Hotrod Power Tour 2022

 Tomorrow I start the adventure!  Unfortunately my 1966 Mustang had issues and will be staying home.  I'll be taking the 2014 Mustang convertible.  Not a bad second choice!

Today is packing and getting ready.  I hope I don't forget anything.

June 4

So the first issue I had was I did have a list so I didn’t forget anything,  But I did. My insulin.  So this Renee bringing my insulin to me.  :(. 

Stevens pass still has a lot of snow!

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The Wenatchee river was very high and rapid due to the increased snowfall we experienced this year.  I saw some kayakers and rafters going through some rapids.  Beyond  my comfort level.

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The canyon the Wenatchee river runs through is beautiful.  Just a few years ago a fire went through and you can see some of of the burnt trees left. But all in all, it has recovered well.  

This fruit and vegetable stand east of Leavenworth is a favorite of Renee and me.  The warm peanuts are awesome!  

While driving across northern WA state you could see fields that are bright yellow.  It looked like someone cut a hole in the clouds and the yellow fields were bathed in sunlight.  In looking this up online, it appears that these are fields of canola plants. Beautiful!

June 5

My drive started out in heavy rain.  Drove north from Coeur d’Alene to Sandpoint, then followed Highway 200 southeast through the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.  With the rain and the clouds it was a surreal experience.  I chose smooth instrumental jazz as my background music and that in combination with the rain, the low set clouds with the mysterious forest surrounding me made for a relaxing and meditative experience.  At one point a bald eagle flew overhead with a meal in its talons.  

Just before the Montana state line I came across a rock quarry that had greater than 100 old cars guarding the perimeter of the quarry.  These guardians have been there a long time as evidenced by the rust buildup present.  Oh the stories they could tell if they could talk.  There were no identifying signs to describe the company there.  I talked to a few locals in the next town I came to but no one had any knowledge of the reason for the car sentinels.  It will remain a mystery.

A few miles further down the highway I came across another collection of old cars.  These were in better shape however and I suspect they are for sale.  I was excited to see this blue 1967 Mustang with baby moon chrome wheels nestled between the Plymouth and the Thunderbird.  Baby moon chrome wheels!!!  They were popular when I was in high school.  I don’t think I’ve seen a car with them since then.  What a treat!

In the pouring down rain I encountered this sign.  I’m pretty sure the Forest Service is correct with this rating.  However, they probably weren’t able to use “non-existent” due to the fact there are too many letters for the small sign.  😂

Once I crossed into the state of Montana, these crosses can be found along the edge of the road.  They are placed there by a group that marks the site of a highway fatality.  A sad reminder of how fleeting life can be.  

Driving through the western part of Montana I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the country and thinking of how this used to be home for Native Americans.  Thinking of a time when these roads weren’t present and the Native Americans lived proud and free here.  I also was thinking of the tragedy inflicted on the Native Americans by the western movement of the white people.  How the Native Americans were killed, their land taken from them and were forced to live in reservations.  It is very sad.  

Gas has been cheaper so far on this journey.  This is the lowest price I’ve paid so far.  

A sidebar on my car.  It is a 2014 Mustang with a V6 engine.  Very powerful for being a V6.  Rated at 305 horsepower.  0-60 time is 5.8 seconds.  All very good and fast.  But so far on this trip I’m getting 28-31 mpg even with the performance this car provides.  Very happy with my Mustang!

Arrived at a friend and colleague’s house.  Tony Woodward and I are veterinary dentists and have been friends for years.  He just finished building a 3000 sq ft house at the southern edge of Bozeman.  It is a beautiful house.  And I just realized I never took a picture of the outside of the house.  His dog Bella is very sweet.  As you can see, she even has her own chair!  Tony and I ate dinner (barbecued steak, salad, green beans and red wine) on his back deck and talked until after 11:00 pm.  It was good to catch up and renew our friendship.  

June 6

In the morning we had coffee and breakfast out on the back deck.  Then it was time to start the next day of my adventure.  Off to Rapid City, South Dakota!

