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And on the Seventh Day, God (and Gerry DeMan) rested.   It is EXTREMELY unusual for Gerry to take off a playing church Sunday — In our 31 years of marriage, he’s always had a full time job AND a church playing job, and I can count on one hand the number of times he’s taken off.  This trip was one of them … we left on a Monday, and returned on a Friday, so he only missed one church weekend.

Our reason was the best:  We visited our friends, Catherine and Carl Turso, and their daughter, Margaret.  Catherine sang in our choir in Rutherford for a dozen or so years … I attended their wedding ceremony, and when Margaret was born a few years later, she became a sort of choir mascot, accompanying her mom more often than not to Sunday Mass, sitting in with the choir peeps.  Over the years, we’ve met Catherine’s parents on several occasions, so it was delightful to see them again, too.  The families have combined under one roof for the last year, and we were so blessed to have the opportunity to visit!

(***THIS IS _NOT_THE MULLALEY / TURSO HOME … THIS IS THE “CAMOUFLAGE” HOUSE, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE CHURCH!!  LOL)

Their home, in which Catherine’s mom, Alice Mullaly grew up, is in a rustic, farmland area, and is as lovely as it is comfortable.  I wish I had gotten a photo, but please know that our impression was wonderful. We were introduced to their completely sweet and meaningful dinner ritual: before saying grace, everyone at the table joins hands, and says something that they are thankful for that day.  Simple, but heart rendering!

Gerry may have taken off playing on Sunday, but we did go to church on Sunday at 8:30 Mass. (and … upon hearing that the piano player occasionally doesn’t show for Mass, G. offered his services!  LOL)

After Mass, it was off to Jacksonville (Oregon, not Florida 😉 ) for brunch.  Funny thing:  We got to the establishment around 10 minutes before 10 AM, and … ::drumroll:: it wasn’t open yet!  That one tickled me.  I must be pretty spoiled by NJ diners and bagel shops, most of which probably open at 6 AM, if they’re not open 24 hours! 🙂

 

 

 

We tooled along the Main St. for a few minutes before joining the brunch queue.  Newsflash … it was GERRY who suggested the next pose for Lulu, while in Carefree Buffalo (the vintage General store.)

LOL  Lulu went along.  She’s a good egg.  🙂

After brunch, we went somewhere I never thought I would: to a Civil War reenactment in Oregon (!!)  Catherine’s parents, Larry & Alice, are very active in their local Historical Society.  One of the historical properties to which they are connected is a place called Hanley Farm, where all sorts of different events are held, including a music festival Alice is organizing in a few weeks.

The third year for this Civil War event, we visited on a day when the temps were in the 90’s, and the Mullalys were disappointed at the lack of attendance.  The event itself, however, was really well put together and entertaining!

Margaret milked a (fake) cow …

The girls played dress up in the Civil War clothing tent …

 Oh, yes!  Lulu, too!!! 🙂

This now iconic photo is many thanks due to a kind stranger who snapped it!  (we lost G. to the bathroom during this session.)

There was a blacksmith, with whom Margaret was enthralled!

He even fired & created a piece JUST for her!

The field was the locale of the war reenactment …

… but the combination of the low attendance, the heat, and the fact that the Civil War guys had been up the previous night until 2 AM assisting on a film shoot and were on the crabby & obstinate side, we really didn’t see any reenacting.  Nonetheless, pleading my, “I write a travel blog” case, the hot & crabby reenactors obliged me with a Lulu photo:

Mr. Crabby on the left:  No way could we rush the cannon in this damn heat.  Or hold that doll.  Or smile.

Mr. Crabby on the right: All’s I need is my Jack Daniels and my gun!

Lulu: Lolo, HELP!!!  These guys SCARE ME!!

(LOL)  It really was great to meet them.  😀

Just before we left the event, we were treated to a wonderful musician, who played Civil War-era songs on the banjo.

