperous mining town in the late 1870’s… until the gold played out. The population of the town had dwindled from 20,000 at its peak to 2,035 residents by the end of the 19th century. To add insult to injury, a devastating fire nearly destroyed what was left of the local economy in 1959. The entire city was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, but the community was still on the brink of extinction. By the 1980’s Deadwood could not generate enough tax revenue to maintain basic city services. When South Dakota passed a constitutional amendment to allow limited -stakes gambling in Deadwood in 1989, everything changed. Now gaming revenue has allowed the community to transform itself into an old-west entertainment mecca.

I’ll let you fill in your own caption for this photo.

Custer State Park has driving trails, hiking trails, lodges, camping areas, and cabins. Visitors can see the park on foot, from a car, from a canoe, from a bicycle, or while on a guided tour. Several of the lodges even have shopping and dining. It would be a wonderful place for a family vacation… during the warmer months of the year.

Custer State Park is 71,000 acres big. The four of us drove Wildlife Loop Road looking for buffalo, pronghorn and prairie dogs. I’m happy to report spot all three!

Antelope posing for the tourist cameras in Custer State Park.

Burros in Custer State Park.

Another view from Mt. Coolidge. It is hard to see, but if you look just to the right of the middle of this photo, you will see a mountain top that has less trees than any other. That is actually the Crazy Horse Memorial. The mission of the sculpture is to protect and preserve the culture, tradition and living heritage of the North American Indians. It is so gigantic, one can see it from miles away!

A park ranger at Custer State Park suggested we drive to the top of Mount Coolidge and see the views from the firetower. We were really happy he gave us that advice because we would not have known to turn left at the base of the mountain without his help. The steep single lane gravel road was not too much fun to traverse, but I wasn’t driving, and the outcome was amazing!

A lone bison grazing in Custer State Park.

When I snapped this photo, we didn’t realized we would actually be driving in the middle of those crazy rocks within about 15 minutes.

Do you see what I mean when I say these rocks look like drizzled sand castles?

One of the most spectacular sections of Custer State Park was the Cathedral Spires area. From a distance the rock formations looked like wet sand had been drizzled into shape with no regard to form or pattern. Up close it looked like the surface of another planet. I kept expecting Captain James T. Kirk to jump out from behind a rock and rescue our car for a safe return back to our own home galaxy.

Making our way through a “tunnel” in the Needles Eye section of Custer State Park.

On the way to the best viewing platform at the base of Mount Rushmore, visitors get to walk through an archway of all of the state flags. Very festive.

I cannot talk about this stop on the Lower 48 in 48 Tour without posting a photograph of this iconic American sculpture.

Family picture at Mount Rushmore.

We had a great time exploring this region of South Dakota, but when the weekend arrived, it was time for football!

Our KOA campground sat high up on a bluff, so we had a nice view of the Rapid City area.

The four of us spent one day driving through Badlands National Park. Paleontologist Thaddeus Culbertson has this reaction to the mysterious region, “Fancy yourself on the hottest day in summer in the hottest spot of such a place without water – without an animal and scarce an insect astir – without a single flower to speak pleasant things to you and you will have some idea of the utter loneliness of the Bad Lands”.

The Badlands Visitor Center near Interior, SD has a wonderful exhibit that focuses on the cultural history, prairie ecology, and paleontology of the White River Badlands. They also have a book store, a theater featuring the film “Land of Stone and Light”, and a gift shop.

Of the rock formations in the Badlands, early explorer Dr. John Evans once described them as “some magnificent city of the dead, where the labor and genius of forgotten nations had left behind them a multitude of monuments of art and skill”.

The South Dakota Badlands. Wow. For the Lakota the place was ‘mako sica’. Early French trappers called the area ‘les mauvaises terres a traverser’. “Bad Lands”.

Wall Drug Store is a icon of the South Dakota Badlands. The place is so big it comes with its own map! Albeit it was in the middle of nowhere, a young pharmacist and his wife purchased the business in 1931. When business was slow, his wife had the idea of offering free water and coffee to travelers on the nearby highway. Once she gave passersby something to stop for, their business took off. Now, almost 85 years later, the business is a bona fide tourist attraction.

Wall Drug Store is an icon of the South Dakota Badlands. The place is so big it comes with its own map! Albeit it was in the middle of nowhere, a young pharmacist and his wife purchased the business in 1931. When business was slow, his wife had the idea of offering free water and coffee to travelers on the nearby highway. Once she gave passersby something to stop for, their business took off. Now, almost 85 years later, the business is a bona fide tourist attraction.

