Chicago

We spent two days commuting into downtown Chicago to see the sights. Each morning started with a 30 minute drive from our KOA campground in Union to the train station in Woodstock. After a 90 minute train ride, we arrived in downtown Chicago. The first day had light rain and high humidity. We walked 10 blocks and had lunch at an Italian café. From there we caught a cab through Grant park out to the Shedd Aquarium. When we determined that the ticket price was $27 per person, we made an executive decision to invest in a water taxi ride to Navy Pier instead.

The breeze on lake Michigan was refreshing, and everyone enjoyed the view of the Chicago skyline from the water. We toured Navy Pier, where the kids had ice cream. Then we boarded the water taxi again for a quick trip up the Chicago River to Michigan Avenue. Laura and Teressa window shopped on the Magnificent Mile, and we all marveled at the pieces of old buildings that are built into the Chicago Tribune building (think of just about any famous building in the world, and they likely have a piece of it built into the wall). Check out the details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune_Tower

Our timing in Chicago couldn’t have been any better, at least according to Brian. We arrived just in time for the start of the Chicago Jazz Festival! It is impressive that in a city this size the entire Festival is free of charge, and that we were able to get great seats for the opening act just by walking up an hour before it started. According to Brian, Sonny Rawlins is the best tenor sax player alive on the planet! He has to be in his 70s, given the stories that were shared when he was introduced about his early days with Miles Davis back in the 50s. He had difficulty walking out on the stage, but no problem at all playing his sax! It was impressive! We could only stay for an hour, as we had to catch the train back to the countryside. As we walked out of the pavilion, Brian made the comment that he could immediately play the melody for the first song that was performed, and that his fingers remembered what to do just by listening to it – I’m still wondering if I’m his real father! ;-)

After another 90 minute train ride, and 30 minute trip in the car, we arrived back at the trailer at 10:30. Rocky was asleep, but very excited to get out and empty his bladder. We kept him up for over an hour before we all crashed around midnight.

Our second day in Chicago started out like the movie "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, where each day is exactly like the last. Teressa and I woke and showered early as always. The kids slept in as long as they possibly could and still allow us to catch the train, just like the day before. We drove the identical 15 miles to Woodstock and caught the same 9:45 train into Chicago. But that's where things started to go differently than the previous day. There was no rain, just bright blue skies. And unlike the previous day, the train was absolutely packed, due in large part to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field in the afternoon.

When we arrived in Chicago we kept with tradition and headed to a pizza restaurant for lunch. This time we took a cab over to Gino's East for some authentic deep dish pizza. Gino's was started by a couple of taxi drivers in the 60s, and their restaurants walls are covered with graffiti (see the picture of Teressa and me). One large pizza fed us all -- half Gino's supreme, and half bacon cheeseburger. You can guess which half the kids ordered (and it was actually the best).

After lunch we took a cab to the Click office in Chicago and visited with a number of my co-workers. It was fun to reconnect with everyone again, and for Teressa and the kids to see where I spent so much time the last five years. From there we went to Borders so Laura could buy a couple of books, and then back to the train station. When we got off at our stop at Woodstock, we drove through the quaint little downtown area. This is where the movie "Groundhog Day" was filmed, and we recognized the park and a number of the buildings. Since it is one of my favorite movies, we'll have to get the kids to watch it now. Here is hoping for six more weeks of summer! :-)

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

We checked out of the KOA in Wisconsin Dells at 11:00, and drove down into the town. Apparently Wisconsin Dells is the water park capital of the world. There were some amazing looking parks, reminding us a little of the pomp and glitter of Las Vegas with names like Mt. Olympus and Noah’s Ark. The KOA camping fee we paid came with complimentary tickets to one of the more modest looking facilities, Riverside Park. They had a huge parking area which worked great for the RV, so we parked for a couple of hours while Teressa took the kids into the park. I stayed in the trailer with Rocky to catch up on some email. We all enjoyed ourselves!

After a quick stop at Burger King (our first fast food hamburger since Oregon), we headed down the interstate towards Chicago. Traffic was heavy for a Wednesday afternoon. A twenty mile construction zone tested my skills in keeping the trailer in a lane with only one foot clearance on each side. They had trucks drive in the left lane, and cars in the right – not sure why. The kids also got to experience their first toll road – the concept was a foreign one. The toll booths had similar clearance challenges, but we made it through unscathed. We were glad when things opened up again.

