Friday morning, we took off for the Keystone area of the Black Hills. We had some famous faces to see.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is an ongoing project that is more than just the carving of this famous chief out of a mountain. It’s also become a university and museum. There are many artifacts to read and learn about.

Then it was on to Mount Rushmore.

Have you ever wondered why it’s called Mount Rushmore, when it has presidential faces on it? Albert did, too, and asked around. It turns out there was a lawyer from back east out visiting the area. He saw the mountain and wondered what it was called. The Indians had different names for it, but nothing really official. The man’s last name was Rushmore, and he decided to claim the mountain as his namesake. He went back home and told everyone there was a mountain with his name on it, and it stuck.

Gutzon Borglum was the artist and sculptor for this project. Korczak studied under him and even helped with the carving of Mount Rushmore before taking on his own project.

After our fun day in the Black Hills, we headed to TeePee RV Park. Cute Bob and Peggy run the place. And their five cats…whose names include Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Bob is a real character, and loves to joke around. When you leave the RV park, there’s a sign you drive by that says “Toll Road”. He also told the boys they were to be leashed at all times and Albert and I had to pick up after them. Ean thought that was really funny. The park is for sale, by the way, in case any one is interested in owning one in Rapid City. After twenty-eight years of running the place, Bob and Peggy are ready for retirement.
That night, a huge windstorm blew through. It was shaking Big Boy as we watched COURAGEOUS. Several neighbors had tents pitched, and the wind was trying to tear them down. Albert and I along with a few others, went through camp taking down the tents and trying to secure the belongings of the owners. Most of them were gone to a concert in Sturgis. The wind was so strong, we had to fight it with all our strength. It was a new experience for us. Challenging, yet exciting. And thankfully, the next morning, no one had lost anything.

We attended the Rapid City SDA Church and at potluck, met a couple who winter in Apache Junction.
That afternoon, we explored around Canyon Lake Park.

Bob had suggested we visit the Chapel in the Hills. It was built in Norwegian tradition and is a work of art! No metal at all, just wood.

We ended the evening back at our favorite tennis/track park.
When our friends, the Fenzels, heard we would be in the Rushmore area, they said to be sure to visit Bear Country. Before leaving town, that’s exactly what we did!

Bear Country also has other animals…

Then it was on toward our next destination…

The Badlands look like they belong in a Doctor Seuss book. Before getting to them, you’re driving through flat praries or gently rolling hills. And then, all of a sudden, you start seeing these interesting shaped spires portruding up from the ground. And jagged, layered mounds. I’m not a Trekkie, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they filmed episodes out here!

After spending time out in the dry, hot Star Trek set, we headed for Wall Drug. The boys had to go there at least once in their life!

Rapid City was our final destination for a long weekend. That evening, we visited Dinosaur Park and while up there, spotted a beautiful park facility down in the valley.

We drove to the park and spent the rest of the evening playing tennis on their beautiful courts, running the track, and eating dinner. It was simple and lovely!

 

We began our week in a new state. Somewhere none of us had ever been before. Nebraska.

We crossed the border from Iowa into Omaha. We made one stop there at the Joslyn Castle. It’s been a part of the city since 1903.

Below are photos of what the home looked like when they lived in it.

Eleven months after construction first began, the Joslyns moved in! Amazing, even by today’s timelines of home building. Be sure you’re sitting down before reading the next sentence. Are you sitting? All the wood used in the home was brought in in plank or beam form and hand-carved and fitted right there during the building!! And all within that eleven months!!! They had artisans from around the world working on their home non-stop. The locals said it was like a busy ant hill. If you’re familiar with the story of Solomon’s temple being built in the Bible, with thousands of workers working, it was probably like that on a smaller scale. The staircase in the bottom left picture is made of Spanish mahogany. That wood is no longer available anywhere in the world, and their whole dining room and foyer are made from it. The top right photo is made from wood found in Thailand. All the carving is so intricate — and it was done by hand!! In eleven months!!!!

