Misty's American Adventure: September 2009

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

Around Minneapolis In A Day

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

Road Trip Day 42

Not since my first three days New York have I stayed in the same place for more than a couple of days. In a move partly due to the strange road schedule of the Minnesota Twins I am spending four days here in Minneapolis, but not in the same hotel.

So, I've stayed in nearly 40 hotels so far and so far, no matter how remote or low cost, they have almost all had a good line up of TV channels. Not that I watch much television, but I like to keep up with the Baseball. I got to my hotel last night, right in the heart of Minneapolis and it turns out they didn't have Fox Sports North, the only channel which carries Twins games.

Frankly, I thought that was pretty poor so, as I had only booked one night, started looking around for another hotel. One which has Fox Sports. I am so glad I did because with a little negotiation I have managed to get a lower price for a much better hotel.

Sweet Suite

I've managed to score a suite with living room, flatscreen TV, bar, dining table, sofa-bed, fridge, microwave and sink and spacious bedroom with it's own TV. Plus, the hotel is in the top of a tower so my 4th floor room in the hotel is actually about the 14th floor of the tower so I have a pretty neat view of downtown.

So, I lost some of this morning transferring from one hotel to another, but it's worth it for the better digs.

Play In The Sunshine

The weather was great again today, very clear sky and not too chilly. Armed with tips from the super-helpful Jamie (from Oregon) on the hotel reception I headed out into Downtown. I had a sneak preview last night, but in the sun the mix of modern and more historic buildings makes Minneapolis a great looking city.

Here's a shot I am particularly proud of. As well two buildings mirrored in the other, there's a plane in the reflection too.

And this vast Gothic (I think) affair is City Hall. It's gigantic and strangely gorgeous. Oh, and the angle I took it from means that the tower at the centre of the frontage actually shields an even taller tower behind it.

Baby, I'm a Star

It took willpower to not got straight to my next stop last night. For me, it's right up there at the top of the places I've seen in the movies list.

1st Avenue and 7th Street Entry is the club at which "The Revolution" and "The Time" battled it out in Purple Rain. Plus, as it's a real venue, Prince has played their many, many times in his career so it's kind of a special place. The picture of me outside it is rubbish, but here's the shot I took from across the street.

On the outside of the club are silver stars with the names of bands that have played there. Here's Prince's with Sheila E's in shot too as well as BB King's.

Welcome to the Pleasure Dome**

At the other end of the compact Downtown area is the giant Hubert H. Humprhey Metrodome, home to the Minnesota Vikings American Football team as well as my beloved Twins.

The dome is very much like any other concrete stadium, save for the gigantic flexible fibreglass roof which is held up by air-pressure from within. The whole building looks like a giant pincushion. I can't wait to see the inside. Today all I saw was the box office where I collected my ticket. I was excited and when I told the guy behind the counter how long I'd been waiting to see a game here, he was pleased as punch.

Walking in the Air***

I went back into town and decided to brave the entirely confusing Skyways which link the downtown buildings above street level allowing you to cross most of the area without going outside into the often brutally cold winter weather.

I got lost and exited to street level.

Paradise Gardens

I wanted to take in some culture this afternoon, so I drove out to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. I do like outdoor sculpture and enjoyed seeing a similar display in Washington DC a couple of months ago (OMG!). There's an array of weird and wonderful, but the star of the show is "Spoon Bridge and Cherry".

Hopefully the rainbow shows up which is formed in the spray which comes from the top of the cherry stalk.

Another installation is made up of about 30 marble benches, each with an engraved piece of social observation or statement. Some are slightly rude, some funny, some almost disturbing and some quite profound. Here's my favourite. I know this is true from first hand experience.

"There is a period when it is clear that you have gone wrong but you continue.

Sometimes there is a luxurious amount of time before anything bad happens."

Paisley Park Is In Your Heart

When Prince hit the big time in the 1980's he ploughed a lot of his money into building his own recording and rehearsal studios. It's a big plus complex in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen. To a Prince fan this is something of a Mecca. There have been occasions where he's held "celebrations" there where fans have been invited along to shows and tours of the facility. I read accounts of these with deep envy.

Today I went to Paisley Park.

Prince didn't answer the door.

