Connecticut

November 2009

 

We are off again on another jaunt. In April we got two “anywhere in continental USA” tickets from United Airlines when we were bumped from our flight to Springfield, MO and we have timeshare weeks that must be used by 2009 or 2010. Connecticut is the farthest from LA and there is a lovely timeshare resort in Westbrook CT, between New Haven where Charles and Socheata live at Yale, and Rhode Island where the Vogl nephews live. The combination makes for a nice vacation.

 

November 5, 2009

 

Our usual routine was that James would take us to John Wayne Airport and Maria will come to stay in the house with Oatie.  By taking an 8:10 am flight, we miss the 7 AM flight jam at the airport.  7 AM is the earliest times any flight can take off at John Wayne so the planes wait in line for the starting gun.  Our flight was full so Rich checked the bag at the gate without charge.

 

We were soon on board for an 8:10 AM flight to Chicago. I had packed sandwiches for lunch in the Chicago airport during our 2-hour layover. My seatmate was a CT resident, returning from a conference in Las Vegas. We had a nice conversation and learned he lived in Trumbull, CT (about an hour and a half from the Hartford airport.)

 

At the Dollar Rent a Car I learned there was an extra charge for everything beyond the car and engine. We were given a 2 door Toyota Yaris for only one driver. This car was like a roller skate with a top. Our suitcases could not fit in the trunk unless we put the back seat down. Fortunately, we don’t expect to pack any passengers.

 

While being pelted with rain, we pulled over in a Dunkin Donut parking lot to get our bearings. I connected the GPS and entered Kris Klie’s address. Of course, the GPS was still in CA and started to give me directions from CA. With an adjustment in programming, we were on our way.   

 

After 45 minutes on the road, a call came from Charles. “Mom, What’s your ETA?” 

“According to the “English Lady”, 30 min.”

“Have you eaten?  I have food!

With stomach growling already, “On our way!”

 

We had not seen the Prospect street condo since 2007 when we cleaned and painted it for Charles as graduate school housing. The floors had not been refinished and no furniture or décor was in the living and dining room. We were looking forward to seeing the place as Charles had told us how he changed some light fixtures and decorated.

 

We were greeted by Friday, their dog. The place was tastefully appointed. The tiny kitchen was very efficient and we could see how other students would be envious of such nice digs. It does not look like grad student housing.

 

After some lasagna and fruit for dinner and some chit chat, we went to Kris Klie’s to spend the night. (We met Kris on the infamous Cambodian trip.)

 

“Welcome!” she said with a hug with her dog Copper at her heels.

 

“We’re only staying one night since Charles only has a floor mattress.  Our timeshare reservation is for tomorrow,” I assured her.

 

“Things look different.  What did you do?”  Rich asked trying to remember how things were since we were here two years ago.

 

“The pipe upstairs broke and flooded the whole house so I had to redo all the floors.  Your room is ready.”

 

We dragged our suitcases up the stairs.  “It’s been a long day.  We’ll inspect it tomorrow.   Let’s have breakfast together.”

 

Friday, November 6, 2009

 

By chance or design, Kris was free on Friday with no work obligations so was able to hang out with us. We went to a local diner for breakfast then back to her house to visit. At 9:45 we three headed for the Divinity School to attend the morning church service where we would meet Charles.

 

        This is a daily service modified as the students experiment with different modes of worship. Today’s is an Episcopal service with an African touch. With the school’s chapel choir in attendance, every song and hymn is in beautiful 4-6 part harmony or perfectly in tune acapella. The resident cantor leads. The room acoustics is like a sound studio. We participated as much as possible which included processing, dancing, singing, and listening.

 

We met the Dean of Students who was a very cordial and friendly man. Charles went off to class so we and Kris went off on an adventure to Louis Lunch, which was on the Food Channel on Diner and Dives—the birthplace of the hamburger. We arrived just ten minutes after opening and it was already crowded. With all 15 seats taken, we decided to get the burgers to-go. Only 10 hamburgers at the time could be cooked in the old wood-burning fire stove. After waiting for a half-hour for our 3 burgers, we managed to grab a table and decided to eat there in a tiny booth. It was a naked burger between two slices of white bread, without onions and tomato, no condiments, and no relish. We could not figure out why it was such a big deal on the TV show.

 

Back to Kris’ house, we gathered our things for our trip to the Westbrook timeshare condo. It is about a 40-minute drive with the “English Lady” (GPS) guiding us. Check-in was easy. We got a 2 bedroom condo upstairs that sleeps 6, with the possibility of hosting guests. This resort is a wedding venue. The beautiful lawn stretching to the beach had two gazebos.  The ballroom and dining room had an ocean view. Our room was an ocean view condo overlooking the Long Island Sound if you stood on the right of the balcony and beyond the lawn expanse.

 

Rich went to explore the lay of the land while I unpacked and took a short nap. There is no internet in the room but free wifi is available in the lobby area. By 4:30 PM, we headed back to New haven to join Charles and friends for “Candlelight at Prospect Street.” Charles and Soch have hosted Friday night dinners for 12 to build community since they came here. Only the first 12 who sign up are included. It is in great demand and people have been turned away.