Inside the world famous Wall Drug Store.

Stained glass above the entrance to Wall Drug Store. I love stained glass.

Mike and his dad spotted few turkeys on their route to the fishing lake.

Mike and his dad spotted a few turkeys on their route to the fishing lake.

Some of downtown Rapid City’s skyline.

The four of us took a nice stroll through downtown before dinner at Delmonico Grille one evening. My father-in-law treated us to dinner and each of us enjoyed our selections immensely!

My favorite store in Rapid City. Several stories of art, jewelry, blankets, clothes, pottery, beads, furniture, and more.

Two beautiful historic buildings and the second mural at Firehouse Brewing Company.

Rapid City had a downtown alley where graffiti ruled.

We spotted an unlucky elk on the way home from dinner.

We got so lucky when we visited the South Dakota Air and Space Museum! The B1B Lancer was doing ‘touch-and-goes’. The Air Force Runway was very close to the museum building. It raced by us jetting into the sky so fast, it was almost impossible to get a good photograph. And loud. It was incredibly loud. The power of the whole machine at full throttle erupted through my core and I shuddered when it was nothing but a speck in the clouds.

B1B Lancer. Big. Loud. Fast. The wings sweep back for ‘cruise flight’. They also extend out for take offs and landings.

When Mike’s parents lived in Rapid City about 53 years ago, it was because W.D. was working on the Minute Man Missile project. He really got a kick out of being back to see about it all over again.

The four of us visited the South Dakota Air and Space Museum outside the gate of Ellsworth AFB, to the northeast of Rapid City. Admission was free! Mike and his Dad especially enjoyed this outing. The exhibits were very informative and they had several aircraft parked outside the museum for display.

The KOA where we stayed had a very nice pool and hot tub. Unfortunately we only got use it once. They drained it to prepare for winter about mid-way through our stay there.

Mikey gathers wood for the fire.

What is a camping trip without a campfire? And yes… we DID have s’mores for dessert.

An eagle that Mike spotted while fishing one morning.

Mike and his dad went fishing at a nearby lake one morning. They returned to camp to report there were no fish in the lake.

Rapid Creek runs through the middle of Rapid City. The city has created a wonderful walking trail that runs parallel to the creek. There are many relaxing green spaces all over the community.

There were two beautiful murals on the walls of an outside patio at Firehouse Brewing Company in downtown Rapid City. This one was the most vibrant.

Selfie on the rooftop.

We had a few extra days in Rapid City after Mike’s folks flew back to Dallas, so we went on a Friday evening pub crawl in downtown Rapid City. We found this rooftop bar at Que Pasa Mexican Cantina and decide to have dinner while we watched the big moon rise over the other rooftops in the Central Business District. We were surprised to find the Mexican food to be pretty good too! (Let’s just say I have never had an enchilada prepared in a flour tortilla, pan grilled and then served with no sauce… but it was pretty tasty)!

Rapid City has a Scandinavian Chapel in the Hills that is an exact replica of the Borgund Stavkirke built about 1150 and located near Laerdal, Norway. The Rapid City Chapel was built with the permission of and architectural drawings supplied by the Norwegian government. The intricate woodwork was carved by a master carver in Norway and shipped here. It was completed and opened in 1969, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Its original purpose was as the home of the “Lutheran Vespers” radio program.

When the American Lutheran Church moved the radio program to Minneapolis in 1975, the building and grounds were left with no support, and its future was uncertain. A Non-Profit organization was established to protect the chapel. The Chapel in the Hills has no congregation and receives no funding from local, synod, or national church organizations. Funding for the operation comes exclusively from donations, wedding fees (wouldn’t THAT be a beautiful place for a wedding), and gift shop sales revenue.
I found the church and the surrounding gardens to be a beautiful and tranquil spot tucked into a quiet neighborhood. I’m glad I stopped by, but couldn’t linger too long because a wedding was scheduled for 1PM. I didn’t see the bride, but all the guys wore tuxes that had camo fabric on the lapels and cuffs of their suits! Their ‘look’ was quite the juxtaposition against this ancient and intricate backdrop!

I understand this is not a good photo (the iphone camera can only do so much), but we had a nice skyline view of Rapid City from our campground at night. Lots of lights twinkling off in the distance.

Rapid City is known as the City of Presidents. On each corner in their downtown sits a bronze statue of one of our U.S. Presidents. I thought it would be fun to find the statues of the presidents who were in office when we were born and take our pictures with them. Here I am with fellow Texan LBJ.

We found JFK, but Mike thought it was a stupid idea.