It's pretty from the outside and made me smile inside and out.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Sixty-Eight

Distance travelled - 0.1 miles - South 8th St to South 7th St Minneapolis, MN

State count - 26 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30, 8, 255, 428

*room switch

**OK, now I've strayed into Frankie Goes To Hollywood song titles

***and Aled Jones' too apparently!

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Positivity

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Road Trip Day 41

Did I come across a little despondent yesterday? Let's blame the weather and move on.

Plus Sign Today

The tiny little motel in Ely was lovely and warm and comfy. I slept like a log. Admittedly, it was a log that wished the fridge wasn't quite so noisy, but a log none-the-less.

Ely is about 40 miles from the main draw that had lead me up to the north country of Minnesota, namely the area known as the "North Shore". The north shore in question is that of Lake Superior. The route from Ely to the lake ticked all my plus boxes for a journey with winding roads, very little traffic, fabulous scenery and a great local diner for breakfast.

I'd already driven for about an hour through trees of a thousand different hues when I arrived at the diner, "Our Place". I suspect I was the first tourist to stop there in about 40 years, but the welcome was warm, the food was great and the old timer at the counter kitty-corner to me was delighted to meet me. He said he'd feel bad if he didn't advise me to go to Temperance State Park a few miles up the coast, in the wrong direction from where I was travelling.

Free To Change Your Mind

Seeing as how he was so kind, and a Vietnam Vet, I couldn't bring myself to ignore his advice so I plotted a route in the Sat-Nav along one of the unpaved County Roads and headed north.

Even before I got to the park, my detour paid the most stunning dividends. It was as if the trees had ganged together and put on their best display on this out of the way, barely travelled road. Here's a shot from a section where they formed a natural tunnel. I have video footage too featuring two deer skipping across the road.

Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)

At the end of this road lined with sumptuous colours I crested a hill and saw the largest body of water I had seen since I left Vancouver. Lake Superior is the largest body of freshwater (by surface area) in the world, so that's another "Tallest, Largest, Deepest, Widest" thing to add to my list.

It's a deep, rich navy-blue colour and large enough to have waves big enough to crash onto the shore with great gusto. I stopped at the recommended State Park and my local adviser is right, it's very beautiful and features a river which has scoured deep, circular holes into the rock at its mouth.

However, despite the ferocity of the river as it flows over these rocks, it emerges into the most delightfully tranquil little bay on the lake. It's like something straight out of Swallows and Amazons.

I Don't Care To Win Awards

I'd like to nominate this spot for the Best View from a Picnic Table (Lakes and Waterways Section).

Waterfall**

Time was running short so I couldn't stop at all of the little state parks on the North Shore, but I did make sure to stop at Gooseberry Falls which is a very pretty little double set of falls which are fully accessible to sightseers so I joined the small crowd merrily walking on and over the falls.

Graffiti Bridge

When I was looking through my guidebook for places to visit in Minnesota, one destination I wanted to see was Duluth. However, circumstances conspired to mean that this rather attractive city became somewhere I passed through with barely a moment to stop. I did stop long enough though to drive over and photograph the Aerial Bridge... which was happily not spoiled by graffiti.

Duluth looked very nice from what I saw, so I'll have to add it to my list of things to see next time I'm out this way.

MPLS Funkin'

I am now in Minneapolis. More than 24 years since I saw a movie set here and close to 22 years since my favourite baseball team won the World Series I'm here.

I am childishly happy. I arrived at dusk, checked in, checked my email, waited for the result of the Twins game then headed out into the City for dinner. So far, I love it. There are some great looking skyscrapers here, the tallest I've seen since New York, and I felt comfortable in the centre of town at night.

Tomorrow, I explore.

Thank You Minneapolis, Goodnight!

View Driving Day 41 in a larger map

Stats - Day Sixty-Seven

Distance travelled - 315 miles - Ely to Minneapolis, MN via the North Shore and Duluth

State count - 26 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30, 8, 255

*room switch

**Award yourself a Bonus Point if you spotted that "Waterfall" is a Wendy and Lisa song title rather than a Prince Song Title/Lyric like all the rest of the headings.