It was very rainy for most of the day.  There definitely is a downside to touring on a motorcycle.  Trying to keep dry and warm in a tent in this rain…….not for me.  

The drive today was mostly rain, moderate to heavy, wind, lightning and thunder.  I tried to capture some of the lightning on my dash cam but I can’t seem to import it to be shown here.  But it was spectacular.  The thought did go through my head when the thunder and lightning appeared to be directly above my of how safe is a convertible in a lightning storm????

This is the land just north of the location of the battle of Little Big Horn.  In this battle the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes defeated General Custer and the 7th Calvary Regiment.  

Eventually the weather did clear up with some sunshine appearing.

This was my first exposure to antelope!  Sadly I also viewed some that were dead along the side of the road.

Tomorrow?  Mount Rushmore and the badlands!  

June 7

Today was sunny!!!!!  What a great feeling!  I started the day with a nice walk.  Went to have the free breakfast at the hotel.  Big mistake.  No protein food of any kind.  Lots of carbs though.  I’m a sucker for “make it yourself” waffles.  Only ate one.  Remember I already walked?  Still spiked my blood sugar to a high level.  Oh well, not again.  

Started my day by filling up with gas and getting a cup of coffee from Starbucks.  Then it was off to the Black Hills.  It was amazingly beautiful.  Spectacular homes, many hiking trails, beautiful woods.  And the roads.  They were in perfect condition.  It would seem to be that these roads are fairly new.  

My first stop was Mount Rushmore.  As we all known, this sculpture is the carved images of 4 Presidents.  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.  The artist, Gutzon Borglum, chose these Presidents that represented, in his opinion, the most important events in United States history.  

Second stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This memorial is on private land and was started in 1948.  The finished sculpture will be Crazy Horse, the war leader of the Oglala Lakota tribe, riding a horse and pointing to his tribal land.  The sculpture was started in 1948, some 74 years ago.  Will it ever be finished?  Who knows?  I’m sure I won’t be around to see the finished product.  

Along with the beautiful forest, amazing sculptures, wildlife was also seen.  This guy stopped traffic for a bit before he decided to leave the road.  

The last portion of the day was traveling Highway 44 to Platte, South Dakota.  I’ve included a lot of pictures but I just want yo demonstrate how absolutely beautiful this state is.  As an added bonus, I was able to have the convertible top down for most of the day.  It was so spectacular!  

Just before I reached the Badlands, I was cruising on Highway 44 at 65 mph with the convertible top down, enjoying the sunshine, drinking my Starbucks coffee and rocking out to Barry Manilow.  Then I noticed something in the road.  It looked like a turtle.  So I flipped a U turn and went back.  Sure enough, it was a turtle, sunbathing on the center line.  It was the safest of all places to be if you were on a highway but, getting to the side of the road was a high risk proposition.  So I helped him get off to the side of the road.  He appeared more annoyed with me rather than being grateful.

This was something that is not typically seen.  A deer carcass was on the side of the road.  A turkey vulture was sitting on the carcass while his two buddies were hanging out on the fence.  Made me rather think of the vultures in the movie “Jungle Book”.  “What do you want to do?”  “I don’t know, what’s do YOU want to do?”  Turns out one wanted to eat and the others just wanted to hang out.  A little further down the road I saw another turkey vulture sitting on a fence keep its eye on a small rabbit-like carcass on the road.

Here are my accommodations for the night.  I had dinner at the pizza place next door.  All you can eat buffet.  The salad bar was good actually.  The rest of the available food was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and pizza with massive amounts of cheese on them.  I was the second youngest one in the place.  

The hotel is old but nice.  I asked the clerk if their coffee is good.  He said “Yes. We get a lot of compliments about it.  We use Folgers”.  Oh well.  Looks like a morning tomorrow without a good cup of coffee.  There are 3 coffee places in this town.  I may try Dutch Oven Bakery and Coffee Shop and hope for the best.  

