The Black Hills & Mt. Rushmore

Thursday morning @ 7:30 the girls rolled out of their beds in Crosby and into our bed in the beast for the trek to Minot to retrieve Clark, then to the Black Hills. Only got a couple of strange looks when we pulled into the airport to get Clark - one from the local Barney Fife. We enjoyed some beautiful countryside on the way. More Badlands (we stayed on the tar), prairie grasslands, and now the Black Hills. We saw the world's largest cow. Don't worry, you can't fool our Sarah twice. When we told her we were coming up on it she said "It probably isn't real." Took a picture anyway. For you cow aficionados out there, it is a Holstein.

RV tip of the day: Always empty your fresh water system, including the hot water heater, at the end of a trip - and sanitize said system prior to your next trip. Failure to do so results in skunky water.

A word about the beast. I know I've been griping & moaning about this thing, but I must admit it is pretty reliable not to mention forgiving of its two knucklehead operators. We drove the giant metal box in 107 degree temperatures on Thursday. That's actual air temp - no idea what the heat index was. It ran like a charm and kept us cool.

We grilled at our campsite for dinner and visited with a guy from Ohio who frequents our Buckeye Corner stores. Nice, relaxing evening. Great thing about this part of the country, the temps drop quickly when the sun sets. Typically by about 30 degrees.

Yesterday morning, Scott & I grabbed our coffee mugs, hiked to the top of the hill behind our campsite & viewed Mt. Rushmore from a distance. About a 20 min hike up. Pictures to prove it. Note to self: time to get back to the gym.

Every American should visit Mt. Rushmore. It is majestic. North by Northwest is one of our favorite movies, so we were sure to eat in the restaurant with a view of the mountain. Just think, we were in the same room where Cary Grant once stood. Oh yeah, a bunch of US Presidents have been there too. Photo of the girls standing at the top of the amphitheatre which is built below the monument.

We met an old gentleman photographer who was hired to photograph the Mt. Rushmore carving beginning in 1935 when he was 15 years old.  He also took photos in 1948 of the last 9 Native American survivors of the Battle of Little Big Horn. Had our picture taken with him.

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson is credited with the first ice cream recipe in America? That is how they get you to buy the $6 ice cream cones at the monument. Old Tom must have been quite the dude. I wonder if he put the outhouse seat down?

We visited the Crazy Horse memorial, also a mountain carving, which has been under construction for 50 years. It will be cool if they ever finish it.  Mt. Rushmore fits in his head to give you an idea of the size.  Attached is a photo of girls standing by the sculpture model with the real thing in the distance. Model is 1/34 scale.

Drove the 14 mile Needles Highway (in a rented Ford Explorer). The rock formations soar above the narrow, winding road with no shoulder and steep drop offs. There are several one lane tunnels cut through rock. See photo of Scott & Maggie standing in a tunnel.  There is much we didn't see. We are coming back.

We pulled out of camp @ around 4:30 MDT, dropped off the rental car @ Rapid City Regional Airport, and began the trek east. Clark decided to listen to Annabelle (the same gps that got us lost in scoria land). We ended up on a 2-lane running parallel to I-90. The good news is, we drove through the SD Badlands.  More breathtaking views. The last photo attached is a small sample of what we saw as we drove along.

Made it to White Lake, SD last night and stayed at the Siding 36 campground. Gotta love RV folks. No one in office and no honor box to pay. I called the number after we got back on the road early this morning and gave my new BFF, Rhonda, our credit card info. If all goes well, we should be pulling into Chateau Mo around 9 tonight.

Our Time in Crosby...and Minot

As usual, our time here has flown. We pack up tomorrow and leave early Thursday morning. We will be picking up Clark at Minot International Airport at 10:30 am. It is a two hour drive in a "normal" vehicle. We are thinking of leaving Crosby around 5:30 am to make sure we get there in time. It has been warm (mid to high 80's) and humid here. Supposed to be 93 here tomorrow. Our little house on the prairie (did I mention it is really "our little house at the edge of town?") is sans air conditioning. That's French for I sweat while I'm sleeping even if I'm not having a hot flash. We have had fun at the Crosby pool -open from 1-5 and 7-9 every day. $3/person for afternoon session, or $2 for evening session. You can also buy a family season pass for $75. Last Wednesday Donna, the girls, and I went to Minot. Sarah got her ears pierced at The Icing store at the mall (same place Maggie got hers pierced 2 years ago). Not sure why they weren't impressed with the repeat customers from Indiana. Anyway, then LaDawn and Emma joined us at 10 North Main, a restaurant owned (in part) by Josh Duhamel, for dinner. The silent partner is hot, and so was the restaurant. They have an oak-fired grill and the a/c was not able to keep up. As always (yes, I frequent the joint hoping for a sighting) the food was delicious. We completed our day on the town at Minot State University. No, we didn't go binge drinking. The kids were with us. We saw "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." Really cute musical with a bunch of Neil Sedaka tunes. If you don't know who Neil Sedaka is, stop reading this post immediately and go Google him. We attended the wedding of the son of one of Scott's high school buddies on Saturday. Lovely wedding. You know how someone always has to try to upstage the bride? Well, this time it was me. Fell flat on me arse on the sidewalk after leaving the church. Nice. Clark was a block ahead of me, so there was no opportunity to bring him down with me. Fun reception, nice people, good dancing. The girls have had lots of fun riding their four-wheelers. Yesterday, Maggie was doing a little trick riding while Sarah recorded her . . . up until the moment after Maggie was thrown from the thing like a rag doll. At that point, all you can see is Sarah's finger and the ground and hear Sarah screaming Maggie's name. Like my parents before me, I was nowhere to be found while all this was going on. I keep telling them not to do stupid shit like we did when we were kids, but they won't listen. Back to the reason for this blog. After turning heads at the airport, we are heading south to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore. We were going to hit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD but will have to do it another time. I'm sure by now you are beating back your feelings of jealousy, so I better sign off. More after we meet up with Clark as he provides me with most of my material...