Monday, 28 September 2009

...Let The Rain Come Down, Down

Monday, 28 September 2009

Road Trip Day 40

After two days in the relative lap of luxury in a room with two beds, a good desk, great shower and good TV plus a large pool and spa just at the end of the corridor it was time to move on.

Last Minute Decisions

When I wrote my blog last night I had in my mind that I'd be going to Duluth today. The idea was that I'd stay in Duluth and go up the North-West coast of lake superior then come back to Duluth. However, that would break the cardinal rule and involve retracing my steps which I avoid as much as I can.

So, I had another day where I had a route in mind, but no definite booking. Where I would end up was decided by how long I wanted to drive and when I reached a town I liked the look of.

That is how I happened to end up in Ely, in northern Minnesota.

En Route

The weather was not my friend again today, with light, cold, rain driven by 20 to 30 mile an hour wind. Now, I know I am going to have to get used to colder weather, but I decided against toughing it out at my first scheduled stop.

I'd wanted to see the headwaters of the Mississippi in Itasca State Park, but when I got there the rain was particularly heavy. I shrugged my shoulders and pressed on.

All the leaves are brown, and yellow, and red, and orange, and green...

The ongoing theme of my travels over the last few days has been the turning leaves. Fall is in full flood here in Minnesota and the colours are mesmerising. The forecasters promise sun tomorrow, so I hope for some better lighting, but in the meantime, here's a couple from today.

Aimless

The other theme of today was feeling a bit lost. I'm not sure why, but I felt a tiny bit out of sorts today, possibly down to not being sure where I'd end up. I've done it before, but today seemed different for some reason.

Happily, I think I have arrived in a "good place". My room, like the town, is small and cosy with no fancy trimmings. And not to be silly, but I did take it as a good sign that there's a bar in town called Dee's as well as a hairdressers called Ann's. On my way out of town I'll be looking for an establishment called Richard's then it'll be perfect.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Sixty-Six

Distance travelled - 257 miles - Detroit Lakes to Ely, MN

State count - 26 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30, 8

*room switch

Sunday, 27 September 2009

Let The Rain Come Down, The Rain Come Down...

Sunday, 27 September 2009

Road Trip Day 39

Well, I got that break from my vacation today. Not that I stayed in or anything, I just didn't do a great deal. What I did do though was very satisfying... except for listening to the Twins lose on the radio.

Wildlife Refuges

I did a little research on the area near beautiful Detroit Lakes and I found a couple of Wildlife Refuges. The nearest, Hamden Slough, was not far from the highway, but sadly the refuge office was closed on the weekend. There were no marked trails so I took a little look around, saw a whole bunch of Egrets, one of my favourite birds, and plenty of lakes and then made my way to Tamarac National Wildlife Reserve, a little further out to the north-east.

As I drove there the cloud cover began to thicken and the local radio station was warning of incoming winds from the north-west. Those reports were correct.

I did manage to take a short nature hike in the woodland around the Visitor Centre then drove out to a 5 mile Auto Tour during which the weather really closed in. That didn't put me off though, if anything it made the drive more invigorating as the wind whipped the autumn leaves around.

Domestic Duties

By the time I finished the drive it was pouring down and the Twins were losing 4-1 to the Royals at the bottom of the 7th so I decided to compound the down feeling with a trip to Wal-Mart for Pop, Cheese, Milk and Bread Rolls plus Pop-Corn Chicken and Potato Wedges from the hot food counter.

I ate, watched the post-game wrap-up in ESPN Baseball Today then took a nap.

This evening I've done a load of washing and taken a swim and soak in the hot-tub.

Canucks

I'd been enjoying the bubbles for about 10 minutes when a retired couple from Canada came into the pool area and got into the hot-tub too. It's the first time I've had company in a hot-tub and after a few silent moments we got chatting about my trip, their trip, Canada, Americans, the economy and so on. It was quite nice really, but we did chat for so long I definitely overstayed the recommended 15 minutes.

Now I feel very rested and ready to drive further east tomorrow and see what the Duluth area has in store for me.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Sixty-Five

Distance travelled - 0 miles - Stayed in Detroit Lakes, MN

State count - 26 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30

*room switch

Saturday, 26 September 2009

Land of 10,000 Lakes

Saturday, 26 September 2009

Road Trip Day 38

OK, quick heads up, today was a driving day. A good day none the less, but I was on the road for a lot of it. That isn't going to stop me squeezing some Topography, Geology and personal History into my account of the day. So, let's go...