June 8

Let’s start by talking coffee.  I went to the Dutch Bakery and Coffee Shop.  Nope.  Not only was the drip coffee not great, they were out of the regular so I mixed decaf in with it.  Not good.  The people were nice though and I liked looking out the window while I drank the coffee and ate my muffin.  There was a group of older men (older than me) at a table enjoying each other’s company a lot.  I actually read about this group when I was reading the reviews.  

Thankfully a couple of hours into the drive I found a Starbucks in the town of Yankton.  After getting a proper cup of drip coffee, I went to a park on the banks of the Missouri River and ate my lunch.  If you turn on the volume for the video you can hear the numerous birds singing.  

The scenery today was pretty monotonous. However, I don’t want to say it was boring or ugly, it was beautiful in its own way.  Quite flat.  Once I made it to the eastern side of South Dakota (and continued into Nebraska and Kansas) hills were present and more green appeared.  There were quite a few beautiful churches in the towns I passed through.  I included the picture of the piece of farm equipment going down the highway.  I was thinking a British MG or a Karman Ghia wouldn’t have to pass it on the left.  They could probably go underneath it with room to spare.  

I found this bit of wisdom in South Dakota.  In the middle of nowhere, it may be one of the most insightful political comments I have ever seen.  

In the town of Fairbury, just north of Kansas on Highway 15 I found a delightful coffee place,  After reaching the town, I googled coffee shops.  Only 3 came up, one of which was McDonalds.  But this place came up as a women’s boutique and coffee shop.  Good thing I knew that.  When approaching the store, you entered and walked through a selection of women’s clothing.  The coffee shop was in the back, not very obvious.  The barista was very nice.  Her name was Ashley.  I asked her if the drip coffee was strong or average,  She said she would rate it as average.  She recommended the “Red Eye”.  This is a cup of drip coffee with a shot of espresso added.  So I got the Red Eye and a biscotti,  The coffee was amazing!  She asked my story and so I told her of my journey.  She was a good listener and at the end of the conversation said she would pray for me.  One thing I have noticed in the Midwest.  The people are very nice and friendly.  Saying hi to me as I walk, waving, smiles.  It has been very refreshing.  Also, the subject God and church is very open and on display.  Many billboards saying Jesus loves you, etc.  

        

                                                                                                

When I was a freshman in vet school, I went with 24 other veterinary students from WSU to the SCAVMA convention at Kansas State University in a yellow school bus. SCAVMA is the student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  40 hours of driving I believe.  I developed my diabetes shortly after the trip.  (Another story).  Anyway, when at KSU I met a student from Illinois, John DeVries.  We became friends and are still friends to this day.  While we were there we went for a drive in his car to explore the countryside.  We came to a town called “Flush”.  I remember 2-3 churches, a couple of bars and a gas station/minimart of the old, run down variety.  John and I went in to get a soda,  They were kept in a cooler like ice cream is seen at places like Baskin and Robbins.  After making our selections, the woman wiped the dust off of the top of the cans before giving them to us.  It was so cool!  So today I thought I would visit Flush again.  I found the road but the town is gone. All the buildings but one church have been razed.  Replaced with new buildings.  Very sad but it has been 40 years.  

June 9 

Today was a warm and beautiful day.  I checked out of my hotel in Manhattan and of course, stopped at Starbucks to get my morning coffee.  The top was down, I was wearing shorts, sunscreen applied, sunglasses and baseball cap in place.  I do love eastern Kansas with the rolling hills, pasture land and fields.  

 

I was traveling down a highway with very little traffic. I crested a hill and found a place to pull off.  I got the WSU folding chair from my trunk and set it up.  Sat down, drank my cup of coffee and relished the wind, sunshine, birds singing and the cows across the road mooing,  It was so relaxing, it was like mediation in the countryside.  After my coffee was done, I reluctantly put the chair back in the trunk and started driving again.  