We took a slight detour off the freeway to tour Madison, Wisconsin. It is one of the places I have always wanted to see, and it didn’t disappoint. The college and downtown are tucked right on the shore of a lake, surrounded by dense trees. We decided it would be ok if Brian decided to become a “Badger”! ;-)

It was just after 6:00 when we arrived in our RV park in Union, Illinois, approximately 60 miles outside Chicago. The KOA here is the closest RV park we could find to the city. We will take the Metra train into downtown so we don't have to deal with traffic and parking.

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

I got up early yesterday and took the truck in for an oil change. It was the first one since we left Portland, as the previous owner used synthetic oil which supposedly allows you to go 7500 miles between services. I had to pull the bikes off the top as the bay doors at Jiffy Lube weren't quite tall enough to make it in. After stops at the bank and gas station, I arrived back at the KOA around 10.

It took a couple of hours to get the RV ready to roll, tanks dumped and everyone through the shower at the KOA. We were on the road a little after noon. Steve, our GPS, recommended that we go slightly north through Minneapolis before turning east. We obliged and pointed the car north on highway 169. About three minutes later Steve changed his mind and said "A better route is available". Without thinking, Teressa blurted out "You told us to go this way, you Dick!" After an awkward pause, the car erupted with laughter. Brian said "I can't wait to tell my friends what my well mannered mom said!" Now Steve truly is a four letter word.

I promised myself I wasn't going to bore people with gas price stories on this trip, but I thought you might find the following summary interesting:
- Highest price paid for diesel: $4.99 in George, Washington
- Lowest price paid for diesel: $3.99 in Minneapolis, MN
- Average driving speed: 60 mph (any faster and the bumps on the interstate loosen your teeth fillings!)
- Average fuel economy while towing: 10 mpg
- Average number of cars that pass us on the interstate per day: ~1500
- Average number of cars we pass on the interstate per day: 1 (no kidding, and usually it is a piece of farm equipment!)

From Minneapolis we drove southeast to Rochester to visit the Mayo Clinic (see picture above). Mayo helped pioneer the heart/lung machine that is used widely now for major operations (like my niece Cece's lung transplant). The picture of Brian below is with one of the original machines in their history display. We stopped by to see some of the people I worked with, but they had moved buildings, and we didn't have time to track them down before we left.

We hit the road again and headed east towards Wisconsin. Crossing the Mississippi was impressive at La Crosse (thanks for the tip Dennis!). It was pushing 8:00 and starting to get dark when we arrived at the KOA in Wisconsin Dells. The "Dells" is a 5 mile long sandstone gorge on the Wisconsin river. We hope to see a portion of it as we drive down towards Chicago (so far all we have seen are the trees around the campground).

Mall of America, Minneapolis, MN

After touring some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States (Yellowstone, the Tetons, the Badlands, the Black Hills) the kids finally found something that really impressed them -- the Mall of America in Minneapolis! As Laura marveled "Can you believe an amusement park and 500 stores all in one building!" Seriously, while I know they enjoyed the national parks, it was fun for them to be "back in civilization" for a day.

We started the day in Iowa, at a nice little RV park by a lake in the north central part of the state. We weren't able to stay long, but enjoyed the surroundings. We drove north to Mankato, Minnesota in the morning. There we met Beth (Wendland) and Dennis Marzloff for lunch at their home. Beth manages a group at the bank, and Dennis is a music professor at Bethany Lutheran College. They provided a great lunch for us at their home, and then we walked a couple blocks for a tour of the college.

Back on the road, we headed north towards Minneapolis, arriving at our KOA park around 4:00. After a quick stop to drop off the trailer and the dog, we headed north again to the Mall of America. Our timing was excellent. Many schools have started classes here, so the mall was quiet on a Monday evening. They have a half price special for the amusement park -- all the rides you want for $16 from 5 to 9:30. The kids and I signed up for the special and proceeded to abuse ourselves for the next two hours. The roller coaster was the most intense, climbing straight up three floors before plunging straight down before sending you through a couple of inverted loops. It was a blast. We ate dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant in the Mall, then proceeded back to the RV park.