Long and Straight... The Sequel

Do you recall my blog post when I left Crater Lake? I included the heading "Long and Straight" and mentioned a 23 mile stretch with only one turn. I also mentioned that this might be as nothing compared to Nebraska. Well, I was nearly right.

Today I crossed the eastern half of South Dakota. The map shows a huge grid pattern of roads crossing each other every 20 to 30 miles or so. Almost the entire journey was made up of huge straights with 90 degree turns as I worked my way east, then north across the state. Here's a 47 miles turn free section I drove early in the day.

View 47 Miles in a larger map

Not Dull

These long straight roads across broad, flat farmland didn't lack a certain kind of charm though. For instance, I've not seen huge fields of Sunflowers before. Obviously they exist or where would all the sunflower oil and gerbil food come from? There was wildlife to see too with circling birds of prey and one stunning hawk of some sort which was posing magnificently on a rock by the road.

Sadly, much of the wildlife I saw had seen better days with a lot of roadkill including a skunk. I also fear I added to the roadkill count today. It was already too late to stop when I realised the scrap in the road ahead wasn't a piece of shredded tyre, and was actually a snake. I heard a double bump as I hit the snake and looked in my rearview mirror. The snake appeared to be writhing quickly across the road to safety, but I can't imagine it survived a hit from a Dodge charger at 67mph.

Roadshow

Here's a slideshow of a dozen shots I took today. They aren't all the same though. Some have telegraph poles; one has a truck in front and another even has 3 trucks coming the other way. Variety is the spice of life.

Roadside Art

I did see another possible nominee for the Roadside America website. Just outside Clark I saw some fairly clumsy but not ugly "sculpture" in a field, followed by an arrangement of 9 identical red cars.

Cool aren't they?

Half the States

This afternoon I entered North Dakota, the 25th state of my American Adventure. That's half the states of the union. I admit I didn't see a great deal of North Dakota, but I did at least get out of the car and touch the ground which is more than I did in Georgia... but I am still counting both in my total.

Across the Missouri River

Less than an hour later, I crossed the Missouri River into Minnesota, my 26th state and it is one I have been looking forward to for more than 20 years.

As many of you know very well, I am a huge Prince fan and have been since I first listened to a couple of albums in early 1985. Prince hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota so I have been curious to see the state and city which he grew up in; to see the influences.

Also, back in 1987 I started watching Baseball when it aired on late night British TV. I wanted to root for a team, so I chose the Minnesota Twins, based upon Prince's home state. That year The Twins won the World Series. I have supported them ever since.

Today when I arrived in my hotel I called the Twins box office and have secured a seat behind home plate to see my beloved Twins play at the home in the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome next Friday. 22 years I've waited.

The Geology Bit

I've driven through about 70 miles of Minnesota so far and it really is very beautiful. Known as the Land of 10,000 lakes, there are actually more than 11,000 lakes larger than 10 acres in size (thank you Wikipedia) and these are a legacy of Glaciation of most of the state.

Taking a Holiday

With sincere apologies to those of my readers who only get two days break each week, I have to admit I need a quick holiday from my vacation. I've driven a lot recently and feel a little tired. Nothing serious and I didn't feel fatigued at all during my 8 hours of driving today, but I do feel a little weary. So, having landed up in a very nice hotel in the town of Detroit Lakes Minnesota I have booked for tomorrow night too. I'll take it easy tomorrow, look around town and maybe take a short hike to take some bird watching in. Maybe I'll see a Loon.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 38 in a larger map

visited 26 states (52%)

Create your own visited map of The United States or Like this? try: Visited Countries

Stats - Day Sixty-Four

Distance travelled - 374 miles - Pierre, SD to Detroit Lakes, MN via the bottom right-hand corner of North Dakota.

States Entered - North Dakota, Minnesota

State count - 26 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30

*room switch

Friday, 25 September 2009

Into The Badlands

Friday, 25 September 2009

Road Trip Day 37

As I may have mentioned, my adventure is not all about scoring points, crossing things off a list and seeing everything. That said, some of it is about that and today I went to my Twelfth National Park. Yep, I've been to 12 National Parks, and I'm not including the National Monuments like Scott's Bluff and Devil's Tower.