I crossed over the state line into Missouri south of Kansas City.  Missouri turned out to be more difficult to travel the small highways.  In the previous states, I could get on a highway and travel for a long stretch.  In Missouri, the road set up is more square requiring changing to different highways frequently.  My solution to this was to ask Google Maps to take me to a small town 20-30 miles away, then repeat the process at each town.  My first stop was to a small town called Harrisonville.  At the center of the town is the town square.  The building in the center is the courthouse.  It was built in 1897.  There is parking around the perimeter of the courthouse and stores frame all four sides of the square.  At one corner is the Brick House Coffee Bar and Eatery.  I stopped in for lunch and coffee.  I had a cappuccino and a seasonal salad with chicken.  The two baristas were very outgoing and we talked about my trip.  I asked them where to go in western Missouri to see cool things.  They were of the opinion that there really isn’t anything cool to see in western Missouri.  The server on the left is married to an Air Force soldier and they are moving to South Carolina.  She asked my what I thought of South Carolina as a place to live.  I told her I’ve never been there but I’ve heard it is nice.  I did refer her to Nicholas Sparks books as they are excellent resources on South Caroline.  😅. For those of you who have never read his books, they all seem to be around South Carolina).  The Notebook is one of his more famous books.  While I was eating my lunch a woman came out saying she heard me ask of what to go visit and she recommended the Ouachita forest and mountains in Arkansas.  She and her husband have been there multiple times and she says it is a very beautiful area.  So that will be on the list for tomorrow.  

The next stop was in Clinton.  Similar to Harrisonville, there is a town center with a courthouse and parking and stores surrounding the building.  At this point I wanted something cold to drink but didn’t want caffeine. I found a coffee cafe in one of the buildings by the courthouse.  A delightful older lady was serving the drinks.  Do you have decaffeinated tea?”  No we don’t.  Not enough demand for it,  Do you have mint tea?  Hadn’t even heard of it.  Do you have decaffeinated coffee?  No, we don’t have enough people wanting it.  So I decided on regular iced tea.  Do you want it straight or blended?  What do you mean by that?  Most people like sugary tea mixed in to the regular tea.  So I had my tea straight up.  

As I continued further south, I found the Montrose lake and Conservation area.  In the early 1950’s a utility company bought around 4000 acres of land to build a coal fired electrical generating plant and to create a 1600 acre lake to provide water to cool the plant.  The lake and surrounding area has been turned over to the state for public use.  The warm water that is put back into the lake has created an environment that resulted in good fishing, especially for catfish.  After hearing stories about the poisonous snakes that exist in Missouri, I did not get too close to the brush along the water’s edge.  The mosquitos did find me however.  

The countryside of Missouri differs from eastern Kansas in that there are a lot of trees.  I am not a tree expert but the most common tree in western Missouri is the oak tree so I’m assuming that is what is pictured here.  It reminded me of the vacation I took in Cancun B.C.  (Before Children). Renee and I rented a Volkswagen bug (and that trip is a story unto itself).  But driving in to Chichen Itza I was amazed at the amount of trees and that they all looked the same.  I don’t know what I thought a jungle looked like, but I didn’t expect a huge mass of identical trees.  Looking at these trees I felt the same similar in height and appearance.  

While driving down the highway I came upon a senior couple sitting out under a large willow tree in their yard.  We shared a wave as I drove past.  

Next stop was El Dorado Springs.  This town took the center of town setup to a new level.  The courthouse was there but the building was in a lowered area with a fabulous park and flower garden around it.  Many chairs were set up so I’m assuming small concerts are held there.  

For my night’s stay I chose Branson.  My hotel is across the street from King Kong.  There is a restaurant by the hotel that the people behind the counter recommended highly.  The people behind the counter were very much senior citizens.  This comes into play when I describe the menu of the restaurant.  

I chose to sit in the bar rather than being seated in the main restaurant,  After perusing the menu, I found two food items that were not fried.  Can I see your wine list I asked.  Nope, we don’t have one.  We serve beer.  We have a Cabernet, a Merlot and a Chardonnay.  What made this even funnier is that the wine was boxed wine.  And…..one of the waitresses from the restaurant area had to come back to ask how to spell the three wines they serve because she had patrons asking questions about their wine selection.  So I chose the Cabernet hoping for the best.  This was what they brought out to me, must have been half of the box.  Taste you ask?  I only drink 3-4 sips and gave up.  I did have a nice grilled pork rib with salad and asparagus.