There were so many details everywhere. These are ceilings in two of the rooms

This light fixture is also original to the home. And the front door weighs 1800 lbs!!

The home across the street from the castle (below), belonged to a high-ranking military official. There was a tunnel running underground between the castle and this home. The military man let George in on news right when it happened, helping George become a newspaper mogul. The right photo shows a brick street in front of the castle. I’m sure George and Sarah rode their horses on it.

Before leaving Omaha, we made sure Mel got her time at an off-leash dog park.

She had a blast running in freedom and got so muddy, Albert gave her a bath. To help her dry off, we went for a walk. We’d heard some live music coming from somewhere and went on an expedition to find it.

We got back on the road and headed for Lincoln. There is another Advenist college there, Union College, and we were curious what it looked like. We’ve had several friends attend, but never had the opportunity to see it ourselves. The campus was very beautiful. So many tall, mature, shady trees. And there are several shopportunities across the street.

Our last stop was Camp-away Campground. The boys had fun playing basketball and climbing trees while Mel enjoyed some more dog park time.
The next day, we headed to the Sunken Garden. It’s a beautiful, Butchart Gardens-like oasis in town.

Next was a used book store. Dayne is still on the hunt for some special books, but alas, just a few days earlier, they’d sold several books to another boy. But we found some other treasures, including some new friends. The bookstore people were so friendly and kind.

It was lunchtime, which meant Valentino’s pizza. When my sister and I were younger, my mom had a friend who was from Lincoln. She’d always rave about Valentino’s pizza. When coming to visit in CA, her mom would sometimes bring a Valentino’s pizza on the flight. I’d always wondered if pizza could be that good. Thankfully my sister reminded me where we were, in Lincoln, home of Valentino’s. Oh, yeah! We’ve got to try it! So we visited the University of Nebraska campus where they have a Valentino’s in the student food court. It was yummy. I could’ve eaten two more slices, but the one was delish. The crust was so soft and filling. The sauce just right. And they aren’t skimpy on the toppings. It was well-covered. Every bite was tasty. I’d take it on a plane!

Outside the Student Center, they also had hammocks. The boys really enjoyed them!

We felt the need, the need for speed, so we made our last stop at the American Museum of Speed.

It is filled with three floors of the Smith family collection. Some of the cars and other items are on loan from other owners, but most of it is from the life-long passion of Bill “Speedy” Smith’s collecting.

Albert enjoyed being on a tour given by Duane. Duane also has a passion for sharing his years of experience of being around cars. They also have working machine shops in the museum, as shown below.

The boys and I decided to skip the tour and do our own thing, so Albert could enjoy listening without feeling like he was keeping us. We found plenty to do, including some racing of our own. And we found some relics from the past.

We drove out of Lincoln and spent the night in Mason City. The boys had already gone to bed by the time we pulled in after midnight, and Albert and I were looking forward to hitting the hay for some deep sleep. Alas, it was not to be.

Across the street from the park, you couldn’t help but notice this adorable, old building. It has a beautiful new black metal roof and an artistic metal sign out front. I thought it was a restaurant. I told Albert I was going to walk up and take some pictures of this beautiful structure and be right back. Famous last words.
As I rounded the corner, there was a friendly woman taking items from her car into the store. We got to talking about this beautiful structure and I asked when the store would open. Come to find out, this was no store, but her studio! She asked me if I’d like to come in for a look around. Um, yes, please!! The next half hour was so fun. Lisa has such a beautiful collection and sells around the world. The most beautiful part was her warm and welcoming personality. She’s in the process of rebranding, but if you’re into Peruvian photography (she was delighted to meet Albert) and other unique international pieces, look for Chasing the Rosetta Sun online later down the road.

After our visit with Lisa, we continued on down the country road. It took us through Broken Bow, NE. Doesn’t that name just ooze coolness?! It was the largest town we drove through, and Albert found a fun community water recreation center. We spent a couple of hours there.

Our day ended just across the South Dakota border in Martin.