Stripy

As with all the National Parks, Badlands has it's own unique features, but it is hard not to make comparisons to Grand Canyon when it comes to describing the general form. The formations of the Badlands were also formed by river erosion through coloured, layered rock.

The scale is entirely different, though don't for a moment think that the Badlands are small potatoes. As you stand on the rim looking down, the peaks and ravines plummet down to the plain below in dramatic fashion.

The erosion which caused these amazing forms continues today and the rim, or Wall, of the Badlands is slowly moving northwards. The rock being eroded away was laid down in a whole series of varied colour bands in buff, red, grey, yellow and even green layers.

In some places the bands are eroding over one another with colours bleeding down over the lower layers.

I spent most of the day driving the loop road, stopping at the turn outs and finishing off with a hike into an accessible area of the Badlands to get some invigorating hands-on with the rocks. I wonder if it's too late to study for yet another Geology qualification?

Wildly Inaccurate

Thinking back again to the planning stages of my trip, I predicted that the "Road Trip" back from LA to New York would be around 4,500 to 5,000 miles.

Wrong.

Central Time

Oh, and I lost another hour today as I drove over the Missouri River into Pierre, South Dakota where I am staying tonight.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 37 in a larger map

Stats - Day Sixty-Three

Distance travelled - 206 miles - Wall to Pierre, SD via Badlands National Park.

State count - 24 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309

*room switch

Thursday, 24 September 2009

Close Encounters

Thursday, 24 September 2009

I am listening to John Humphrys and James Naughtie on "Today" on BBC Radio 4 as I upload this blog. Familiar voices, but it sounds kind of out of place in deepest South Dakota.

Road Trip Day 36

So, yesterday I left you on tenterhooks... OK, maybe I made you slightly curious. I was back in Wyoming, 5 days after leaving the state behind. Why?

Well, during my research on the Mount Rushmore area I noticed a little marker, not far back west, just back over the Wyoming border labelled "Devil's Tower". Curious to know what it was, I Googled it and realised immediately that it was a must see destination on my trip.

Double Whammy

If you recall, I finished my blog yesterday with a note to say I was going to watch a movie before bed. I was especially keen to watch it as my main destination today features in that movie. Have you guessed yet? Here's a visual clue.

(Anyone who guessed that the movie I am hinting at is "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" can get lost!)

OK, enough already. Devil's Tower is the landmark which Richard Dreyfuss' and the other affected characters in Close Encounters of the Third Kind are drawn to and where the mothership lands at the end. Remember the bit where they play the little tune to the aliens then the missing people walk out of the spaceship and Richard Dreyfuss gets on board? That is set at Devil's Tower.

Today wasn't all about the movie trivia though. Devil's Tower is also fascinating from a geological point of view. The formation came about when molten rock intruded into the earth when the surface level was a mile and a half higher than it is now. In the intervening time, the soft, sedimentary rocks have been eroded from around the solidified rock revealing Devil's Tower.

The rock cooled extremely slowly allowing the huge, hexagonal columns to form. They are around 10 to 20 feet across making them the largest such columns in the world. The hexagonal shape is far from unique though. For instance, the Devil's Causeway in Ireland is made up of hexagonal columns formed when rock cooled, but they are considerably smaller.

So, Devil's Tower was a double whammy for me feeding both my Movie Buff and Geologist interests.

More Critters

Devil's Tower and the surrounding area was declared a National Monument back in 1906 and was the first of it's kind. Like National Parks, National Monuments are under the care of the National Parks service and their wonderful rangers. Nature thrives in the protected land and close to the entrance is an area called Prairie Dog City in which these super-cure little critters live in peace, save for the gawking tourists whom they pretty much ignore.

Another bonus today was the peace and tranquillity of the area. I walked the route around the base of the tower and was struck by how peaceful it was. There were a reasonable number of visitors today, but not so many as to mean there were not long periods of silence, except for the crickets, birds, squirrels and insects of course. I was blessed with another beautiful sunny day and Devil's Tower was a magnificent place to spend it.

May I See Your Licence and Registration Please?