 

We arrived earlier than the guests but the volunteers are already working in the kitchen preparing dinner. We were introduced to the guests as they arrived. Most were Divinity School students. About half of them, including us, were first-time attendees. The conversation was lively, the food good, and the people diverse. We enjoyed ourselves and left about 10:30 PM. Charles says the party continued to much later. The drive back to Westbrook seemed a bit shorter as we now know the way.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

 Charles said he would be free after 2 PM and would like to meet us for the evening. So we went to the timeshare owners’ meeting in the morning to learn about things to see and do in the area. It was full of excellent information.

 

Armed with maps and brochures, we took Hwy 1 into Old Saybrook, then up the Connecticut River to Essex. I was amazed at the size of the Connecticut River as we are used to rivers without water. The Los Angeles River is a concrete trough that has rainwater once or twice a year. Hawaii has no rivers, just streams. Except for the “mighty Mississippi” I had never thought of a river big enough to have ships go up and down. In Essex, we visited the Connecticut River Museum which gave us the history of the shipbuilding, wars, and trade shipping that took place in that area. Today, there are mostly pleasure boats. The sailboats were out today with sails flapping in the wind under the clear skies. After a short stroll through the town, we bought a picnic lunch and sat by the water’s edge enjoying the scenery.

 

We then took the scenic route toward New Haven to meet Charles and Soch. Since we had eaten, they grabbed a quick bite at home then we all headed out to the British Museum of Yale. Quite impressive. I was more impressed with the building than the art. There were large open spaces of concrete and wood, high ceilings to accommodate such large artworks, and lots of open sunny places as well as dramatic lighting. After the museum visit, we were all hungry and went to Modern pizza. Pizza is the main thing in New Haven. This was one of the most popular places. I will admit it was good.

 

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Cousin Jon Hogg arrived from New York at about 11 AM to take us out for the day. Jon was familiar with the area since he had formerly worked in the CT. He had the day all planned out for us. He rented a large Ford combination SUV and station-wagon for the weekend. It was a much nicer car than our roller skate Toyota Yaris.

 

Jon took us for brunch at the Griswald Inn in Essex. Essex was very crowded today because the Thomas train was in town. Being an architect, Jon was able to give us the architectural history of Essex. He makes it much more interesting than the brochures.

 

After brunch, we drove up to Chester then the scenic route to Guilford. We walked around the green area then went to see the Whitford House which was closed for the season. Most tourist places close at the end of October so we are one week too late. Since we had extra time before meeting Jon’s friends for dinner, we took a short hike in a wooded area overlooking a lake or river. There are still signs of fall as we waded through dry leaves on the ground. Walking along in raining leaves was new to me. I’ve always seen them still on trees or already on the ground, never on the way down. Though this is past the peak of fall colors, it was still a beautiful study in browns, yellows, and oranges.

We went a bit early to the Stone House Restaurant at the seaside. Jon’s friends Bayor and Ellen joined us for an hour’s visit as they could not stay for dinner. Jon’s had worked for Bayor’s firm a few years ago. Ellen works in the administration of the Yale drama department. They are a lovely couple and I can see why Jon likes them so much. After a meal of too much food, Jon drove us back to Westbrook before returning to New York.

 

Monday, November 10, 2009

 

This is our free day with no other plans. Of course, it is Monday, and most museums are closed. We did find one of interest in Hartford—The Mark Twain House and Museum. Hartford is at least an hour away but we decided to take the AAA scenic route and just enjoy a leisurely day. Again, thank goodness for the “English Lady” for getting us to the museum.

 

The Mark Twain House had a few owners before it was restored to be a museum. It has been restored as close to the original as possible. It is a large 3 story house almost in the middle of Hartford. The museum is quite impressive with tours, exhibits, films, and educational programs. School children were there all over.

 

To beat the rush hour traffic, we got on the road by 3 PM and took another scenic route back to Westbrook. On the way, we stopped at the Outlet Mall which had more store clerks than customers. One of the locals directed us to Joe’s Fish Tale restaurant for dinner. Upon checking our email at the resort, we learned that Michael’s children are sick so we need to reconsider our visit with them tomorrow.

 Tuesday, November 10, 2009

         Today was to be our visit with the Michael Vogl family. Mike said both Addie and Evan were sick running fevers. They did not know whether it was the Swine Flu or not. So as not to take chances of getting sick or inconveniencing them, we decided to forego the visit. Now we have a free day.

 

The weather was slightly overcast but still very nice for scenic drives. We took highway #1 along the coast, taking the little side roads along the seashore. Some very lovely homes on beachfront property. We drove through Saybrook, across to New London, Mystic, Stonington, and back to West brook.

