The roaming bison gave way to grazing cattle on the wide open prairies of Wyoming and South Dakota. There are times when I see developers taking beautiful tracts of land and destroying them with acres of cookie-cutter houses and feel saddened to see the open places disappear. Well, Wyoming is in no danger of losing its openness, nor is South Dakota. Oh no. There seems to be plenty...ad infinitum. Nice.
We drove past an open-pit coal mine in full operation, (using conveyor systems like the ones Jake designs) and then watched trains over 100 cars long leaving the plant filled with coal while equally long empty trains chugged back for refills. The trains are so long and so heavy they all had an engine pulling one end and another pushing at the other end. We realized the trains were going to Newcastle, Wyoming. Hmmm, coal to Newcastle?
We are in the land of the Lakota and the Sioux. The Crazy Horse Memorial, being carved and blasted into a mountainside has been "under construction" since 1948. The progress seems slow until we reflect on the sheer magnitude of the project. When completed it will be five times larger than Mount Rushmore.
We hadn't planned on visiting Mount Rushmore, because we've been there, but we were so close we decided to stop by. We walked the Presidential Trail which took us closer to and directly below the carvings with a view directly up Jefferson's nostrils. A totally new perspective. I noticed a prominent slab of rock next to Lincoln that seems to be a perfect site for another presidential head. It seems an ideal spot for the addition of our first black president. Just a prediction.
Badlands National Park, or Les Mauvaises Terres as the French explorers named them offered several interesting walks. The best was the Notch Trail taking us up a vertical ladder to some rocky ledges that delivered spectacular views of the very distinctive, craggy rock formations. My paranoia kept me from loving the hike. The area is posted with warnings for rattlesnakes. Just too hard to worry about a snake encounter and enjoy the scenery at the same time. We saw mountain sheep, deer, and adorable bunny rabbits which did help assuaged the snake concern.
Driving the freeway we encountered a Road Runner. The feathered kind. Good omen.
Congratulations to Mary, KSPS Volunteer of the Year!
Odometer Running Total: 1643
States: Wyoming, South Dakota Total: 5
Love your prediction for Mt. Rushmore!
ReplyDeleteMust be exciting seeing such a great monument as Mount Rushmore. I don't think that extra slab of rock is for the current President. It might be President George W. Bush. Many thought he was a "rock"
ReplyDeleteall pictures:that looks cool! I wish that I was with you. I can't wait to see the next pictures and the next adventures. Love, Sean xo
ReplyDeletegsyhix,wlqkkuwqjsmkqsjskpqils^qpopwùmmm@<n<b<hhw!! anna love anna nana brokaw mommy sean daddy buelo michou
(Anna typed her message all by herself, as prolific a typist as storyteller!)
PS. That "conveyor belt" of coal is part of a network that provides 50% of America's electricity, which helps the US maintain its position as the world's second largest greenhouse gas emitter. Of course, the top position was only very recently relinquished to China - building more than two new coal fired power plants a week.
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