June 10

Today I crossed the state line into Arkansas.  

There were a lot more trees than I saw in Missouri.  Very green with farm land interspersed.  I found myself constantly being amazed at all the beauty of the landscape.  

 

The next part of the journey was driving through the Ozark National Forest.  It was everything I had hoped it would be.  Beautiful mountains, a blue tinge to the mountains further away.  My only complaint is that the road did not have any scenic views, turnouts or even shoulders where I could pull off and enjoy the view.  

I found many of the church signs to have thought inspiring comments.  

Here is a gas price I haven’t seen for a while.  

   I stopped at another great small town coffee cafe and enjoyed a Chai iced tea.  I talked to a man to ask for the best route through the Ouachita mountains that I will be traveling through tomorrow,  He told me any of the routes were great.

                                                                        

My initial plan was to spend the night in Booneville and head through the Ouachita mountains the next day.  But I found out Booneville only had one motel and appearances were that I felt I wanted to stay elsewhere,  I ended up driving west to Fort Smith on the border with Oklahoma.  I stayed at a very nice hotel in the King suite,  Only $129 and it was a very nice room.  Due to the length of the journey I had the oil changed in the Mustang at Jiffy Lube.  Very nice people working there.

Dinner was across the street from the hotel at the Fish City Grill restaurant,  Excellent fish tacos!

June 10

The following day I traversed the Ouachita Mountains.  Frankly, I was a little disappointed. I don’t know if the road I took was less scenic but although it was nice, I was under impressed.  The Ozark Mountains, in my opinion, were by far the best of the two.  

I have a friend who has a Mustang named Steve.  I didn’t realize you can also call a church “Steve”.  

June 11

Not a lot of excitement today.  Did my laundry and played Ms Pac-Man.  Played this game a lot in college.  Was pretty good at it.  Did ok today.  Made it through the two pink levels, the three blue levels and into the red levels.  High score around 79,000.  (All that info is for anyone who played Ms Pac-Man)

June 12

Arrived in Memphis!  Did I mention it is HOT!!!  High 90’s with humidity.  Renee told me she was wearing a sweater and a down jacket back home in Woodinville.  Met up with my son Brandon.  We went to the world’s largest Bass Pro Shop.  It was absolutely amazing!  In the facility is a shooting range arcade, restaurants, fish, alligators, and of course, plenty of sporting gear to purchase.  There also is a hotel inside.  With balconies overlooking the store.  Wow!    It felt like I was at Disneyland’s California Adventure.  I did buy a baseball cap.  

We ate dinner at the Flying Fish restaurant.  Such a feel of the south.  We both had fried catfish jambalaya.  I had a mango margarita.

Afterwards we talked down to a street that was closed off for pedestrians walking, interacting with street performers.  We stopped at a beer restaurant and listened to a blues band.  
 

June 13

Ok, to start with it is still very HOT here.  We waited in a line for about an hour outside in the 90+ degree heat before finally making it in the air conditioned building.  We found out after we reached the building because we have the Platinum package we could have skipped the line outside.  Oh well.  Once inside, the AC was great.  But it was still an hour or so before we finally made it to the desk to get our credentials.  It was worse for people later in the day.  I heard stories of waiting outside (and it was hotter as the day progressed) for up to 4 hours.  EMT people were treating people for heat exhaustion.  

There was a dinner included in the Platinum package.  It was at Graceland!  We got to eat a buffet in a room with many of Elvis’ cars.  Very cool cars!  Ferrari, suicide door Lincoln Continental, Dune buggy, many others.  The man lived a life of excess!

After Graceland, we went back to Beale Street where some of the cars from the Tour were being displayed.  It was great fun with the cars and all the energy of the businesses and the people walking around.  