 

The Water’s Edge Resort and Spa have an indoor pool and Jacuzzi, so why not take advantage of it? It was very relaxing. Now we were ready for a full Lobster dinner for 2 for only $32 at Lenny’s in Branford. The “English Lady,” got us there. We almost gave up searching for the place when it popped up. The dinner was very good in this casual, local restaurant.

 

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

 

Today is Veteran’s Day Holiday. We planned to visit the Nautilus submarine then visit with the Rob Vogl family. We got a slow start with just toast in the condo as we were still full from last night’s dinner. We headed for the Nautilus Museum in Groton. I’m very interested in it as I remember Dad talking about the ship. Can’t remember what, but just know it was quite the thing. The Nautilus was the first atomic-powered submarine built in Groton, CT and after 25 years of service, it was brought home to be anchored at the museum in Groton. Upon arriving we learned that the ship was closed for a week for maintenance two weeks a year and this was one of them! The museum was open so we were able to see the exhibits and view the Nautilus from the outside but could not go inside. It is submerged in the river except for the cone.

 

The museum was full of submarine history and stories of submarine victories and defeats. The earliest submarine was invented during the Revolutionary War to attach explosives to the British ships in the harbor then detonated with a timer. It was like a wooden barrel with one man aboard on a mission. Throughout the years, the submarine evolved as the most effective weapon. They are credited for winning WWII in the Pacific. I had no idea there were so many built throughout the years. It is still a vital part of the military. They carry the tomahawk, Polaris, and torpedo missiles. Pretty impressive.

 

After we visited the museum, we stopped for some lunch at a local restaurant. They were giving 10% discounts to Veterans today. Rich said he did serve in the Army so they gave us a discount.

 

We took the scenic route of #1 along the coast to North Kingstown to the Rob Vogl’s. It took about an hour and a half to get to Rob’s. The girls were out taking care of some soccer duties but soon returned.

 

“Do you folks like lobster?  I was thinking of getting some for tonight,” Rob offered. “I know this guy, Trip, who lobster fishes.  He said I could go to the dock around 4:30 or 5:00 where he will be there on his boat bringing in his catch.”

 

Susan’s parents, Ed and Lee, arrived to visit also.

 

We arrived at the dock around 5 PM.

 

“ Hey Trip, “ hollered Rob.  “Meet my uncle Rich and Aunt Marcia visiting us.  You go lobsters for us?”

 

“Sure, how many you want?  Put them in an inch of boiling water for 8 minutes, then leave them to steam with the heat off for 15-20 minutes.  They will moist and sweet!” 

 

We bought 9 lively ones and headed back where Susan already had the water boiling. These were about a pound to a pound and a half each. Susan had made baked potatoes and a broccoli-cheese dish to go with the meal. We all dug in and feasted on the lobster. They were sweet and the shells so soft that we did not need pliers to crack them open.

 

After dinner, we continued to visit over dessert. Kayla is in the 7th grade, Ryanna in the 6th. Both girls are tall, beautiful, and athletic in soccer. By 8 PM, we returned to Westbrook.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

     Using map and GPS we tried to find a restaurant recommended on Trip Advisor for breakfast.  It was not there so our next choice was Cristy’s in a small strip mall on Boston Post Road near our condo. They had 20 flavors of pancakes plus the usual breakfast fare. I had a banana crunch and a coconut, pineapple, mac nut pancake. Yummy! They were excellent. Rich’s breakfast was so big we took the left-overs to go.

 

Going north on I-95 to the Pequot Museum in Mashantucket reservation of the Pequot Indians we got lost. There is a large sign pointing the way to the museum but once on the road, there was no signage. The only clue that we were in the area was the huge Indian Casino, MGM Grand. We finally asked the hotel valet for directions. The museum was quite a ways behind the casino. The “English Lady” could not find it because the reservation is considered a separate “country” and not in CT.

 

At the museum today were many noisy, green T-shirt clad school children.  We found the lowest floor quiet.  The museum was massive with three spiral floors of displays. Areas were dedicated to the historic land formation in the area beginning with glaciers and mastodons; tools and food, history with the colonists; and Pequot tribe today. One particularly impressive display was a full-size depiction of village life. Audio wands provided the story and background of each vignette. The mannequins were wax figures looking very lifelike. After a little more than 4 hours there and we still did not see everything. There was a café that normally served Indian dishes, but to our disappointment, was closed due to a special evening event. They were expecting 1000 Special Olympic volunteers.

 

After the museum, we met Charles and Socheata for dinner in Hartford at a special restaurant Soch picked out according to the New York Times rave reviews—The Firebox Restaurant.  They were returning from a trip in Boston and we were in Hartford rush hour traffic. The restaurant had a calm and romantic atmosphere just as we wanted. Charles and Soch met us shortly after we arrived. The foods were natural—fresh and not processed. It was good but not “wow”. The chef seemed to be trying too hard with too many mixed flavors. Visiting with Charles and Soch was the highlight, not the food.

 

After dinner, we returned to Westbrook about an hour away. Again, the “English Lady” got us home directly. Tomorrow is our last day so got to pack up the suitcases again.

