Backing up to South Dakota

Since not a lot happened today or yesterday, other than seeing 4 more moose (a mama with her baby and a couple other larger ones) and having more bald eagles soaring over head, I thought I'd back up to when we were going through S. Dakota on our way up here. We wanted to see Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. Now, our friend Conrad in Indiana said Mt. Rushmore wasn't worth bothering with because you couldn't get close enough to see it well. Our brother-in-law Joe, in NYC, (NEEEW YOOORK CIIITY? as they say in the salsa commercial) said the Badlands were boring. Oh contrare, both of you! Maybe Mt. Rusmore has changed since Conrad was there, but as you'll soon learn we got quite close to our dead presidents. I doubt the Badlands have changed much since Joe was there, but we found them fascinating and beautiful.

As we approached the entrance to Mt. Rushmore parking deck, we proudly got out our new Senior Citizens Federal Parks Entrance pass. The lady in the booth proudly told us there was no entrance fee, BUT, we would have to pay $10 for parking, which of course is not covered by the Senior's pass. Typical. Oh, well, we parked the truck and climbed several flights of stairs 'til we were at the wide entrance, flanked on both sides by flags from every state. Each flag was hoisted above a column that named the state and the year it joined the Union. Straight ahead was the carvings of Roosevelt, Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson. It was a sight to behold. After passing through the columns of flags, we approached a waist-high wall that not only kept us from falling down the presipice in front of the Presidents, but allowed us to be as close to them as we could be, see all four at the same time, and still appreciate their size. We even saw a couple wild goats grazing on top of Jefferson's head. The sight was quite breathtaking, what with the trees hugging their cheeks, grass growing towards the back of their heads and the rock formations below. What was truly amazing was the expressions on the Presidents' faces. How can pride and strength be carved into stone? We noticed a pathway which wound under the heads, so we followed a family with two kids. Actually, it got quite irritating, as the dad kept talking real loud like he wanted everyone in the park to hear him, and telling his kids "facts" that only a moron wouldn't already know. The older boy kept saying he knew that, he knew that, but that didn't stop dear old dad from showing what HE knew.

Anyway, the pathway was through lush forest and fawna, even for so early in the year. We even climbed through a "tunnel" cut from a large boulder (I don't know if the tunnel was man-made or weathered that way). Every time we looked up we could see one, two, three, or sometimes all four of our past presidents from a different angle.

As we drove away from Mt. Rushmore on a different route from how we got there, we still got great views of the Presidents, especially Washington, from many angles. The patience of the sculpter must have been that of Job. His dedication unimaginable. Sure makes you think that God assigns certain feats to certain people and gives them all they need to accomplish it.

The next day we headed to the Badlands. The road was quite desolate, as most in S. Dakota seem to be, but this one was extremely so. We eventually got to a town named Interior, population: 67. The business district consisted of three bars and one church. Nothing else. So, in the metropolis of Interior, you're either hell-bent or sitting at the thrown, but nowhere in between!

Anyway, the flatlands gradually got more rugged, the boulders became stone sculptors, the sculptors became small mountain ranges. Then, suddenly, we were in desert scape again. Just as quickly, we were driving through a moonscape of rock. Pitted and gray, undulating as far as we could see. Another turn in the road put us in the midst of soft rock that looked like Cappidocia in Turkey. Different sized cone shapes upon each other, holes here and there that looked like open doors inviting us in. Just as quickly, we were driving along great formations of rock consisting of many layers of different colored stone. The yellows changed to orange which changed to light brown which changed to gray which changed to pale reds, then back to orange again. I'm not usually one to like rock, but this was nearly as good as the rock formations in Death Valley. Very, very impressive, and I just can't imagine anyone being bored with it!

As we drove out of the Badlands (why in the world is it called the Badlands when it is so good??), prarie dogs were everywhere. They were poking out of their holes, watchings us pass by, chasing each other in and out of the holes, standing up on their hind feet to see what they could see. WE saw lots of bison droppings, then finally the bison it self. So huge and proud. It's really a shame they're not more plentiful so we could all see them more often and in more places. We saw several that day - they seem so large and cumbersome that it's hard to imagine herds of them actually running across the praries. We also noticed that they didn't appear raggety as the ones we've seen in zoos. We also saw antelope and white tail deer by the dozens. A hawk sitting on a fence post wasn't in the least bit afraid of us - of course, he sat perfectly still, probably thinking he was fooling us into thinking he wasn't real. Back in the trees at one point was a group of wild turkeys. And, finally, the signs for Wall Drug Store. We didn't bother with that man-made splendor, as how could it measure up to all the natural, God-given wonders we'd seen this day?

Sorry, Conrad and Joe, but both Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands were well worth the stop - I hope you both return some day and see them for real!