Spirit Lake, Iowa

We pushed ourselves and made it to Iowa (about 375 miles). We almost violated my number one guiding principle for the trip -- never drive after dark. Here is Teressa's journal entry for the day:

Pleasant discovery of the day: Although the concrete interstates are extremely bumpy in a 5th wheel, both Laura and I were able to read books in the car today. This is a first as we both tend to get carsick. Perhaps 10 days in the car have cured us much the way a sailer gets over his seasickness at sea.

We stopped in Murdo, SD and checked out the car and antique museum there. Little towns in this area seem to need a gimmick to pull in the tourists. Gary and I recognized some of the cars, toys, lunchboxes, etc. Do you remember The General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard? If so our kids will think you are old too. At Mitchell, SD, we drove by the Corn Palace and snapped a photo. That was enough of that.

As we left South Dakota, we veered south into Iowa. We have found the back roads of each state to be amazing. The landscape quickly turned to golden fields of corn, deep green leafy soybean, and meticulously manicured farmland which looked like oasis amidst the fields of gold. The little
towns along the way were spotless and manicured as well. What a beautiful state it is! As we drove further east, we noticed an abundance of 3-armed white wind mills and wondered how they fared with tornadoes. We have disagreement over these giants: the other 3 liked them while I missed theunspoiled farmland. Our destination was the campground at Spirit Lake.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

We succumbed to the time honored South Dakota tourist tradition by making a pilgrimage to Wall Drug yesterday. The morning was spent washing sheets and catching up on projects, so we didn't hit the road till after noon. We cut through a corner of Badlands National Park, arriving in Wall around 2:00. I was hoping to get the oil changed in the pickup, but the only auto lube facility closed at noon on Saturday (life in a small town). We had a late lunch at the cafe in Wall Drug, which offers seating for over 550 people. It didn't take long to tour the facility, and we were back on the road by 3:30.

We made the scenic loop through the park on the way back to our campground. As we entered the park we took a gravel road along the rim and then stopped to walk out and look over the edge. We were very lucky as we encountered seven bighorn sheep winding their way along the ridges below. The scenery is beautiful, but the colors in the pictures don't do it justice. There are layers of pink separated by layers of grey, and even areas with layers of green and yellow. We were surprised by the differences in the Badlands of Makoshika (Montana), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota), and Badlands National Park (South Dakota). Each is spectacular in its own way.

It was just after 5:00 when we arrived back at camp. Teressa and I took Rocky for a long walk while the kids went swimming. The campground offers Indian Tacos for dinner in the evenings, so we all sampled the local cuisine. They are made with Indian fry bread and resemble a tostada. Not diet food, but they sure tasted great!

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota

For those in our generation, the words "Pine Ridge Indian Reservation" typically trigger some type of emotional reaction. The Wounded Knee Massacre and book "Bury my heart at Wounded Knee", the 1973 Wounded Knee Incident between the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the FBI, and the realization that this is the poorest reservation in the nation leave one searching for answers. Here is Teressa's description of the day:

Our journey today took us back into South Dakota through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Having done our homework, we stopped at the visitor center in Chadron, Nebraska to be sure this was an area open to tourists and, literally, safe for us to travel. Although Pine Ridge is the eighth largest reservation in the United States, it is one of te poorest places in the country. Unemployment on the Reservation hovers around 20% and 49% live below the federal poverty level. Adolescent suicide is four times the national average. Many of the families have no electricity, telephone, running water, or sewer. The population on Pine Ridge has among the shortest life expectancies of any group in the Western Hemisphere: approximately 47 years for males and in the low 50s for females. We are driving a new RV and truck, laden with 10-speed bikes, through their land. You get the picture.

We decided to go through the reservation en route to the South Dakota Bad Lands and Wall Drug. We were pleasantly surprised. We stopped at Wounded Knee to get a feel for the area where one of the worst Indian massacres occurred. There we met a Lakota (Sioux) family who were selling their beautiful beadwork by the roadside. They told us that the road marker was wrong. According to US military history, a gunshot went off which led the cavalry to believe the Indians were attacking. They proceeded to shoot every Indian they saw at point blank range and to launch their two pound artillary shells into the teepee area which was where the women and children waited. The result was that they killed many women and children while the men (Indians) fought the cavalry. There were a total of around 300 Indians at Wounded Knee. Only 53 were men; around 250 were women and kids. US history tells us that the Indians had guns hidden in their bedding. The Lakota tell us that the Indians surrendered about 5 miles from Wounded Knee and at the point of surrender all of their weapons were confiscated, per military policy. What really happened?, I shudder because I do know that those who are victorious write the history books. It was an ugly yet inevitable time in our history, and very sad.