Deja Vu

After taking a few days off from my own personal Operation Desert Storm, I decided to attack the remainder of the dust in the Beast.  Virtually everything has been removed from the inside and cleaned.  Remaining tasks on the inside when I began this morning:  vacuum the thick layer of dust remaining below each stack of drawers in the bedroom, wash the windows, cut new shelf lining to fit cabinets.  Re-stock.  Remaining tasks now:  Let the dust settle and clean the entire thing all over again.  Tip:  Never ever use a shop vac to vacuum fine dust.  Why?  It just blows it back out of the exhaust and all over everything.  You may be thinking, how dumb is she?  Everyone knows that.  After searching the 4,421 emails in my Inbox, I can confirm that I never got that memo.

It isn't all bad, though.  Clark has been full of useful observations and suggestions (usually as he backs out of the driveway to head to the farm or is getting ready to "get on a call").  Here are a few (my responses in bold):  Get air filters for the engine and generator shipped here and I'll have Kendall put them on when he works on the tires.  Check.  There is red dust all over the a/c vents in the ceiling.  No shit Sherlock.  "We" should probably lubricate the slideouts with that silicone spray in one of the storage bins. "We" doesn't mean "me!"

Anyone want to purchase a motor home?  How about free to a good home? . . . Ok, ok, how much do you want to take it off my hands???

Happy Independence Day!

Several severe thunderstorms moved through Crosby last night. Hailed. See photo. Will be calling insurance adjuster to check our brand new roof and gutters. As I sit in our living room writing this looking out at one gutter run, I don't think the news will be good. Good news is it is sunny & cool this morning. I think high is 80.

Scott is nowhere to be found. Assume he is at the farm checking on the crops. Hoping it didn't hail out there.

History lesson from Maggie: Early in the morning on this day in 1826 Thomas Jefferson died after asking on the night of the 3rd: "Is it the 4th?" A few hours later, John Adams, not knowing of his friend's passing, also died. John Adams' last wishes were that Thomas Jefferson take charge. 

LaDawn, Lynn, Hannah, Emma, Shane, Carrie, and Charli are all in town for the holiday. Hoping to get a game of golf in at the Crosby Country Club, then a cook out.

The red dust has a name

At the risk of harping on a bad experience, turns out the dust that infiltrated the RV is called scoria. All the folks around here nod their heads knowingly when I share my tale of woe. Not to worry, though, our own US Dept of Labor considers scoria to be a "nuisance dust with no adverse effects to the lungs when kept to reasonable levels." It can leave deposits in the eyes, ears, and nose. I can attest to this.

The Beast is being cleaned in stages. Ouside is done, except for storage compartments, which are caked full of the stuff. The bedroom in the back, which took the worst is almost finished, as is the toilet closet, shower, and bathroom sink. Still have the front section to clean. Then I need to find someone to come clean upholstery and carpets. Yes, it is that bad.

Horseback riding, then golf

Sunday morning brought pancakes made by Maggie served with wild chokecherry syrup, bacon, and eggs. Then, against the best available advice, Scott and Shane decided to go horseback riding. Thankfully, no one was hurt. See attached photo.

We visited the Marquis de Mares interpretive center and the Chateau. I almost didn't make it to the Chateau. Word has it that Scott paid Shane $2,500 to "lose me." Everyone was in the car but me (who had one leg in) when Shane put her in gear and started to roll. So there I was hopping along trying to jump into the car as Carrie yelled for him to stop. Interestingly, Scott was sitting right next to me and didn't utter a word....I think the rumor must be true.

Anyway, more cool history in Medora. The Marquise (you might recall from an earlier post that her name was Medora) is my new role model. She could do it all! Throw a fancy party, then go shoot some game.  See family photo taken on front porch of the Chateau.

We were then off to Bully Pulpit for a 2 pm tee time. Beautiful course built into and around the Badlands. A few photos attached to whet your appetite for playing this course. Sarah and Charli hit a few strokes on the front 9, then Carrie took them to the family fun park for a little swimming and play on the world's largest inflatable water slide. Maggie drive the golf cart and was my caddie.

Left for Crosby in the midst of a thunderstorm. Arrived in Crosby @ midnight without incident.

Medora Musical

Saturday night we went to the Pitchfork BBQ and Fondue for dinner. Actually, the guys took the kids while Carrie and I finished cleaning up the dust mess. Scott brought food back for us. We enjoyed an adult beverage with dinner and then headed to the amphitheatre for the Medora Musical.

This is good old fashioned clean family fun. The musical is in its 48th season. The amphitheatre is built so the backdrop is the badlands scenery. Breathtaking! They are also celebrating the 100th birthday of Harold Schafer, the guy credited with reviving the town by renovating the Rough Riders Hotel and starting the musical. His mandate was that the show be outstanding clean family entertainment that showcased 'high energy song and dance; the history of North Dakota and the Badlands; humor; American patriotism; cowboys and horses; western music; and a little bit of religion."

They also have Featured Attractions which I would call special guests. Last night our own Hip Hop dance crew from Kokomo, Indiana, Breaksk8 performed. They have been featured on America's Got Talent, America's Best Dance Crew, and Disney's Shake It Up. The girls got to meet them and get posters signed. They also met some of the cast.

Attached photos are of the Badlands (from Saturday's disasterous trip), parts of the musical, the girls with the cast, and getting posters signed by the Breaksk8 crew. Really nice guys. So great with all the kids there.