Larry’s going to be unhappy that I cannot recall this gentleman’s name, but he was definitely a highlight of our time revisiting the Civil War years!

The the series of events that comprised the last part of our Sunday will require its own post, therefore I will end here!  Happy traveling, all!

 

 

I wish!  LOL  Day Six was another long day of driving, but please remember: the drive WAS the destination for us in many ways.  It’s just that this day held another 488 miles of driving.  Not nearly as arduous as the Keystone to Salt Lake City trek, but a day of little else but driving nonetheless.

The first leg was from Boise to Bend, Oregon for lunch, and that drive took a little more than 5 hours.  First surprise: The rock faces and winding roads I expected to see in Wyoming and Utah finally showed up in eastern Oregon!  This photo was pulled from the internet, but is fairly accurate showing the EASY part of the drive.

There wasn’t much room to pull over, but we did manage to get the state line shot with little Lulu!

I took the two shots above from the road … tried to get a glimpse on film of the gorgeous white capped mountains we were seeing along the way.

Shortly after passing into Oregon, we went through the small seemingly “Deliverance”-esque town of Vale, and saw

(Thankfully, no sign of Norman or his mother at THIS Bates Motel!)

We arrived at our lunch spot, McKay’s Cottage in Bend, OR at a little before 1 PM (having now crossed into Pacific Time).

Sweet place … good food!

We proceeded to drive south on Route 97, and continued on our way to Central Point.  During those 3 hours, I saw so much of this:

I was prompted to remark later to the Oregonians, “I can see where Oregon got its license plate design!”  (Seriously, probably almost a hundred miles of this.  Pretty!  But … nuthin’! 🙂

We were so close … within 15 minutes away … when Google Maps decided to poop the bed on us!

Ugh!!  The Google Lady was about 4 miles and a few steps ahead of us!!  When you’re on the same highway for 200 miles, that’s no biggie, but when you’re trying to make the last several turns at the end of a long journey, and she’s telling you to “Turn left here!” and it’s a fenced-in cow field, that is NOT helpful!  We finally had to pull over, and restart, and success.

Very shortly thereafter, we pulled up to the home of our friends the Tursos and Catherine’s parents, the Mullalys!

(This isn’t actually their house … LOL  … this is Mt. McLoughlin, which can be seen — from a much further distance — from their back picture window!)

I must begin with my check-in from Facebook from this evening.  The announcer spoke those words over the P.A. … “And the game time temperature is one hundred and two degrees!!”  It was close to 7:30 PM.  (Yikes!)

We we there to see the Boise Hawks, a Class A team affiliated with the MLB team, the Colorado Rockies.  There are 5 other minor league teams that are connected to the Rockies … AAA is the best (Albequerque Isotopes), AA next best (Hartford Yard Goats), Advanced A (Lancaster JetHawks), then A (Asheville Tourists) , and finally A- Short Season, to which the Boise Hawks belong.  We gathered that Memorial Stadium must be used for lots of events aside from baseball, based on the sign at the entrance to the parking lot:

(LOL)

We found our seats, which were in the nowhere-to-hide-blazing-sun section, and I never would have survived there.  I scoped out where the shade was, and we got clearance to find a seat in the shade.  The usher, dressed in cut-offs & a bandana, basically said, “I don’t blame ya!  I’d move into the shade if I could myself!”

Once in the shade, the temps were tolerable, and we sat back to enjoy the game.   Early on, they introduced the mascot, “The Boise Hawks BIGGEST fan, Wingnutz Humphrey!!!!”, and driving in on a golf cart is this big orange hawk, wearing a green uniform and cap.  One of the team sponsors is a local chain of chicken wings restaurants called

…hence the first name for Humphrey.  LOL  (BTW, in researching the logo, I found that the Nampa, ID location of Wing Nutz got 1 star out of 5 on Yelp.)