 

November 13, 2009

 

This was our last full day of vacation. We did not realize how fortunate we were having such nice weather. The first four days we had “California Days” of sunshine and clear skies with the temperatures in the 60’s. The next 3 days were overcast and a little cooler but not noticeable to us since we were inside museums. Today loomed with dark skies, showers, gusty winds, and cold.

 

We packed our bags, checked the condo for last-minute things, and left at 9 AM looking for breakfast. Yesterday we were in search of Cheryl’s Café but never found it. Today we decided to stop at a tiny place called Muffin Corner just at the entrance of the freeway. The Muffin Corner was the old name of Cheryl’s Café. The sign never got changed. After breakfast, we returned to New Haven to attend the Yale Chapel Friday morning service at 10:30 AM. A few of the students Charles had introduced last week recognized us and welcomed us warmly. Charles joined us just before the service began.

 

Today was a Thanksgiving service. The seats were set up in a circle around a coffee table with a bowl of fruit. Just before the sermon, everyone was invited to tables that were laden with cheese, bread, olives, wine, grape juice, and water. We helped ourselves to a snack then the service resumed with the sermon and some beautiful music. Again the music rang out as the choir sang as part of the congregation.

 

We were going to visit the Peabody Museum but by the time we found it and parked, we would have only 45 minutes before our lunch date with Kris Klie. We decided to forego the museum and headed to Panera for fresh baguettes for dinner, as Soch requested. Now it was raining.

 

        Thank goodness for the “English Lady” which took us through a maze of one-way streets and detours to the Zinc restaurant. We found this restaurant on the New Haven Restaurant Week list and Trip Advisor. We invited Kris to join us as the last adventure to Louis Lunch was a great disappointment. We were lucky to find a parking right in front of the restaurant and Kris arrived shortly.

“Today is my birthday!” Kris announced, as we chatted and shared stories.  Kris is a Veterinarian with interesting stories.  She also has a pastor’s heart and her goal is comforting people who have lost a pet.

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent resting at Kris’ house. We tried to connect to the internet but failed. Kris tried all kinds of things but failed. Finally, we realize the telephone, TV, and cable services were down. We were going to attend Charles’ Friday night dinner again so decided to use his internet to check-in online.

 

People sign up for the Friday night “Candlelight at Prospect” until the seats are taken. Tonight’s guests were mostly Asian women undergraduates. Socheata was the chef who served Cambodian appetizer sandwiches, curry on noodles and sticky rice with fruit for dessert. Needless to say, we felt like grandparents and the young people talked about their hopes and dreams which were BIG. They are the leaders of the future--bright, accomplished, well-traveled, and enthusiastic at age 21!!

 

By 9:30 we excused ourselves as we have an early morning start tomorrow.  Our last night will be at Kris’.

 

Saturday, November 14, 2009

 

Up at 5:15 AM. It’s cold and rainy outside as we get ready to leave for the airport. Kris and Copper are up to bid us farewell. With “English Lady” in hand, we head for Bradley International Airport outside Hartford. As we near the Dollar car rental return, we stop at a MacDonalds for some breakfast-to-go as we do not know what is available at the airport at this early hour. Not knowing the car rental place is just out the back driveway, the “English Lady” took us around the block.

 

We were especially early this Saturday morning so the airport was not busy. We had our egg McMuffins while checking email. This is going to be a long day of airplane rides. Hartford to Dulles, to San Francisco, to Orange County. Fortunately, all our planes were on time and we were able to make it to the next connection with only 30 min layover. We had to trot to the next gate but made all connections. James picked us up at John Wayne Airport and we came home to a happy dog—Oatie.

 

It’s fun to travel and oh so nice to be home.

 

Mount Rushmore Here We Come

June 6, 2008, Friday  Mount Rushmore

This KOA campground offers an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast daily. This morning the weather was sunny and warmer so we ventured to try the breakfast that was served under a tent in the middle of the camp. The pancakes were fine and we had a side of buffalo sausages. They tasted like beef.

Rich went to the KOA guest desk.  “It’s awfully cold at night.  Do you have a heater I can buy or rent?”

“Oh yes.  You can borrow one with a $20 deposit.”

“I’ll take it!  How about WIFI?  Do you have that?” 

“The whole camp is connected to WIFI but it works the best here in the lodge.  Come use it in the lobby.”

We could not connect from our Kabin but had a good connection in the office area.  We made it a routine to stop at the lobby to check our email daily. Internet access was good the but a cell phone was useless in the campground surrounded by mountains.

Now for the big adventure we came for—Mt. Rushmore! The sun was bright and the sky was clear with no clouds. Going east on Hwy 244 leads to the main entrance of Mt. Rushmore National Monument under the National Park Service. The entrance is free but the parking is $10 per car good for one year. There is no street parking available on the winding road up to the monument. The car’s license is linked to the parking pass to be valid for the designated car only. We were early enough to be ahead of the daily crowd at the museum.