Yep, you guessed it from the headline. I got pulled over by South Dakota Highway Patrol today. I was cruising along nicely just outside of Sturgis doing 77 in a 75 zone when I noticed the familiar shape of a Ford police cruiser grille behind me.

I was overtaking a truck at the time and when I pulled in from completing the manoeuvre the police car switched its lights on. I made a gentle stop on the shoulder, wound down both windows and waited with a smile on my face.

"How are you ma'am?" he asked nicely. "Fine, thank you." I smiled back. "May I see your licence and registration please?" "Well, I don't have the registration as this is a rental but here is my British Driving Licence" I said in my best English accent.

Anyway, we chatted for a while about my trip, he looked over my licence and rental agreement and then we cut to the chase (not literally you understand).

"Well, I just pulled you over to let you know that back there in Sturgis is a 65 limit. You are fine doing 75 here, but back there is 65." "Oh yes" I said "I use the cruise control. I don't have that on my car back in England, but I really want it." I said, not admitting a thing. "Yeah, great isn't it?" said the Officer. We laughed and he wished me a nice day. I said thanks and he went back to his car. I pulled away gracefully then accelerated to exactly 75, engaged the cruise control and didn't go a mile over 75 for the rest of the journey.

However, for the record, I know it's a 65 through Sturgis and I slowed down as soon as I saw the sign. I didn't go over 68 through the whole of the city. Still, I wasn't about to argue the toss over that with the nice patrolman.

In conclusion:

Yes, I am being careful
No, I don't speed like I have, occasionally been known to do in the UK
Yes, there is a different attitude over here and I respect it and obey the laws of the road
No, I'm not sure what the smell of burning is coming from the car, but I am 99% sure it's some of the tumble weed I ran over at Scott's Bluff a few days ago because I pulled some out but obviously not all

Peanut Butter Pie

Was delicious.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 36 in a larger map

Stats - Day Sixty-Two

Distance travelled - 162 miles - Sundance, WY to Wall, SD via Devil's Tower.

State count - 24 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*

*I checked in to room 115, but a noisy family checked in above and stamped and crashed on the floor so I asked to be moved and I am in 110 now.

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

Rock / Face

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

OK, Gonna try to keep it snappy today so no mention of complimentary breakfast today (which was rubbish... no butter for the toast. Sheesh!)

Road Trip Day 35

There are certain iconic images that I, and I suspect many people, associate with the USA. Empire State Building, Grand Canyon, The White House, Las Vegas and Mount Rushmore. I could have chosen many from a long list, but those are some classic examples and I crossed the last of those off today.

Not to say I am "finished" now, there's Chicago, Niagara, Baseball and... well, another 30 days of stuff to go.

On the Way

I didn't make straight for Mount Rushmore though, I had several things to do on the way... I plan this stuff pretty well in my humble opinion.

That said, the first stop was unplanned and only really on account of my sat-nav mistakenly thinking I could drive through someone's back yard.

I was just going to leave Hot Springs but the misdirection put me right outside their museum, so I thought why the heck not, especially as it was in a the former school and built of the same sandstone as most of the rest of the older parts of Hot Springs

The lady who collected my $5 looked surprised to see anyone. I think tourists are getting thin on the ground now we've passed mid-September. Even rarer are sprightly English tourists who have been on holiday for two months.

We chatted for a while then I looked around the three floors of assorted "Stuff". Less of a museum and more of a giant time-capsule the former classrooms were themed by music, glass, tools, beds and such. I dare say a good antique dealer would have had a great time and I enjoyed wandering round. It felt very "English" in a way. I could easily have been in Norfolk or Hartlepool.

Of the packed rooms, I found the 50 years worth of original High School Graduation photos brilliant. It seems that everyone who graduated in 1947 was at least 45 years old. The 80's were genius too including a guy whose name I really should have noted down, who chose to have his graduation photo done in full Cowboy regalia, leaning on a truck full of hay bales.

That's South Dakota for ya... and so is this cracking exhibit! Conjoined claves, joined at the brisket. The didn't thrive, bless them.