The game was just fine, and a nice cross breeze began, so that it was almost comfortable! 🙂

The game was played against the Vancouver Canadians, and at one point during the Canadians’ turn at bat, the announcer said, “Now batting, Colon Large.”  No, no, THAT is what he said!!!!  People in the stands were more than chuckling over that one …!  TURNS OUT, the guy’s first name is CULLEN.  Cullen Large. (shaking my head)

In between just about every inning, the Hawks ran promotions and games on the warning tracks.  Around the middle of the 4th inning, they announced, “Well, folks, Florida has oranges, New York has hotdogs, but here in Idaho we have POTATOES!!”  They then introduced three mascots, The Tater Tot, the French Fry, and The SPUD! THEN, they announced that these three would RACE, from first base to second, and then from second to third.

High comedy, indeed!  (ps~ the French Fry had it all the way!)

Oh, I almost forgot to mention: It was “Free Grill Set Night” … the first 1,000 people who showed up received a free grill set.  Gerry thought they’d be giving us: but they ACTUALLY gave us something like: 

LOL  Since we got two sets, we gave the extra set to our hosts in Oregon!

But the piece de la resistance was meeting Wingnutz Humphrey!  The poor schmoe who hadda walk around in that suit, in the heat!, was wandering through the stands, high fiving and signing autographs.  He came over to us, and I said we were visiting from NJ, and gave me the thumbs up “Fonzie” stance!  LOL  He gladly posed with ol’ Lulu!

Thanks, Humphrey …. as I said to you on the sly, God bless you for being in that suit!!  🙂

 We decided to leave the game a little early, so we’d make it back “home” before dark.  BTW, good thing we did:  The game was tied when we left in the 7th inning, and I found out later it wound up going into extra innings, with Vancouver scoring 4 runs in the 10th and Boise lost. 🙁

Just as we were leaving, attendant at the gate presented us with coupons for a free ice cream at another local establishment …

Although we had neither the time nor the inclination to seek out a Freddy’s, it was a good ending to a fun night!  It was then time to hit the hay before another long drive … to Oregon!!

OK, confession time: When telling people about this trip, I would rattle off our locations, and the travelogue script went like this: “… and then we’ll go to Boise (Don’t ASK!!)” [inevitable chuckles]; or ” …and after Salt Lake City we’re going to Boise … because it’s ON THE WAY!”

Well, I’m here to COMPLETELY give Boise its’ due props!  Boise held many treats and unexpected surprises, and sort of really deserves to have people sit up and take notice!

I had many things on the itinerary for our one full day in Boise, but I was hesitant to jump in with two feet to the outdoor activities, with the prediction of 104 degrees in the shade.  I actually asked for the opinions of my Facebook followers … Should we stick to the itinerary, and tough it out in the heat, or bag the outdoor stuff and do outlet mall instead, or just relax & swim & nap in between the Peregrine Fund and the baseball game in the evening.  Thanks to 35 or so friends who played along, the “Swim & nap” choice won, by a LANDSLIDE (LOL — my favorite response was from my sweet gal, Sis, who hilariously suggested “to heck with the birds, and the game, too … swim and nap all day long!”), but we completed a combination of things:

We visited the Peregrine Fund, World Center for Birds of Prey.  It was smaller than I expected, and the Live Bird Presentation — which I imagined would be an outdoor flight demo — was a guy in a room, with 6-oz owl.  LOL  Nonetheless, I found it FASCINATING.

(From the top of the hill, with the entrance to the center behind me.)

Once inside, we saw several live birds on display:

Bald eagle

        

This isn’t the best photo in the world (below), but it was pretty impressive to see a California condor!

       

The interactive center was not only fully air conditioned, but was a field day for Lulu!

Thanks for playing our little game, there, Gerry!  Tell him what he’s won, Johnny! 😉

The Live Bird presentation … not sure who looks more excited.  🙂

We then proceeded to the archives (housed across the parking lot in another building.)  FYI, some Sheik donated a boatload of cash, and basically paid for the construction of the archives building, hence the Arabian display of falconry!