On the drive back to our hotel, the moon was out and beautiful!

June 14

Tuesday we drove from Memphis to Nashville.  It was fun following classic American muscle cars on the road.  

Brandon enjoying the cars parked at the venue.  

June 15

Today we traveled on to Hoover Alabama.  More great times of being in line with classic cars and more.  As you can see from the in car thermometer, it was very hot.  We are traveling with the convertible top down until around noon, then when it becomes so hot we put the top up and appreciate the AC.

Here are a few pictures of some of the amazing cars at the venues. Hundreds of cars are here.  All the way from rusted out rat rods to very new fabulous sport cars.  

This is a Camry dragster.  Not your mom’s grocery getter!

This was really unique.  A mid 1990’s Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon with a trailer made from the same car type.  This has to be on the top 10 cool chart for cars here!

 

Tomorrow we head on to Pensacola.

June 16

Traveling down to Pensacola today.  The countryside was beautiful again!  This video shows a line of cars I was a part of.  So much fun being part of a group.  

After checking in to the HRPT venue, we set up at our hotel and headed over to the Pensacola beach.  Had dinner at a tropical styled restaurant called Shaggy’s.  Sitting outside having dinner.  It felt like we were in Hawaii!  The two circular boats out in the water are boats you can rent to eat dinner, have drinks while out on the water.  Looks very fun!  Brandon decided to go for a swim in the Gulf of Mexico.  He said the water was bath water warm!  

June 17

 

Today is the last day of the Tour.  I drove today.  The other 4 days Brandon drove.  So not as many pictures.  Ok, NO pictures.  My bad.  This is a video that my wire Renee took as Brandon and I entered the last venue in the convertible.  So, what happened today?  Leaving Pensacola I was in a 6-7 car group.  The group was led by a 1969 El Camino.  The next 5 cars in line were Mustangs, from the Fox body to new.  It was AWESOME!  We were traveling at speeds of 80-95 miles per hour.  The best feeling ever!  BTW, in case anyone is interested, gas MPG does decrease when your speeds increase.  It was amazing!  We arrived at Pensacola, visited the vendors again, collected our Long Haulers plaque (for people who did the whole Tour), then went to our hotel.  Renee joined us at this point.  It was a great end to a great Tour!

June 18-19. 

When I was still practicing veterinary dentistry, a group of 8 veterinary dentists and their spouses formed a group that met yearly in a vacation location to discuss business ideas and spend time together.  We called ourselves the Veterinary Dental Business Group.  This group lasted over 10 years and we forged long lasting relationships with each other.  It was incredible that we all got along together and treasured the times together.  After the Tour fathered couples from the group got together at a members lake house on Lake Martin in Alabama.   We ate food, sat on their deck, went for boat rides and just enjoyed each other’s  company.  It was amazing.  

We hiked an area by the lake and climbed to the top of a previous tower that was used for spotting fires in the forest.  

Oh, the boat rides.  Mike and Erin took us all out on Lake Martin for rides including a sunset ride.  It was beyond incredible. We are all so thankful for Mike and Erin sharing their cabin and boat with us.  Memories that will stay in our hears forever!

June 20

Bloody Sunday.  March 7, 1965.  a protest led by Hosea Williams and John Lewis led black peaceful protestors on a march from Selma to Montgomery to protest the violation of the civil rights of the black community.  At the east end of the Edmund Pettus bridge was a group of white people consisting of sheriff officers, deputized individuals and state troopers.  As the black protestors march peacefully across the bridge, they were attacked by the group of white people and viciously beaten.  This event led to President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act.  

Renee and I visited this bridge and the town of Selma.  I was surprised at the emotion I felt touching the bridge and remembering the brutality that the black people faced.  Renee and I had a chance to talk to Mr George Sallie, one of the participants of the march.  He showed me the raised scar on his forehead where he was beaten with a club.  It made me realize the importance of each and every generation to understand what oppression the black people have undergone over the life of the United States.  Today this racist oppression of black, Hispanic and Asian people still is present.  We need to teach our children of our past to understand the importance of realizing that ALL people are equal and should be treated as such.  It makes me remember the sign I say at the concentration camp in Dachau Germany in 1985.   “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. 

