Saturday, October 11, 2014

MOUNT RUSHMORE & A DRIVE THROUGH THE BLACK HILLS… WHAT A NICE AREA THIS IS

THIS IS FRIDAY’S POST…HAD SOME KIND OF LOG-IN PROBLEM & COULDN’T PUBLISH THE BLOG…HAD TO WAIT TILL SATURDAY MORNING WHEN KELLY GOT UP TO FIGURE IT OUT…………

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How nice to wake up under warmer conditions.  With electric we can run our little ceramic heater & that does a nice job of keeping the chilly stuff out.

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We loaded up Pheebs & were on the road this morning before 8 o’clock heading down I-90 for MOUNT RUSHMORE.  Cloud & sun & a touch windy.  It’s been twenty two & a half years since I was last at Mount Rushmore & aside from the faces on the mountain I hardly remembered one single thing but that is because it has changed radically since 92.  Surprised to to see a 3 level parking garage for example & I don’t remember the walk-way of flags or the big information building or viewing area.  I did remember Gutzon Borglum’s studio though….well sort of.  .

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We listened to a Park Ranger give an informative 20 minute talk on the history of Mount Rushmore.  It was then inside the building for a 15 minute video on the mountains construction & a look around at a lot of exhibits.  Back outside again we headed off on a path called, The President’s Walk.  I felt fortunate to be here at this time of year for several reasons.  The off season meant it was not bumper to bumper traffic or shoulder to shoulder people & the Autumn colors just put the icing on the cake so to speak.  Still lots of people there of course but I had expected & accepted that before we arrived there.  Still managed to get myself a little crusty a couple times though.

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FORGOT HER NAME BUT SHE GAVE A GREAT TALK…I DO REMEMBER HER TELLING US HER DAD WAS A BLUE EYED BLONDE HAIR GUY & HER MOTHER WAS APACHE

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KELLY AT MOUNT RUSHMORE…SHE WASN’T FEELING SO SWELL TODAY SO WASN’T TOO KEEN ON MY TAKING PICTURES OF HER

Say what you will about touristy or whatever but Mount Rushmore is what it is.  Truly a monument to man’s perseverance, dedication, & ingenuity.  It was as impressive to me today as it was over 22 years ago & I think the Park system has done a fine job in making the area as easily accessible to people as it has.

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WE DID THE ‘PRESIDENT’S WALK’ TO MOUNT RUSHMORE SCULPTOR GUTZON BORGLUM'S STUDIO

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THE LARGE VISITOR’S CENTER AS SEEN FROM THE PRESIDENT’S TRAIL

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THE 4 PRESIDENT’S CAN BE SEEN AT THE TOP OF THIS PHOTO

A few hours of walking & looking at things brought on our appetites so we headed off along a gently winding highway through forests of tall Pines to the town of Custer.  Nice little place & it has that old West feel to it.  Someone had recommended a burger spot called ‘Burger & Buns’ but it was closed in preparation for a wedding this week-end.  Another recommended spot on the main street was closed for the season.  Spotted a Mexican red wagon eatery but we just couldn’t get ourselves in the mood for Mexican.  I’ve never cared much for Mexican food but Kelly likes it.  Spotted the ‘Baker’s Café’ down the street.  Outside menu board special looked good so in we went. Can’t remember what we had but we both agreed it was darn good.

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MAIN STREET CUSTER SOUTH DAKOTA 

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HEY HARRY, SIGN SAID THIS WAS AN ANNIVERSARY EDITION WINCHESTER

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A FEW SIGNS ON CUSTER’S MAIN STREET & WE ATE IN THE ‘BAKER’S BAKERY & CAFÉ BOTTOM 2 PHOTOS

Clouds had moved in dropping the temperature a bit as we cruised up the highway by the Crazy Horse Monument.  Kelly wasn’t feeling the best & volunteered to stay in Jeep if I went in to see it.  Figured it was best we head back to the rig, crack on some heat for Kelly’s cold & relax for the afternoon.  Maybe I could come back in the morning if the weather’s decent. 

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INSIDE GUTZON BORGLUM’S STUDIO WHERE HE USED THAT LARGE MOCK UP TO AID HIM WITH HIS MOUNT RUSHMORE PROJECT

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This sure is nice country here in the Black Hills.  It has an Alpine feel with it’s log cabins, A-frame chalets & small hamlets.  Just as we approached an especially pretty lake the clouds broke up & we were again bathed in a warming sun.  Nice to see old Sol’s sunny rays bringing such vibrant rich colors out of the surrounding rocks & forests.   

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GUTZON BORGLUM’S STUDIO

Kelly saw a sign for ‘Red Ass Rhubarb Wine’ in a little place called Hillside so we pulled in for a look see.  Kelly slipped inside while I took Pheebs for a walk.  She came out with 4 bottles of Red Ass which is made from rhubarb & strawberries.  Maybe that’s how the color got into it’s name.

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THIS IS VERY TYPICAL OF THE BLACK HILLS FORESTS

Came through another little mountain town I had been to once before called Deadwood.  It was here WILD BILL HICKOK was killed.  The town seemed a lot bigger than what I had remembered it.  Certainly a lot to see in this area.  Don’t know if we will make it over to the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.  We’ll see how Kelly’s feeling in the morning.

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DEADWOOD SOUTH DAKOTA

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By the time we arrived back at the rig we were in full sunshine & the motorhome felt warm & relaxing inside.  Weather was nice enough for us to leave our side door open.  Due to the nice weather & the fact we pretty much have the whole place to ourselves we are really enjoying our quiet surroundings.  A bit of road noise but I don’t mind that.