As we exited the building, Lulu spotted one more photo op …

(FYI, this is a bronze statue)

We hopped in the car, and proceeded to the Boise Old Penetentiary.  It’s got some historical significance, but I cannot explain to you what that might be, as we only took photos from the outside, and decided to forgo the indoor (NOT air conditioned) tour.

         

Next, it was off to the Boise Factory Outlet Mall.  (Anyone who knows me, knows I’d rather stick myself in the eye with a red hot poker than go to an outlet mall BY CHOICE, but anyone who also knows Gerry, knows HE’D like to shop for bargains ALMOST as much as watching the 7th Game of the World Series between the Mets vs. Yankees, so ….. I acquiesced.) 🙂

Not sure when this Factory Outlet Mall opened, but there are several buildings which could house 80 – 100 different stores.  There were _6_ open — all the rest completely empty of merchandise, or even signs or names.

No waiting!  Free Parking!

The only store we ventured into was the Wrangler / Lee outlet … I considered bowling a few strings, but I thought I might accidentally hit Gerry in the foot.  BEST NEWS: He got to see the outlet mall, and have his curiosity quelled, and the mall was a stone’s throw from our hotel, so very soon afterward I got to have my quite luxuriously long nap!

We skipped the Zoo in the heat of the day (and, yes, it DID get up to 104, … and don’t give me any of that sh*t about “a dry heat” … dry or wet, 104 is gross!!), and I also skipped the pool.  Heated, crowded indoor pool, kidney shaped, so no lap lanes … I was ALL SET!

Apres sleep, we were ready to travel to the baseball game … a thrilling nail biter between the Vancouver Canadians and the Boise Hawks!

As this post has run a little long, I will devote my NEXT post to the game experience!

 

(Trying to come up with a catchy title for the first post about Boise … found that the rock group, Lynard Skynard sang a song about 8:00 in Boise, Idaho … I dunno … )

On our way to Boise, we stopped for lunch in Ogden, UT, at a very cute place:

As the heat was still an issue (102), no one outside, and inside not much cooler, but we had a nice lunch.  Our waitress was more interested in talking about her grandson, and how she couldn’t wait to be off in two hours so she could flop into her pool.  It was here we found free copies of the local news magazine:

(SLUG standing, OF COURSE, for “Salt Lake UnderGround.”  LOL)

One quick snap of the pretty Ogden, UT scenery …

… and we were OFF TO IDAHO!

On the way out of Utah, I saw a sign for the Golden Spike Monument, and very seriously debated pulling off to see it.  Pictured below, I think that I made the better choice to SKIP IT, don’t you??  😉

(Yeah, that big stick between the two trains.  No denying the importance to the USA in building a railroad connecting East Coast to West Coast … but I’m all set with lookin’ at a stick. :-x!!)

A MUCH shorter driving day today, and before we knew it, we were at another state line:

(Lulu:  Who you callin’ Idy Ho???) just kidding …

A (relatively) brief 6 hours from our start at the Great Salt Lake, and we pulled up to our home for the next 2 days …

The Best Western, Boise, ID!  (looks a lot more rustic than it actually was … it was very nice!)  And best part of all .. thanks to my frequent use of Hotels.com, both nights were FREE!!!  Awesome!  And now, time to relax before our busy Friday in Boise!!

How does one recover from a long drive?  Well, step one: A NAP! (check!), and then, step two: a nice meal. 🙂

Having done my research rather thoroughly, I found a lovely place with a buffet, called “The Roof”, in Temple Square.