The beauty of the story is that the woman and her child were people with the most respectable values. He sat near the Wounded Knee roadside sign and talked to tourists about the Sioux point of view. She created beautiful jewelry to support her family. She told of the high levels of alcoholism on the reservation. Yet, she and her husband have chosen a life without alcohol and have taken in many (9 or 10) children of other Lakota people where the parents have fallen into the pits of alcoholism and poverty. We feel humbled to have met these people who are doing more for humanity than most of us will do in a lifetime.

Fort Robinson, Nebraska

Wow, I think we found the best vacation value in the entire United States. A special thanks to Jane Welch from Rush Hospital in Chicago for recommending we visit Fort Robinson in northwestern Nebraska. As we left the Black Hills of South Dakota and headed southwest, the scenery went from grand to drab in less than 30 miles. We were beginning to wonder if we might have made a mistake detouring over to Fort Robinson, but soon found ourselves among sandstone bluffs sprinkled with pine trees.

The fort is now a state park, offering camping, fishing, horseback riding and tons of history (http://www.stateparks.com/fort_robinson.html). This is the site where Crazy Horse was either murdered by a bayonet in the back, or killed while resisting arrest, depending upon which side of the story you believe. Many of the old buildings still remain, and some can even be rented on a nightly basis. It is an amazing place -- and the prices are unbelievable.

The campground was one of the best we have stayed in, with paved roads and large sites, plus green grass and shade trees everywhere. We practically had the entire place to ourselves. Cost -- $15 dollars a night! We went to the hotel (the old fort barracks) and had their dinner special -- buffalo fried steak with all the trimmings. Total cost for four: $40!

In the morning Laura, Brian and I went for a horseback ride up on top of the bluffs above the fort. It was a spectacular morning and the scenery was gorgeous. The cost of a 75 minute ride: $17 per person (compared with $80 for two hours in Oregon). We met Teressa for breakfast after the ride. Ham, eggs, pancakes for four -- total cost, $22! I almost felt guilty.

We wish we could have stayed a week. We didn't get a chance to rent a jeep and go 4 wheeling, see the museum, take a horse and buggy ride, use the heated indoor pool, or go to the local rodeo. If you are looking for a great outdoor family vacation spot at a reasonable price, this is it! And the kids might learn a little history too, but don't spoil it by telling them ahead of time! ;-)

Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

OK, is it just me, or has anyone else ever heard of Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota? Apparently it is the first cave to receive that distinction. The entire cave is located under one square mile of surface area, but is one of the longest caves ever found. Imagine a one mile square bowl of spaghetti, and you get the idea. Here is what Laura had to say about the day's activities:

Today we had to leave the KOA. Our slide out would not come in, but we finally got it back (after dad kicked it a few times)! Then, we went to the Wind Caves National Park and took an hour long tour. It was very neat and there were some cool formations called Box Work that are millions of years old. When we got to Nebraska, it was completely flat until we got to our campground. There are some really neat mountain like things all around us. My dad calls them "Bluffs", but my word choice paints a better picture. ;-) Our campsite is amazing, with barely anyone here! Tomorrow we will go horseback riding to the top of them and go back to South Dakota. This is the best campground ever!

Tomorrow we will tell you about our adventures in Fort Robinson, Nebraska...

Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer State Park, SD

Our first stop of the day was the Crazy Horse Memorial. We were shocked when the gate attendant told us the entry fee was $27, and almost turned the car around and left. We're sure glad we didn't. The Crazy Horse Memorial offers a stark contrast to Mount Rushmore in a number of ways. First and foremost are the sculptors. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor commissioned to create Mount Rushmore, was an arrogant Dane who spent most of his time pleading with the government for public money. Few men could work directly for him (at least not for very long). He would walk into stores and demand that his purchases be free, since he was providing this great service to South Dakota. In contrast, Korczak Ziolkowski, of Pole from Boston, never asked the government for a dime. When commissioned by the Sioux to build the Crazy Horse monument, he simply started working on the project himself. The Crazy Horse monument has been entirely funded by private donations -- suddenly we didn't feel bad at all about the entry fee. It also seems quite fitting that the Crazy Horse monument will be considerably larger than Mount Rushmore, since the Black Hills were sacred Indian grounds long before the white man first crossed the plains.