The four presidents carved on the mountain are George Washington as “Father of our Country”; Jefferson who expanded the country with the Louisiana Purchase; Teddy Roosevelt who spearheaded economic development; and Abraham Lincoln who represented freedom. The original plan was to carve them full-bodied but once the project began, the granite for the body section was not of good quality for carving so they ended up doing only the busts. It created jobs and men were taught mountain climbing, dynamite loading, drilling, and all the other skills needed. They worked year-round with canvases protecting the men from the winter snow, winds, and ice. It took 14 years to complete with no fatalities. 

The sculptor Berglum saw the completion of the monument but died months before the dedication. His son brought it to a close. At first, many workers did not think they were doing anything great but thought of it as “just a job.” In retrospect, they are proud to have been a part of it.

The National Park Service has built a boardwalk all around the area to view the sculpture from many angles.  Flags of all the states line the walkway, and a large outdoor amphitheater holds their nightly light show. The whole complex can accommodate large crowds and, of course, includes a cafeteria and gift shop. 

We were getting weary so we decided this was an afternoon to rest. A Cloud burst happened through the afternoon as we rested in our cabin. After dinner at the local Ponderosa Lodge restaurant, we set up for a warm night’s rest in our now “heated” cabin. What comfort!

June 7, 2008, Saturday  Deadwood and Lead

“Where can we get a good breakfast?” we asked at the hospitality desk.

“ The Route 16 Diner in Hill City is good,”

 To our dismay, Main Street at Hill City was blocked off for a classic car show and the Route 16 Diner was closed. Since we were going up to Deadwood, we thought we would just start driving. Surely something would turn up. 

Trees, trees, and more trees. We finally came to a visitor center at Pacatola Lake that was once a town but the people decided they needed a reservoir so they emptied the town and let the river flood it. Because of drought conditions, the lake was below level by 25 feet. Somewhere at the bottom was a town.

“We are looking for a breakfast place.  Got any recommendations? “ we asked the young ranger.

“There’s a place called Sugar Shack about 15 miles up the road.  It has good food,” he said nonchalantly.

Sugar Shack was about the size of a mobile home, run-down looking, with patriotic décor inside and out,. We decided we would get up our adventure spirit and give it a go. 

“What you folks having today?” asked an older gal waitress.  In the back was a younger man as a cook.  She served us a very good breakfast.

“Where you all going?” she asked us as we paid the bill.

“We thought we’d go see Deadwood.”

“Nothing much there.”

With tummies full, we headed for Deadwood.

As we approached Deadwood, we understood its name. This gold rush town is located in a ravine. The surrounding area was filled with dead trees on the mountainside.  Deadwood had suffered fire and flood, as recent as 3 years ago.   After the gold rush years, the city fathers tried to revive the dying town by legalizing limited gambling to pay for historical restoration. 

The Adams House and the Adams Museum held most of the town’s history. Built in 1842, It was the home of the wealthiest most influential resident of the town.  Among cowboy notables were in Deadwood were Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Unfortunately, every establishment, whether restaurant, souvenir shop, hotel lobby, shoe store, clothing stores, or fast food joint, had banks of slot machines and a smoky atmosphere. Quite unsavory.

After some lunch at the Iron Horse Inn, we headed for Lead (pronounced Leed). We learned there was a rivalry between Lead and Deadwood but no one explained why. Gold was mined in Lead, but gold was panned in Deadwood so it has become only a historic site. The way of acquiring gold attracted pioneers with different motives. At Lead the open pit gold mine was owned and run by Randolph Hearst.  He purchased all the surrounding mines to quell any competition. Hearst mined gold for the US government therefore electricity and telephones were installed.  However, since 1995, it has no major industry to support it. 

We left the gold mine tour to be on time for dinner at Circle B Chuck Wagon. At Circle B, there were horses to ride, animals to pet, and a woodcarver to watch. It was a great place for kids. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit cold and we huddled in the gift shop until time for dinner. Before dinner, the staff put on a “street shoot out chasing down the biscuit thief” involving the kids as a posse. It was very funny.

As we filed past the chuckwagon, food was slapped on tin plates—baked potato, BBQ beef or chicken, baked beans, applesauce, biscuit, and ginger cake. The after-dinner entertainment was a family of cowboy singers with a genuinely friendly presentation.  Their performance was only cowboy songs. The music was very good with the youngest member (18 yrs) playing excellent lead guitar.

When we emerged from the dinner it was already 8 PM but still light. We headed down the road for our KOA home.

June 8, 2008, Sunday Train Ride, Night show at Mt Rushmore

With clear skies above, our day’s adventure was a ride on the original 1880 train from Hill City to Keystone. Following tour guide advice we had no problem purchasing tickets early as we were there by 9 AM for a 10:15 departure.  The Slate Creek Inn was a short walk away for breakfast. We ordered their famous cinnamon roll, not knowing they were 12-inches across. Luckily got only one to share.