           

Determined NOT to drive another FOOT that day, I called for an Uber.  Problem: The driver was not very proficient with the English language.  I called for the car, and the app said it would arrive in 5 minutes.  While in the elevator, I received a text from the driver:  “Hi whe are you please”

I replied: Coming from room … on elevator

To which HE replied: “OK, I’m out”

I was fairly dumbfounded at that one.  I’m out, as in, I’m outta here??? , or I’m out, as in, I’m outside??  Ugh.  FORTUNATELY, before I had time to call for a new car, he pulled into the parking lot where we stood like dopes.  He didn’t understand a word I said in the car, but managed to pull up to the address of the restaurant.  It looks like a hotel from the outside, and he doubted that he had arrived at a restaurant, and asked me, “Is this it?”  I wasn’t sure, but said, “Yes.”  Then, he began to PULL AWAY FROM THE CURB! “YES!” I yelled, “YES!!!”  Couldn’t get outta that car fast enough …

The Roof, as it turns out, was INDEED lovely, and the food was plentiful and delicious.  The view of the Mormon Temple was amazing, and as we were there at sunset, the photo ops were spectacular!

  

Our waiter, Ryland, was sweet and very accommodating, and took our photo.

(not really easy to balance the light in the photo, but you get the gist.)  Forgetting that I was in a Mormon building, I asked for coffee after the meal.  D’oh!!  Ryland couldn’t have been sweeter when he very gently reminded us that they don’t serve any coffee. (against the Mormon way of life, dontcha know) [Me: “Oh, oooops.  Duh.”]  He was equally sweet when I inquired about touring around Temple Square the following day, and he actually said, sweet as pie, “Well, you’re not allowed to enter the Temple … only those worthy are allowed.”  Afterward I found myself wondering what my Mum would have said to that.  LOL

Just as we were leaving, the lights of the Temple (in which I am not worthy to enter) came on.  Beautiful!

Next day, up, free hotel breakfast, check out, and on to exploring Temple Square.  As we planned to stay in Salt Lake City for such a short time, I limited our exploring to that area only.  Of course, it was 100 degrees in the shade outside that day, so no one was arguing about ONLY Temple Square.  🙂  First stop, North Visitor’s Center:

This was the last in a series of 10′ x 20′ paintings … “The Ascension”

Up a ramp, with New Age calming music in the background, was this 15 foot statue.  Awe-inspiring …

Next, we proceeded to the world famous Mormon Tabernacle!

Impressive!  However, we did learn that the LDS Church has outgrown this wonderful building, and often turn to the Convention Center across the street (which holds 21,000 people) for larger events.

We moved on to the Assembly Church … the former & original Temple, where even the lowly Catholics such as myself are allowed to cross the threshold 🙂

The organist in his glory!  🙂

This statue is in between the Assembly church and the South Visitor’s Center.   Quite a depiction of the early Mormons.

(but … ummmmmm … don’t ask me who they are … :-/  )

Last stop in Temple Square was the South Visitor’s Center.  Here you can find a scale model of inside the Temple, if you’re curious about what exactly is on the inside.  (The slogan is “Sacred, not Secret”.   Whatevs … )

(Why do I imagine the young missionaries who greeted us getting out their Donny & Marie Barbie dolls and playing with this scale model after hours??  LOL)

While most of this experience needed to remain “Lulu Free”, we snuck Lulu into one of the scenes …

(Lulu: pssst! C’mon, Lolo, it says “LITTLE Cottonwood Canyon”! May I please get into the shot??)

Our time in Temple Square was coming to an end … Gerry went over to the Convention Center to see the organ there (I decided to stay in the car, and avoid the then 103 degrees), and we were off to our final stop in the Salt Lake City area, the Great Salt Lake!

I couldn’t fathom (sorry, bad pun!) being here and NOT seeing the Great Salt Lake!  About a 20 minute detour on our exit out of town, we were there quickly.  Only problem … in recent months there has been a severe drought at the lake (!!!)  There now is about a quarter mile beach / salt flat BEFORE the lake begins.  The briny smell in the area is nearly unbearable.  I quickly got my photo, and we were on the road again.

Next time … we end Day Four in our next state:  Idaho!