After leaving the monument, we checked out horseback riding at a local stable. It didn't look like a great place to ride, so Laura opted to wait for better alternatives down the trail. We continued south through the town of Custer, then west into Custer State Park. It too had a rather steep $12 daily entry fee (compared to the Montana parks that charge $5, and Oregon that charges $3), but something in my past gave me a soft spot for state parks systems! ;-)

Custer State Park was a real treat. We saw larger numbers of animals than we did in Yellowstone, with a fraction of the people. The kids enjoyed the wild begging burros the best (see the picture above). They were used in the park back in the 30s, but then turned loose a few years later when the outfitter left. They come right up to the window of your car looking for handouts. We also saw a huge herd of buffalo, tons of antelope, and several deer.

We were back at the KOA by mid afternoon, and the kids enjoyed playing with new friends in the pool and water slide. They also attended the nightly music program and helped the band put their stuff away at the end of the evening when a huge thunderstorm approached. Teressa and I did laundry and met another couple from Helena camped two spots down from us -- they live on Cherry street just across from one of our high school friends! Small world...

Mount Rushmore

After spending the morning catching up on email and organizing the RV, we headed seven miles up the road from the Palmer Gulch KOA campground to the Mount Rushmore National Monument. Our first impression from the day before was of mild disappointment -- the faces didn't seem as big in real life as they did in pictures. But after spending the afternoon touring the museum, walking the presidential trail that traverses the mountain, and learning some of the history of the monument and the men immortalized there, we walked away impressed. The entire facility is modern, but blends well into the landscape. They offer excellent short movies about the wildlife and the construction of the monument. It is also a great opportunity to learn about major events in our nation's history, told through the stories of the four presidents.

Monument trekking made us hungry, so we drove a couple miles down the hill to the little western town of Keystone. I experienced my first Indian taco (made with fry bread), while Teressa and the kids had pizza. We did a little shopping after lunch, and I now have most of my Christmas shopping done for the year! ;-)

In the afternoon we returned to the KOA and took advantage of the swimming pool and water slide. Apparently this is the second largest KOA in the country, offering two pools, a water slide, miniature golf, horseback riding, trampolines, a fishing pond, a restaurant, a pub, a movie theater, and live nightly entertainment. This week the entertainment is a family band from Minnesota that gets to stay free in return for playing nightly. I will be surprised if Brian and Laura don't talk their way onto the stage -- they were chatting up a couple of girls in the band last night after the show.

Keeping with the Rushmore theme, we attended the evening program at the monument also. It was a very patriotic program highlighting the adversity faced by all four of the presidents throughout their lives, as well as the challenges the men faced who constructed the monument. They also did a nice job recognizing all the veterans in the audience. With spotlights piercing the night air, the presidents' faces materialized from the darkness. It was an inspiring performance. Brian drove up and back, and had us safely back to the trailer by 9.

The Black Hills of South Dakota

We left the campground at Medora just before 11:00 headed for Bowman, ND. There we met one of Teressa’s college friends she hadn’t seen in 30 years. Pam went to high school in Billings, grew up in Centerville (by Great Falls – her parents were friends of the Simons, Jayme Wendland’s parents), and married John Beach, a rancher from Baker, MT. They moved into town from the ranch a few years back, where she teaches school and he works for an energy company. It was great fun catching up on everything that has happened in the last 30 years (mostly kids), and reminiscing about college life. Pam is a delightful woman and it was nice of her to make the drive over from Baker to have lunch with us in Bowman.

From Bowman we headed south towards the Black Hills. We were surprised by how green the grasslands were for the middle of August. While there aren’t many trees on the landscape, the rolling hills, distant buttes, and lush grasslands are beautiful in their own right. Obviously the antelope think so, as we must have seen over 500 yesterday in North and South Dakota.

We stopped briefly in Belle Fourche, SD to take our picture by the monument for the Geographic Center of the United States. Apparently if you took a cardboard cutout of the entire US (including Alaska and Hawaii), and then used a pencil underneath to balance the weight, the pencil would be located just north of Belle Fourche. Not exactly the highlight of the trip, but it did make for some interesting conversation in the car regarding the different ways you could calculate the center of the US!