As expected, the train boarded at 10:00 AM and we rode along about 25 miles per hour over the hill to Keystone. The trip took about 1 hour with narration along the way explaining the different areas and sights, and of course train statistics for train buffs. We stayed on the train for the return trip sitting on the opposite side to see the things we missed going over as the train just reversed.

After the ride, the weather was still very nice so we decided to use our “rain check pass” at Crazy Horse Memorial to see the statue and get a bite to eat in the restaurant. There was a “Volkwalk” going on. What’s a Volkwalk?”A very large group of people were walking up to the arm of the statue. They were along the ridge dwarfed by the statue.  We had been through the museum earlier so just came to see the statue in clear weather.

Next stop—the town of Custer about 10 miles south of Crazy Horse. We were looking for a drugstore and found it closed on Sunday. We explored The Old Courthouse Museum instead. It was filled with memorabilia of the area set in historical displays, and of course, the court and judges chambers.  They were not too different from today.

At the old railroad depot visitors center, we learned we had done just about all the attractions in the area. What else to do?  Head for the Purple Pie Palace down the road for some great ice-cream.

We were warned by the KOA staff that the weather at the Rushmore night show was VERY COLD.  “Take blankets as well as jackets,” they said.

We found a warm cozy spot in the Mt. Rushmore cafeteria with a view of the mountain. The thought of a light show from the warm building was appealing. After dinner, we sat around till showtime at 9 PM. No lights. After about 25 minutes, we decided to investigate.  A video was being shown about the presidents on a jumbo screen in the amphitheater and the light show would be the finale.  The wind was blowing and it was cold. We saw the video in the museum so decided that would suffice and we headed home to get out of the cold.

June 9, 2008, Monday, Bad Lands National Park

In 1800, a pharmacist Lee Hustead left Sioux City, Iowa to open a drug store. He bought the Wall Drug Store on Hwy 90 but after 3 years of very little business, he was ready to call it quits.  This was in the day of slow travel with no air conditioning. 

“All these cars just drive by without stopping.  What can we give them to make them stop?  How about ice water?”  his wife suggested.

He and his son put up signs on the road inviting people to free ice water.  Travelers came for free ice water and began purchasing other things too. Today the store is the size of a city block and a must-see place just outside Badlands National Park. There are paintings of the west, a restaurant, souvenirs, shops of all kinds, and amusements such as gold panning, and games. Today it is a multi-billion dollar family business run by the 4^th generation of Husteads.

They advertised free coffee and donut to any who has or is serving in the military. Rich got a free coffee and donut.

At the National Grasslands Visitors Center near the Badlands, we learned the Great Plains consisted of 3 divisions of grasslands—dry, mixed, and wet.—from west to east. After the great dust bowl years, the government paid farmers for their useless land then started to rehabilitate the Great Plains. Grasses were reintroduced and over the years the land revived. Today, there are grazing lands and some farms on both private and government property. We got a pin for passing the ranger quiz!

On the way to the Badlands, we stopped at the Wounded Knee Memorial. The chapters of the history of the terrible treatment of the American Indian are documented there. The Indians were tricked and deceived out of their way of life and lands. Although there are few survivors of that era, their generations are carrying on the legacy.

As we entered Badlands National Park, the whole panorama was mind-boggling. The vast area with such unusual, huge rock formations was hard to imagine that it was once a sea. According to the geologist, the whole Badlands as once a dried sea bed that was pushed up by earth’s force forming jagged peaks and valleys.  We drove along the Badlands Drive taking in as much as we could of the ever-changing scenery. There are badlands throughout the world as “Badlands” is a term used to describe very dry steep rocky terrain, with little or no vegetation

Hwy 44 took us back to the Mt. Rushmore area with thunder and lightning with heavy rain showers pelted our car as we left the plains.

Food gathering again. This time we stopped at Oma’s,  known for its German food, in Keystone. We had a nice dinner then headed home to KOA.

June 10, 2008, Tuesday, Sturgis, Fort Mead, and Rapid City

Keystone is the town closest to Mt. Rushmore.  During the Mt Rushmore project, it was a bustling town with the power plant needed for the project and the workers were housed in Keystone.  It now has a population of about 300, with a downtown of a block-long.  Since the completion of the monument, the town shrank and became accommodations for tourists. All-you-can-eat breakfasts seem to be the norm there but we found Jo’s Café to be a small, quiet place with good food.

Why do 10,000 motorcyclists gather annually in Sturgis, a town just north of Rapid City?  We decided to find out and mapped out a scenic route to Sturgis, passing through hills, valleys, and meadows of the Black Hills. At one time, the motorcycle enthusiast mayor invited cyclists to Sturgis for a rally. Since then, they have gathered in Sturgis each August except for only 2 years (during the war) over the last 50 years. The main street downtown is made up of Harley Davidson stores, bars, tattoo parlors, and not much else. I was surprised to see 5 churches just on the main roads.

Fort Mead was a cavalry outpost to protect the settlers and enforce the no trespassing rules on Indian lands. The cavalry succeeded to a degree but when the gold rush hit the Black Hills, there was no way they could keep ALL the prospectors out of the hills. “Trouble in them hills.”