It’s a LONG WAY … no, a LOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNGG way from Keystone, South Dakota to Salt Lake City (Utah, just in case you weren’t sure.)  We left at 7:15 AM, and pulled up to our hotel at 6:45 PM.  I’ve been misstating the number of miles we traveled to some people … so let me clarify: the total number of miles traveled on this leg of the trip was …. ::drumroll::

::ring the bell, give that woman a kewpie doll!::

We made a few stops for the restroom … and of course the obligatory stops for the state lines … First up, Wyoming!

Again, I do blame sun glare, but these were the first attempts by our company photog…

      

This one wasn’t bad …

But, in the end, TEAMWORK prevailed … Gerry held up Lulu, and I snapped the picture!

I am quite certain that there are glorious parts of the state of Wyoming, and I’m not saying that what we saw weren’t, but I will say that we saw a WHOLE LOT of Wide Open Spaces. 🙂  The Wyoming I experienced on this trip looked like this …

and this …

with a whole lot of these …

       

Every so often, we’d see something kinda cool …

Or amusing …

(and, YES, it’s a real place: I looked it up later, and in 2010, the sign read, “Population 1”.  The town has quadrupled its population in only 7 years!!  LOL)

And we stopped for lunch at an adorable spot in the bustling metropolis of Casper, WY. (And you may hold all of the Casper the Friendly Ghost jokes, because I’ve heard ’em all from Gerry. 🙂

And the driving went on & on & on, until we made it to the Utah state line!  The kind folks of the Utah Highways provided a more than lane-wide shoulder to pull off.

Gerry: Wait! Is this an entrance ramp???

Me: No … it’s for doofuses like us who have to pull over to get the picture of the state line!

Lulu was as cheerful as ever to oblige!

This is my very first trip to ANY PART of the US Northwest, and I had certain preconceived ideas of what I would see once in Utah.  I thought I might see landscape like this …

or this …

or even this …

But, in reality, eastern Utah, leading to SLC was way more like this:

Many, many miles of this.  Not unpleasant … no complaints from us.  Speaking of many, many miles … the posted speed limit on much of I-80 in Wyoming & Utah was:

Yep.  80 mph.  I must reiterate here how GRATEFUL, GRATEFUL, GRATEFUL I was to have Gerry along to share the experience AND the driving.  NOT a luxury I had last summer, and given our traveling pace, truly a necessity on this trip.  It is my opinion, however, based on many  relatively local shared car rides in the past, and observing the speedometer while in the passenger seat on this trip, that ol’ Gerr just literally COULD NOT BRING HIMSELF to drive 80 mph.  He certainly kept up, and did more than his share of the driving on this leg, but once a Right Lane Driver, always one.  We arrived safe & sound. 🙂

And so … 11 1/2 hours after heading out … we pulled into the parking lot of the Crystal Inn & Suites in downtown Salt Lake City …

… and gave each other a High Five!

 

Yeah, so pretty much wherever you go, them 4 presidents smack you in the face — sometimes as cheesy as is shown above, outside a souvenir shop on the main drag.  Regardless, when you finally DO see the real deal, it is (in my humble opinion) rather impressive!

I specifically chose to go to the monument LAST … no special reason.  As we got off the 1880s Train, it began to rain, so it was back to the K Bar S Lodge for a nap.

A little bit later, thunderstorms cleared, and we ventured back out.  While I’m on this, when I researched the area & hotels, I found many, many motels & hotels … some ridiculously overpriced for what they were.  K Bar S, was about a half mile off the beaten path, but in a great & quiet location.  Highly recommend!

Here’s what I DIDN’T expect about Rushmore: You can SEE IT, up close & personal, big as Dallas from the road as you approach.  To come around a turn, and look up and see … 

…is pretty incredible!

We drove up to the entrance gate, and Gerry was thrilled to get the Senior discount on our entrance fee — ps~Parking costs $10 per car, and it’s good for … A YEAR.  LOL  With the discount (“Anyone in the car 62 or older?” Gerry raises his hand) it was only $5. (“Sometimes it pays to be old!” said Gerry).   As we parked the car, I was excited (.. no, REALLY! I was!) to finally see the thing up close, and I was not disappointed.