Pam recommended we take the scenic path through the Black Hills, and not the interstate through Rapid City as the GPS would recommend. So we headed directly into the Black Hills towards the town of Deadwood. It immediately became apparent how the town got its name – all the trees on the top of the hills around town are dead, and must have been so for quite some time, given the age of the community. It is quite the contrast to have this quaint western town in the beautiful black hills, surrounded by bleached dead timber standing like sentinels on high. We told the kids they need to go on-line to figure out how this happened. For the first time this trip, I had to drop the trailer in a parking lot in order to get gas. Both the stations in Deadwood had impossibly small entry and exit lanes, and we weren’t sure if there was gas further down the road (of course there was a station with a huge driveway less than 20 miles down the road!).

The drive through the Black Hills was beautiful. Everything is still very green, and it reminded us initially of driving up McDonald Pass, and then later like the highway through the Seeley-Swan. There were a couple of nice lakes (reservoirs actually), and little cabins and tourist stops all along the way. As we got close to Hill City and our KOA campground, we decided to let “Steve”, our Garmin GPS, recommend the way. Steve got his name from his Australian accent, the one the kids picked when we first set up the GPS! Steve was doing great until we got to a major intersection before Hill City, when we thought we should go right, but he recommended we go left. He had never led us too far astray before, so left we went. Next Steve decided we should take some back roads to save time. At least the roads were paved, so our commitment remained strong. After several rights and lefts, Steve alerted us to another right turn just ahead. The problem was it was someone’s personal driveway, and posted on a big tree beside the driveway was a handwritten sign that said “No KOA access”. We assumed it must be the back way into the KOA, and this poor bloke has huge campers trying to cut across his land all day. So we kept going straight down the hill assuming we would round the corner and see the front access to the KOA. It didn’t quite work that way. Steve seemed baffled why we didn’t take the turn he recommended. He suggested we take the next right, which turned out to be a hiking trail. Our confidence in Steve was disappearing quickly. After crossing the same railroad tracks 11 times in less than five miles as we worked our way down the hill towards Keystone, Steve became a four letter word! Finally we made it down to the main road, and while Steve was recommending the correct right turn, the corner was too sharp to take with the trailer, so we ended up going left until we could find a place to turn around, adding another 5 miles to our journey. We eventually arrived at the KOA just before 8 PM, and retired Steve to the glove box for the night!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We arrived around 1:00, and drove four miles into the park to the Cottonwood campground. The temperature was around 95, and while the campground was in a pretty valley next to the Little Missouri River, we decided it would be better to stay in a commercial campground with electricity for air conditioning. We ate lunch in the picnic area, and then drove back down to the Medora Campground just outside the park.

After getting settled and checking email, we headed to the visitor center in the park. A ranger was just getting ready to do a tour of the original Roosevelt cabin, so we spent half an hour listening to the history of the region and Theodore Roosevelt's role in it. The pictures is of his original cabin. It was built using flat ponderosa pine that was being shipped down the river for railroad ties. You can see Roosevelt's brand, the Maltese cross, stamped on one of the logs on the front of the cabin. It still has an old shell casing, which is what they used to stamp the wood, stuck in the top of the brand from 150 years ago.

From the visitor center we made the loop around the park. It was late afternoon and we were fortunate to see a variety of wildlife -- prairie dogs, rabbits, turkeys, grouse, deer, buffalo, wild horses, turkey vultures, chipmunks, elk -- and our favorite, the badger (see the picture below).
There was very little traffic in the park at that time of day, which seemed unusual (although a pleasant surprise).

We arrived back at the trailer a little after 7:00. I walked Rocky while Teressa made dinner and fed the kids. After dinner Brian drove us up to the Medora Musical, billed "The Best Show in the West", just as the sun was going down. The musical, celebrating its 50th year, is housed in an incredible outdoor amphitheater. With temperatures still in the 80s, it was the perfect evening for sitting outdoors and watching a show. If you look closely at the picture of the kids below, you will notice a bull elk on the skyline behind the kids. We thought it was going to be part of the show, but they ended up moving him off the hillside so he wouldn't spook the horses in the show. The musical was excellent -- western singing and dancing, with an Irish comedian thrown in for good measure. We ended up getting back to the trailer around 11.