Windy

Did you think I had run out of National Parks? Not likely. Today's first proper stop wasat Wind Cave National Park which, despite the name, is more than just the extensive caves. Above ground is some of the little remaining Prairie land in the USA and I saw some more Bison and, for the first time properly, Pronghorn Deer. These are very pretty creatures indeed with little curly horns and the grace that Deer seem to carry themselves with. One even had the decency to prance across the road at a safe distance ahead of me in the most delightfully balletic manner.

The main attraction though, unsurprisingly is the network of caves. The park's claims to fame is that the caves are the most complex in the world, based on how many twists, turns and leads (unexplored passages leading off from the mapped caves) it has. It is also the 4th longest set of caves with 136 miles mapped so far.

Our tour was the less energetic, paved walkway type with the emphasis on the unique "boxwork" structures formed by calcite filling cracks which had been opened up by sitting groundwater. The caves do not have the big bang impact of Carlsbad Caverns, but the intimacy of the Ranger guided tour and small group I was in gave them charm.

Size Doesn't Matter

I had wanted to see Mount Rushmore before I saw my next location, but it made more sense on the map to go to Crazy Horse Monument first.

Crazy Horse is, essentially, the vision of one man. Asked by an Indian Chief to create monumental sculpture to "...prove to the white man that Indians have heroes too..." he set about the task of turning an entire mountain into Crazy Horse, on horseback, pointing into the distance.

That was about 60 years ago. So far there is a face, a bit that shows where the horse's head will be and a hole cut to start the arm off.

The original artist died in the 1980's and work since has been carried on by his wife and 10 children. They had so many kids deliberately to increase the workforce... seriously! And it's not through lack of efforts that the work is still in the relatively early stages, it's the scale that is the problem. In the picture above, the spec I have arrowed is a mechanical digger.

Now, here's my issue with the sculpture. If a mining company were to effectively destroy an entire mountain there would be outcry. However, this grandiose statement is clearly located as close as conveniently possible to Mount Rushmore to deliberately stick it to the man. Now that sentiment is understandable given the way the natives of the North American continent were treated over the years, but his lacks, well, it lacks "class".

Something less vast, but elegant, accessible and that could be finished within reasonable time-scale might have been better. Apart from anything else, the site has to be viewed from so far away that you lose all sense of scale. Still, that's just my two-cents and please do not interpret it as anything other than a critique of this particular endeavour.

Here's the working model that it is intended to look like when completed.

The Main Attraction

So, to where I began, the icon that is Mount Rushmore. My approach from the west meant I travelled through some great countryside, and through mountain which make you understand why at least two sets of people have decided to carve people into them. The soft shaped outcrops and bluffs do look a little like heads and faces.

I got a sneak preview of the main event with a side-on of George Washington.

I was fortunate to catch a very enthusiastic Ranger leading a tour of the monument and enjoyed the extra insight that these expects so often give. As for the monument itself, it was everything I had wanted it to be. Four giant faces carved into a mountain. The original purpose was to attract tourists to the region, but this rather materialistic motive was turned into a more poignant and lasting fixture by the artist.

I'm very pleased to have seen it for myself.

Welcome (Back) to Wyoming, You Guys!

I'm back in Wyoming tonight. Right up in the north-east corner. Why?

Stay tuned.

Oh, and it's not just because I wanted a better road sign than the little one in Yellowstone.

Now, I must go as I want a shower before I watch a movie on the DVD player I have borrowed from reception here.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Sixty-One

Distance travelled - 146 miles - Hot Springs, SD to a mystery location in Wyoming via Wind Cave, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore.

State count - 24 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226

Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Over The Horizon

Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Oddly, I got to my motel tonight feeling tired, but wondering why as I thought I hadn't done much today. Well, having just spent a couple of hours on my blog, I realise it has been a packed day with plenty to talk about and so much to remember. My entries are not usually this long...

Road Trip Day 34

I had another day of widespread stops planned today and managed to get going at a reasonable hour, thanks in part to the hotel complimentary breakfast stopping at 9:00am rather than the usual 9:30 or 10:00am.

Main Street America

In England we talk about the "High Street" to mean the main shopping street and commercial district. In America the equivalent phrase is "Main Street". Here are a couple of shots from "Main Street" in the small town of Gering, adjacent to Scottsbluff. It's just one of the beautiful western towns I have passed through recently.