It was nice to have an additional person along on this year’s trip, not only for company, but also to help with the photography of Lulu. (LOL)  Gerry did a fine job of capturing Lulu & I, standing in front of the wall on the top level:

The first attempts at this money shot were somewhat less successful …

                                   

The first try got only half of Roosevelt & no Lincoln … the second try got only my shadow and his foot. (!!!!)  In his defense, there was a lot of sun glare … but it is making for some comical blooper shots along the way!! 🙂

We left the monument to have dinner, and do a little more touring around.  One stop in particular caught my eye …. it was a place that does chainsaw art, and they had several pieces on display.  Lulu had a ball posing with …

 

Mamma Bear  ………    the Eagle bench ………        Baby Bear …..

Rogue Teenager Dude Bear       ………     inside the mouth of Trout

                         

The Big Pig (or, was it “Alf”?)      …….                 and the Giant Chair

Can you spot her?  LOL  Later that day, we drove past this again, and I saw 7 adults piled on to this chair, but naturally Lulu got a solo pose!! 🙂

After dinner, it was back to the Monument for the evening flag lowering, and lighting ceremony.  Although no fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, the patriotic atmosphere was quite palpable.

When lit, it is quite stunning!  And after the flag is lowered for the day, all veterans and active military in the audience are called on to the stage to assist, and salute, while we all sang our National Anthem.

Quite a moving experience, and a great day!

Here is a small bit of the National anthem … couldn’t figure out how to make a larger file, but this will give some idea of what it was like to be there.

And this was only our first FULL DAY of vacation!!!  Tomorrow, it’s on to Utah!!!!!

Whoo hoooo!  First FULL DAY of Vacation!!  We were up & atom (Adam?) bright and early on Tuesday, July 4, and ready to explore a myriad of offerings in Keystone!

Yes, yes, Keystone, South Dakota is most noted for being the home of Mount Rushmore, but don’t be fooled: There is PLENTY to do in the teensy town of Keystone (Population: 527!), all geared to the tourist industry.  The Keystone Mercantile is one of many merchants and purveyors of local crafts, T-shirts, Native American fare, knives, and floofy doofies of all sorts.

The town has exactly one traffic light, and you can see one car stopped at it in the distance.  The area has a Disney-esque feel to it … and if that idea horrifies you (LOL), I simply refer to the fact that it is very clean, family friendly, and although I’m certain that every person we encountered certainly don’t work for the same company, they were all uniformly friendly, accommodating, and welcoming.  No Mickey Mouse or Goofy anywhere, FYI. 🙂

Our first stop was purely for a Lulu photo-op … we had absolutely no intention of partaking in mini golf this trip, but I’d found this place early on in my research, and vowed to get the following shot:

Awwww, Lulu … you’re not a holy terror!!!  LOL

Our next stop … a mere 15 minute drive away … was Rushmore CAVE, actually in Black Hill, SD.  Only connected to the chiseled presidents by name, this is a natural cave through which several types of tours are conducted.  Gerry & I only qualified for the walk-through tour (LOL … more later on that.)

  

As we were the first ones who showed up (at 8:00 AM on July 4) … and ummmmm … the ONLY ones who showed up at that point, our delightful tour guide, Ethan, brought us on in to the cave.  Let me just say this about that: The cave was a FASCINATING place to visit … and it took it outta me.  (Seemed to have taken it outta Gerry, as well)  No rappelling involved, but MUCH climbing of stairs and rock formations.

   

 

Ethan, our guide, was full of very valuable and interesting information.  He pointed out purple streaks on the rocks are magnesium oxide, caused by people touching the rocks and leaving oily deposits from skin.  We were, therefore, charged with NEVER touching the rock formations, but rather only the handrails.  This proved impossible, but Ethan saved the day by saying, “If you feel yourself slipping, don’t take one for the team, put your hand on the rock.”