We spent the night in Clinton Missouri.  We stayed at a hotel that had a decent barbecue restaurant within walking distance. At this restaurant we had a delightful server named Makaylah.  She is going to start schooling at a culinary school I believe is in Columbus.  Her goal is to become a chef of multiple areas but she has a special interest in wedding cakes.  Her enthusiasm and passion was contagious and I feel she will be very successful in her career.  

June 21

We started our day with breakfast at the southeastern staple “Waffle House”.  Unknown to me, they serve America’s best coffee!!!  Made me think of the movie “Elf”.  The coffee seemed more like a cup of Denny’s coffee.

Upon leaving Clinton, we crossed this lake with these cool trees growing out of the water.  I don’t know the name of the tree, but I have seen them in movies set in the Southeast.  Very cool!

We crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas and stopped at this rest area.  What a beautiful and awe inspiring river the Mississippi River is!  Thinking about paddle boats, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer and all the other things associated with this area.

Renee and I spent the night in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  It felt very much like a coastal town in California.  These pictures is from the roof top restaurant in the hotel we stayed.  Beautiful view!

June 22

Today’s journey took us through the Ozark mountains again.  This time, the road we traveled allowed us to see more of the beauty of the area.  

We ended our day at the final home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almonzo Wilder.  The farm is called Rocky Ridge Farm.  It was so incredible to walk through the homes and realize that they lived in these homes.  They sat on the furniture, cooked on the stove, etc.  What an incredible writer she was.  

June 23

We spent the night in Springfield Missouri.  Found part of Route 66.  Fun to see this.  Bucket list includes traveling Route 66 from Chicago to California.

Our route took us by Harrsionville, MO where I had lunch on my way down to the Hotrod Power Tour.  Renee and I stopped in and had lunch.  Much less hot than the first visit.

As were traveled up the highways to Sioux City, Renee and I stopped at Osceola Cheese along side the road.  Renee posed with the Osceola mouse!

In this area of Missouri there is an Amish community.  Occasionally the Amish can be seen on the 65 mph highway with their horse and buggy transportation.  I was wondering how difficult it is to train the horses to not shy with the passing traffic.

That night in Sioux Falls we had a very nice dinner sitting outside on the banks of the Missouri River.

June 25

Today we went to the Badlands.  Emphasis here:  This needs to be on your bucket list!  What a fantastically beautiful area!  We saw the beautiful scenery and prairie dog towns.  Should be a must see for everyone!

Leaving the Badlands we went to the town of Wall, the home of the famous Wall Drug Store.  Enormous store with anything touristy you may ever want.  We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and wandered through the stores.  Picked up a few items we decided we must have.  I suspect when we get home we’ll wonder why we purchased them.  :). 

When we got back to Rapid City we headed to the downtown corridor.  They have a vibrant retail core and many people were seen walking, shopping g and playing. The corners of the streets have statues of 42 of our Presidents.  Renee and I walked around trying to see how many we could identify.  Not a great total, I think we accurately identified 30%.  One of them, Martin Van Burien, was the subject of a report that Renee did in 5th grade.  She identified him from a long way always due to his signature sideburns.  We sat by a downtown park with cappuccinos.  Very pleasant day!

June 26

Today’s adventure was going to Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monuments.  They were very impressive.  What a tremendous amount of work needed to accomplish this work.

The Crazy Horse monument.  

After leaving Crazy Horse, Renee and I went to Custer and had lunch at a delightful diner.  We sat upstairs to enjoy the day.  A bit cool (so weird to say that’s after the last 2 weeks).  

After touring through Cluster State Park, we stopped at the tourist town near the monument.  We sat in the sun on Adirondack chairs drinking iced tea.  I played a game of chess on the large set.  I couldn’t find anyone to play so I loaded up a game of 30 minute online chess and moved the pieces to play.  I won!