Unfinished Business

My last stop yesterday was at Scott's Bluff, but I arrived shortly before they would close the road up to the summit, so I drove straight up. By the time I got down, the museum and visitor centre had closed. As I am trying to pick up some American History as I go along, I wanted to visit the museum so returned this morning.

The story of how The West was discovered, mapped and settled is very interesting and I have spent much of the last couple of days on or around the Oregon Trail. The museum was very interesting featuring stories of the various groups of settlers, and then prospectors passed through these lands as well as the natural history of the region.

A second room of the museum featured the story and works of William Henry Jackson, a photographer and painter who was part of expeditions which explored The West. I've seen him mentioned in several places over the last couple of weeks, most notably in Yellowstone where I learned it was his photographic evidence which swung the decision to make Yellowstone a National Park.

His paintings are very attractive too, with an unfussy, but not plain or simplistic, style. I took my time browsing the museum and gallery before heading away from Scottsbluff to my first new sight of the day.

My Own Roadside Contribution

After yesterday's semi-success with the Roadside Attractions, I was really pleased to find something today which might qualify. I was in the tiny town of Minatare in Nebraska on my way to the Post Office when I came upon it. The town is dominated by the Minatare Feedlot Inc. factory and at the front of their lot is this huge bull, emblazoned with the banner "Beef. King of Meats".

I think he's really cute, but he looks a bit miseable which is probably because he's being used to promote eating beef.

State Symbol

Like Scott's Bluff, the formation of Chimney Rock is due to the erosion of the plain around this rock which is a remnant, protected by a stronger cap rock.

So iconic is Chimney Rock to Nebraska, that it is used to represent the state on their Quarter (25 cent coin). To explain a bit more, in the late 1990's the first of a series of 50 special Quarters was issued. 5 or 6 were issued each year with a different design for each state. The coins were issued in order of the date the states joined the Union. They are in general circulation and I am collecting them, trying to get one for each state now that the whole series has been issued. Here is Nebraska's quarter, followed by my photo of Chimney Rock taken on this rather overcast morning.

Another Attraction?

I'm not going to submit this one to the website, but on the outskirts of Bridgeport, NE is the place where farm equipment goes to die. Laid out in fields outside 3 or 4 different vendors are the parts and carcases of tractors, farm implements and assorted trucks and a few school buses. The parts are very colourful and laid out by category. The row of rear axels was particularly pretty.

Only In America

Sometimes you see something which makes you say "Only in America". Carhenge is such a thing.

It is exactly what you think it is. A recreation of England's Stonehenge made from cars. It is a great creation, and clearly from the minds of some highly imaginative minds who may, or may not, have been influenced by exotic cigarettes.

This photo of me between two of the "stones" was taken by Kurt, a very kind and welcoming native Nebraskan who, like me, was visiting Carhenge for the first time. We talked for ages, exchanging stories of me travels in the USA and his in the UK. My enthusiasm for America is matched by his for the UK.

Cheers Kurt!

Over-reaching

I was hoping to squeeze in a final visit of the day to the Agate Fossil Beds, where a significant number of pristine early mammal skeletons have been found. I made it there, partly by following a 6 mile dust road that my Sat-Nav refused to believe I could travel on, but I arrived just as the visitor centre was closing.

The friendly Ranger there did let me watch the 12 minute movie and take a quick look round, but I didn't get the full picture. Also, by now, I was feeling a bit tired and with the wind blowing strong and cold I decided not to follow the two mile trail but to drive on to my motel in Hot Springs instead.

As I travelled north from Agate, I crossed into the 24th state of my visit. Doing my best impression of Kate, my tour guide for the three weeks of TrekAmerica, I yelled out "Welcome to South Dakota you guys!" as I crossed the border after first stopping for the obligatory state sign.

Fire in the Sky

The Great Plains give the biggest, flattest horizons you can imagine. You can genuinely notice the curvature of the earth. The overcast cloud cover of earlier had begun to break up and the way the cloud base curves away over the horizon was very apparent.

An amazing upshot of this was that there was a phenomenal sunset tonight. A huge sky, patches of rainfall and broken cloud were the perfect ingredients. I hope these photos go some way to show what I saw. (I have only seen them on my tiny NetBook screen so you are seeing them properly before me. I have uploaded them in large size to PhotoBucket and added links so you can see them properly).