During the depression years, the Army was given the responsibility of training the Civilian Conservation Corps at Fort Mead. They trained and organized CCC workers to save forests, build roads, and bridges. In 1981, the cavalry had to give up the horses and for jeeps and tanks. This 4^th cavalry division had served all over the world. The fort now is home to the VA hospital and Army reserves only. Just walking on the grounds and visiting the museum brought back memories for Rich having grown up on an Army post.

On the way back to Rapid City we stopped at the Black Hills National Cemetery.  Rapid City calls itself the city of the presidents. On Main Street and St Joseph Streets in the downtown area, there are life-size bronze sculptures of every US president.  As we strolled the streets, we quizzed ourselves on recognizing the presidents. Each artist studied the president’s life then came up with a significant statue.

We were the first diners at the gourmet Corn Exchange Restaurant.  After a fun dinner and dessert, we headed for our KOA home amid threatening clouds and forecasts of thunderstorms and rains. 

God bless this drought breaker.

June 11, 2008, Wednesday, Relax

We had seen all the tourist spots that held our interest so decided on a lazy day. After breakfast at our picnic table, we headed for Sylvan Lake Lodge. This lodge in the Custer National Park once housed Presidents Cleveland & Eisenhower. The original lodge burned twice, so this was the 3^rd rebuild. The common room was cozy with overstuffed couches and quiet music. We settled in with our books, and I did some online checking using the wifi connection. After a quiet lunch in the dining room, we took a stroll around Sylvan Lake. It was beautiful with magnificent scenery. Of course, I had forgotten to bring my camera so we will just have to keep it in our memory.

This was our last evening on this vacation so we decided to give Route 16 Diner another try as it was closed a few days ago. It was open this time and we had a delicious dinner of salad and bratwurst. As relaxing all this was, we were ready to return home to our busy lives. 

One more KOA night in our cozy cabin.

June 12, 2008, Thursday, Home Sweet Home

Such creatures of habit! We were up at 5 AM ready to go but nowhere to go. Our flight wasn’t until 5:35 PM and not much was moving except the birds. We packed up our stuff and headed for Rapid City by way of the Chapel in the Hills, a 1600 replica of a Norwegian chapel.  After we stopped to take a look, we headed for Rapid City in search of breakfast.  We also stopped at Rapid City’s main museum, The Journey Museum.

I checked for earlier flights home, one that we could wait as stand-bys. When we got to the airport, we were the first stand-by passengers in line.  With this flight, we also hopped on an earlier connecting flight to Orange County.

Home again. We were happy campers.

 

South Dakota, USA

Most of my history lessons were about the east coast of the USA and the west coast of California.  I was amazed and happy to learn there is a rich history also in South Dakota.  This has been such an addition to my knowledge of the richness of the country.

Black Hills, South Dakota. 2008

For years, Rich and I have said that “someday” we want to see Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Since we are not getting any younger, we finally decided that we would “just do it” this year.

June 4, 2008, Wednesday  On the Road Again

Oatie, our dog, gave us the most forlorn look as we pulled our suitcases to the car at 5 AM. Suitcases mean we will be gone for a while. We were at  John Wayne Airport in plenty of time at the unusually empty terminal. Although our flight was “on time,” early morning flights out of  John Wayne line up on the tarmac at 6:30 AM for the 7 AM takeoffs. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain.  We are 25 minutes early so will wait until the assigned gate is cleared for us to dock.  Thank you for your patience.”

The 25 minutes turned into an hour on the tarmac.  Once we got to the gate, no service personnel was available to deboard the place so the wait was extended again. Our connecting flight was 3 hours later so we did not have a problem with our connecting flight. There was rain, and thunder while at the airport so our short flight to Rapid City, South Dakota was delayed for an hour due to weather. We waited patiently as this trip was on a United Airlines 2 for 1 VISA complimentary ticket. 

At Rapid City, Enterprise car rental gave us a Pontiac Grand Prix.  We were disappointed as the car seemed dirty and not spanking clean as other cars we have rented but this was the only one left. We took it.  Off we went to the Mount Rushmore KOA where we had reservations for a Kamping Kabin. Thunder, lightning, rain, and mud-splattered all over our “clean” car.

I had packed camping gear for this trip--sleeping bags, sheets, a down comforter, towels, and other minimal camping gear like 2 heating pads for the bed. We had camped in KOA Kabins on our trip across the USA a few years ago and had a good time being in the wilderness. 

The KOA staff warmly welcomed us. This is possibly the largest KOA in the country. (I didn’t know that at the time.) They gave us the cabin closest to the bathrooms, as the crow flies. It turned out to be uphill from the facilities so we have to either hike up and down a pathway or walk or drive on the road. Other cabins were even farther away from the bathrooms.

Well, the adventure is on.

“Where is the nearest grocery store where we can get snacks, and where do you recommend we go for dinner?” we asked at the KOA hospitality desk.