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LAKE PACTOLA

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I THOUGHT THIS WAS A NICE LITTLE CABIN BY THE LAKE BUT SIGN ON IT SAID IT WAS THE CAMPGROUND’S WASHROOM

Want to thank folks for sending in suggestions & ideas regarding some of the problems we have been having with our rig.  From reading comments there are a few things I should say about our coach.  First & foremost this motorhome is in exceptionally fine condition & has been exceptionally well maintained & babied by it’s former owner since the day he ordered it new from the factory in Winkler Manitoba.  Yes it’s a 2003 but it can hardly be called old in the sense of it being out of shape.  All battery connections look like they were just installed yesterday.  We have 4 deep cell Golf Cart batteries in the coach which were installed new in 2011.  Our monitor shows these batteries fully charged with lots of power to move both our slides in & out with no problem.  Keep in mind we also have 4 solar panels on our roof feeding a charge to these batteries & that part of our electrical system is working fine.  Engine battery terminals are tight with not a speck of corrosion on them.  Our problem could very well be what the RV repair place said it was.  Our inverter is shot.  If that is true then how did that happen.  Did we ourselves do something wrong.  We don’t know……………………….

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( During one "generation gap" quarrel with his parents, young Michael cried, "I want excitement, adventure, money, and beautiful women. I'll never find it here at home, so I'm leaving. Don't try and stop me!"  With that, he headed toward the door. His father rose and followed close behind. "Didn't you hear what I said? I don't want you to try and stop me."  "Who's trying to stop you?" replied his father. "If you wait a minute, I'll go with you."

13 comments:

  1. Oh how I love the Black Hills! I have to say your pictures at Mount Rushmore are the prettiest I have ever seen. The shadows and bursts of sunlight add so much interest...really nice!

    Hope Kelly is feeling better...

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  2. I agree with Gay & Joe ... great pictures of Mt Rushmore. I am glad to see you "slept on it" before deciding to turn around. When I read that, I thought it must be really bad...rig issues, bad weather, etc. I'm glad to see for my own selfish reasons, that you decided to continue your trip to Congress, AZ.

    Kelly may need to tap that wine a little, grab some blankets and tell the Pheebes to come up and take a nap, for her recovery. Or, that nice AZ sun may bake it out eventually.

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  3. Al, I have a LONG Hickok line in my family. Wild Bill would have been a cousin. My dad's Osborn family inherited the old Hickok house in New Canaan, CT. and lived there for 100 years. He was the last of his male line and he came to California right before WWII. Don't know how owns the house now...sigh...
    Cheryl Ann
    We haven't been to Mt. Rushmore...it is on our "to do" list.

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  4. Thank you soooo much for taking me back to the Black Hills!! We did so enjoy it. We ended up one night in a little bar in Custer that had sawdust on the floors..don't remember the name. Looks like it has changed alot since we were there last, in the 90's. Your pictures were just like I was standing there again..I LOVE the one with you and Mt. Rushmore in the background..That's a "framer"!

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  5. Glad you mentioned the parking structure - I think it would have really thrown me if I didn't know! Sort of feel bad that I'm enjoying your trip more than you are, but I'm not fighting the wind and road construction behind the wheel :-) A few days with hookups and some sunshine sounds like the perfect cure for both of you. The pics at the monument are stunning.

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  6. Happy to hear you got out to see some of the sights. I do hope you make it to Devils Tower and if so, take pics from far away. The closer you get the less impressive it looks. I do love that area of the country, we did it on a 750 Virago and stayed in park cabins.

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  7. Al, I think if the inverter is more than 5 years old it might be wore out.My last RV I had to replace it at 5 years, We are having trouble with ours on this trip now and Chappie is over 5 years old, I will be biting the bullet for a new one soon.By all means get a second opinion and price , I think I paid 300 dollars and installed it myself so your quote seems high. Sam & Donna..

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  8. I sure hope your next post is about getting to Crazy Horse. Mt. Rushmore is beautiful but Crazy Horse has a purpose and is such a wonderful, heart warming story it really overshadows Mt. Rushmore in our opinion.

    Feel better Kelly:)

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  9. Love the photos, what a difference a good camera and a person who knows how to use it makes.

    Our Class A is a 2001 and only 2 years after we got it the inverter died. Turned out it was a burnt out fuse. Cost us $300.00 to find that out. We carry a new one with us and I hope I can remember what they showed us all those years ago how to replace it, but we haven't ever had to.

    Two years ago our inverter just died of old age after 11 years of use. Sadly it took over 3 weeks to get a new one installed as the unit has to come from the USA. The first replacement refused to work and the manufacturer said that it just happens sometimes. So we had to wait for a second unit and it works just fine. Sadly we did have to pay for both the first and second unit to be installed, the RV tech still had to be paid.

    Good luck with your repair.

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  10. Love your photos of my favorite area. Hope you're feeling better Kelly! Tee Hee...Kelly...you got into our favorite winery and got your own Red Ass Rhubarb wine!! See you soon!

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  11. I'm glad you decided to keep going and not turn back!

    Happy trails!
    Bob

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  12. I just found out today that these links to maps that I have made of The Bunch's 2014 trip south do not work.
    The 1st is "Bayfield Bunch Route to Congress 2014 - Canada Leg" https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zMYXhDK1dh_E.k-1JAk7YrwtE
    The 2nd is "Bayfield Bunch Route to Congress 2014 - USA Leg " https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zMYXhDK1dh_E.k5KZInq_2geM

    You must be 'invited' to view them. This is something new with the New My Maps, it was not required with the Classic My Maps nor with the Google Map Engine Lite. Google is always improving things.

    It is easy to get an invitation - just ask me for one. I do need your email address and many people do not want to release that; sorry, it is Google and not me that makes this stuff up.

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  13. Looks like you had yourselves a great day sightseeing.
    I made rhubarb wine for years and really enjoyed it.
    Good luck with your electrical problem.

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