A Cross-Country Driving Trip in Our Morgan
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The Hendersons The rest of the way home |
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A Cross-Country Driving Trip in Our Morgan |
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Thursday, July 27 - Des Moines, IA to Ainsworth, NE It wasn't supposed to rain today, but we got only a few miles from Des Moines and once again were in thunder and lightning showers. My goodness, have we ever had weather on this trip. We chose Ainsworth, NE because it was a reasonable distance from Des Moines. The countryside of the two states is quite pretty - still lots of corn!, but we are now ready to go home and would turn Moggie into a Star Trek type transporter if we could. Ainsworth, NE is very small, rather dusty, and doesn't have a lot to offer, but it did put us that much closer to home. Friday, July 28 - Ainsworth, NE to Custer, SD and a visit to Mount Rushmore Miles and miles of farmlands, then up into the Black Hills and into Custer, SD. We found a place to stay, then headed out to Mt. Rushmore. I had recently read a book ":Great White Fathers" about the carving of Mt. Rushmore, so I was anxious to see the monument close up. On the way there, we passed the Crazy Horse monument - I am convinced that this has got to be one of the greatest boondoggles in the history of the US. The artist, and now his widow and children, carry on his work about 60 years after the project began - of course, they are always asking for money to complete the monument, which I read bears little resemblance to Crazy Horse. Talk about a full employment bill. We did not choose to pay the admission fee to help fund the on-going efforts - instead we shot a picture from the highway.
Mt. Rushmore is quite another story - for one thing, it was completed in a relatively brief period of time, although at twice budget. Borglum, the sculptor, employed some interesting and innovative methods to achieve the end - such as using dynamite to carve vast portions of the monument. All in all, it is very effective and respectful of the men it is portraying. Once again, the National Park Service has done an exemplary job in managing the site.
Saturday, July 29 - Custer, SD to Sheridan, WY with a side trip to Devil's Tower Devil's Tower is just plain strange - it rises out of the plain completely unexpected. I love the Indian myths about its beginnings - there are several, but one is that 7 sisters and their brother were playing, when the brother was suddenly turned into a giant bear. The girls tried to run away, when they were told by one of the gods to stand at this particular place. While they were standing there, the earth heaved up around them, thrusting them into the sky - the bear-brother tried to reach them (hence the claw marks in the side of the tower) but was not successful.
After Devil's Tower, we drove on to Sheridan, WY where it was 104 degrees. The country side wasn't all that pretty - rather bleak - and Sheridan is, well, kind of an ugly town. Each day we are more and more ready to be home. Sunday, July 30 - Sheridan, WY to Bozeman, MT We got on the road early because we were worried about the heat. We crossed into Montana and had breakfast at a little cafe in Hardin, MT - we felt really conspicuous - how many Morgans have ever been to Hardin before? The temperatures were cooler by about 8 degrees, but it was still hot. We found Bozeman to be pretty non-descript - lots of strip malls and fast food places. We did, however, find a pretty decent Italian place - Ferraro's - for dinner. After a couple of nights of mediocre meals, we were ready for something a little more satisfying. Home is sounding better each day. Monday, July 31 - Bozeman, MT to Spokane, WA What a change! It was 47 in Bozeman this morning, so we were bundled up and had the side flaps of the tonneau cover in place to keep warm. We got on the road early, as it is a long drive from Bozeman to Spokane. Much of Montana looks like Texas with hills, but the western part becomes much nicer looking. We were well along the way when Moggie developed a new sound. Her rear end clanked when we went over bumps. She didn't feel as if it was a major problem, but it was nerve-wracking driving her that way. Nevertheless we pressed on and when we got to Spokane and our digs I pulled the rear package shelf to take a look. It turned out to be a simple matter that I could jury-rig to get us home. As good as our meal had been at Ferraro's, dinner at Luigi's in Spokane was way better. We were very impressed. Tuesday, August 1 - Spokane, WA to home The last day's drive. It was also cool in Spokane, but we woke early and wanted to be home. Other than fighting wind a good part of the way, the drive was uneventful. We got home about 12:30 and found that this year the dandelions (multiple) in front of the den window were more like eight feet tall. Still, it was great to be home. The house plants all looked good, save one small one. The basil pots survived and the weeds were everywhere. Back to work.
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