Eastern Montana

The ship has finally sailed! We left Helena on Thursday, August 14th, and spent three days touring Eastern Montana. How can it take three days to tour half a state you ask? Remember that Montana is the fourth largest state in the Union, trailing only Alaska, Texas, and California. It is almost 800 miles to drive from Troy in the northwestern part of the state, to Ekalaka in the southeast (which is close to where we are now). That's the equivalent of driving from Boston to Cape Fear, North Carolina -- which would take you through 10 states if I counted correctly.

The first day we drove through Bozeman and showed the kids where Teressa and I went to college. We had a hard time parking on campus with the trailer, so dropped the trailer at the Museum of the Rockies and then drove to the Pickle Barrel for lunch. The cheese steak sandwiches are just as good as they were thirty years ago! From there we went to the student union building, and then over to the Engineering building (the kids were impressed to see my name on the wall after all these years).


We drove on to Billings and spent the next two nights parked in front of Teressa's niece's house. Michelle, Frank and the girls showered us with great western hospitality while we toured the area and had a couple of issues fixed with our 5th wheel trailer.



If you are ever in Billings, make sure to visit the Pictograph Cave State Park on the southeast side of town. Frank had recommended we see it, and we were really glad he did – it was the highlight of the day. There were only three cars in the parking lot when we arrived, and the park was full of rabbits. Rocky must have a greyhound somewhere in his family tree, as he explodes into motion at the sight of anything with big ears and a cotton ball tail. We are going to have to buy him a harness (we forgot his old one in Portland) or he will end up hanging himself one of these times when he hits the end of the leash line! There are three caves at the park – Pictograph Cave, Middle Cave, and Ghost Cave. While the actual pictographs aren’t as well preserved as others we have seen, the caves and the setting are spectacular. Well maintained trails lead from the parking area up to each of the caves. The state has done a nice of job of installing interpretive signs to help describe all the flora and fauna in the park -- well worth the trip.


Next we travelled south to the Custer Battlefield. It was a night and day difference from Pictograph State Park – there were busloads of tourists, mosquitoes everywhere, and the scenery is not near as spectacular! The history is definitely interesting, and we were very happy we watched the documentary the night before, but it didn’t take more than 30 minutes to elbow our way through the crowds to see everything we wanted to see.



The next day we left Billings and headed east towards Glendive. Our first stop was at Pompeys Pillar on the Yellowstone. They have a beautiful new visitor center that was built for the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition a few years back. We hiked up to the top of the pillar and looked at where William Clark signed his name on the return trip of the Voyage of Discovery (the picture of the four of us is from the top of the pillar). The site far exceeded our expectations!






Our RV park for the evening was located on the east end of Glendive, a nice facility with full hookups and showers. After a quick dinner of French dip sandwiches, we piled in the pickup and drove to Makoshika State Park to watch the sun set. Makoshika is a Lakota Indian word meaning "bad earth" or "bad lands". It is out of this world! And we couldn't have timed it any better -- as the sun set in the west, the moon appeared behind the hills to the east. We were treated to a spectacular display of light and shadows dancing across the bad lands for over two hours, with a warm breeze to keep the bugs at bay. It was some of the most striking scenery we have ever seen, and there was almost nobody there on a Saturday night!



Next stop, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the bad lands of North Dakota...

The Journey Begins

After spending six sun drenched weeks boating, golfing, hiking and visiting family and friends in Montana, it is time to get this show on the road. We are planning to leave Grandma Whitney's house in Helena this coming Thursday, August 14th, and begin the trek back east. Our first stop is Bozeman, Montana, home of Montana State University, where both Teressa and I graduated from college oh so many years ago....

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We have spent the last six weeks visiting family and friends in Montana (with short trips to Wyoming, Idaho and Utah). Highlights include:
- Fishing at Noxon Rapids and Cabinet Gorge Reservoirs
- Picking huckelberries at Hungry Horse
- Boating through the Gates of the Mountains on the Missouri River
- Sightseeing in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
- Golfing in the Teton Valley in Idaho
- Family reunions and anniversary parties

Stay tuned for pictures and detailed stories from the kids...

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Over 90 people attended a bbq and bon voyage party in Portland before we left at the end of June. Stay tuned for pictures and a detailed account of the party.