Some of the formations were really gorgeous!!  Below is a formation called a “column.”  These form when a stalagtite (which grows down) meets up with a stalagmite (which grows up.)  The only reason it broke is because the ground underneath shifted and settled, causing the bottom half to pull away.

Lulu and Gerry got all tuckered out (yeah, me, too  LOL)

As we ascended the final ramp toward the exit, Ethan mentioned two other cave exploration tours available … both requiring not only to crawl on one’s hands & knees for a few hours, but also to squeeze through rather small areas.  I actually laughed out loud when he was describing.

You’re a good sport, Ethan!! 🙂 

Lulu got a sticker, AND met a new friend! 🙂  Below is the “Squeeze Box” … if you can squeeze through these openings, you’ll fit through the various tight squeezes on the Adventure & Mystic tours.  LOLOL

LOL  No.  We didn’t.

Next it was back to the center of Keystone, to board the 1880s Steam Train, but not before Lulu met another new friend in one of the shops on Winter Street.

(Scariest damn mannequin I’ve ever seen!)

The train is quite darling … chugging through the South Dakota countryside, as the announcer points out a number of geographical and historic facts.  You ride from Keystone to Hill City (10 miles away), and then back again.

All in all, a wonderful start to July 4th!

Next up … we FINALLY arrive at the National Memorial!!

Welp … after a REEEEEEEAAAALLLLLLLLLY long travel day … and currently on our third Time Zone in less than 24 hours … we’ve arrived at our hotel in Keystone, SD!!

(I will have to insert photos another time, because I am currently having difficulty uploading on the “super fast” Wifi at our hotel.  LOL …**Adding now – 7/6/17)

Having arrived at Newark Airport a little bit after noon for our 2:45 PM flight, we eventually found ourselves seated near our flight crew, who were discussing (what else?) the fact that our flight would be delayed (!!!)   Nonetheless, look who was excited about the trip!

All worked out well, however … our boarding was delayed by a few minutes, but our arrival on Leg One (to Chicago) was right on time!

And what a lovely blessing:  darling daughter Mary met us in the baggage area, and brought some homemade chicken salad sandwiches and fruit!!

   

We had a nice long visit (yes, in O’Hare baggage claim, LOL, but it was spacious and quiet! 🙂  We had three hours between landing, and Leg Two (to RAP) taking off, and it was great to see my dear daughter’s face & give hugs!

Lulu was so pumped after seeing her sister, she played a game of Candy Crush at the free Ipads.  (She had to explain it to me … LOL)

We arrived at RAP (Rapid City, South Dakota, for those who mayn’t know) at around 8:45 PM Mountain time (by then 10:45 PM according to my body clock), collected our bag from the teensy baggage claim area, and walked 11 steps to our car rental counter.  Our vehicle, in which we will spend the next 12 days, is a Ford Fusion (a hybrid).  VERY nice.  

A Ford, with the last digits on the license plate: 58.  (Fun fact: My maiden name is Ford, and I was born in ’58. 🙂 )

The drive to our hotel was about 40 minutes … As we are in this part of the world to experience Mount Rushmore in Keystone, SD, the closest major airport is Rapid City, that distance away.  Really got a taste of “God’s Country” on the drive … even a dusk the landscape was gorgeous, and peppered with fireworks displays going off in various locations as we drove.

We ALMOST MISSED — OK, I drove past it, and had to turn around and go back!! — the K Bar S Lodge, home for the first 2 nights of the trip.  Very rustic, and no such thing as a neon sign here, son!!

(This is a daytime shot … at night you literally see NOTHING!  LOL)

Nice, serviceable, free breakfast, and really slow free Wifi.  What more could anyone ask??  Oh … well, how about a view of the dead presidents on the hill from our room??  Yup!!  Now … folks … don’t think full on, in your face Rushmore faces, but rather, “Oh! What’s that white blob at the top of the mountain in the distance?”  😉

(Zoomed in!!)

Busy, busy day on July 4 … until next time!