“Hill City is the closest town about 9 miles away.  There is a good restaurant called Alpine Inn that serves dinner.”

After a short shopping trip, the Alpine Inn was agreed to be the best recommendation for dinner. The porch was full of waiting diners watching an enactment of a street shoot out. 

After we were seated a waitress came up, “How would you like your steak tonight?”

“May we see a menu?”

“The menu is lettuce wedge salad, filet mignon, 6 or 9 oz wrapped in bacon, baked potato with Texas toast.  Dessert is either ice-cream or apple pie.”

That makes it simple, we thought.  “Medium steaks, please.”

A little after-dinner stroll down the street revealed this was a cowboy tourist town with wire fences around plants to protect them from deer. We did see deer on someone’s front lawn. 

June 5, 2008, Thursday  The Mammoth Museum

It was a cold night even with our down blanket and heating pads. The morning the skies were ominous.

“Where could cold, wet tourists go on a day like this?” Rich asked the waitress at the breakfast restaurant.

“I’d go to the Mammoth Museum.  It’s indoors,” she answered.

 A drive through  Custer National Park on the way to the Mammoth Museum in Hot Springs was well worth the time. Although it was foggy and raining lightly, the scenery was beautiful. This winding road had one-lane bridges, tunnels, and pigtail curves, better known to Californians as cloverleaf turns. We did get to see and drive through Needles Highway and some small tunnels cut through the rock. Bison and deer were on the roadside feeding quietly. Once through the park, we continued to Hot Springs. Fortunately, we had lots of maps and guide pamphlets.  No GPS in those days.

Surprisingly, The Mammoth Museum is the largest active mammoth dig in the world. A hilltop was being graded for housing development until a bulldozer scraped against a huge tusk. All work stopped as archeologists verified the find. The developer then sold the land back to the state for the price he bought it.

The site was excavated and the museum was built around it. The site is still being excavated today by volunteers and paleontologists. The displays and history of the whole mammoth area were fascinating. It is the only site with Columbian and Woolly Mammoths that met their demise over many hundreds of years in the hot springs.  In the winter the mammoths fell into the sinkholes and could not climb out because of the slippery rock walls. A mammoth’s life expectancy was 80 years but most of these were thought to be under 20 years old so they were “kids”.

The gift shop clerk recommended a nearby place for lunch that was worth the recommendation.  It was raining.

Not far from the restaurant was The Hot Springs Museum, formerly the high school until 1981—not so long ago--on a hilltop overlooking the city. The classrooms were vignettes of times gone by—a doctor’s office, a dentist’s office, schoolroom, kitchen, bedroom, family parlor, etc. The areas of greatest change from then to now were the kitchen and medical field. Thank goodness I live now as I would have made a very lousy pioneer. 

When we left the museum it was still raining.

We happened upon some locals who greeted us.

“We are so disappointed that it is raining on our vacation here,” we said.

“Disappointed?!  This is an answer to prayer!  We are in a 7-year drought and this is the first measurable rain in years.  The reservoirs were finally refilling.”

“Oh!  Well, I guess we are thankful too as we are from California and know about drought.”

We went north again but this time on the main highway toward the Crazy Horse Museum. We saw signs that pointed to “Crazy Horse”, but as much as we craned our necks, we could not see a statue like the one on the brochure.  Only the head of the Crazy Horse statue is completed but today it is covered with heavy fog. Because of the bad weather, we were only charged half the entry fee and given a 3-day return pass. 

The size of the statue is enormous. The sculptor worked on the project alone for 50 years while he and his wife raised a family of 10 children.  Only the head is complete.  His family is taking up the privately funded project—no government grants accepted. The money received from tourists funds the project with an unknown finish date. 

The large visitor center at the base of the statue featured a film about the project, the sculptor & family, Indian crafts and arts, a large gift shop, and a restaurant. Crazy Horse was commissioned by the Lakota Indian tribe to honor all Indian tribes. The dream is to complete the complex with a university, a research center, and a medical center. 

It was cold and rainy so we did not stay very long.

Each evening seems to be food a gathering adventure. Through the AAA book, we found the Gold Spike Restaurant in Hill City.  The food was mediocre but, we struck up a conversation with our Filipino waiter. 

“Are you from the Philippines?” I asked him because of his accent.

“How did you know?!”

“You remind me of my Filipino friends.  What are you doing here waiting tables?”

“In the Philippines, I worked as a collections agent for a bank but they laid me off with early retirement.  I wanted something different than just being lazy so I came to the US for 3 years.  I work up here for the summer months then go to Florida in the winter months.  I can always find a job.  After this summer I’m going back home to the Philippines to my family.  My visa is up.” He related this with a heavy Filipino accent.  “Thanks for asking.”

“Well, good luck in all your travels,”  I said smiling.

We snuggled in for another cold night. I did not know this KOA Kabin did not have a heater. Others we have stayed had heaters. Wearing all your clothes at night is not fun.