Where in The World Are DD And Daro? JULY - SEPTEMBER 2017 Where does the July 4th Travel Group go for the 4th of July --- to Deadwood, South Dakota; where else would they go to celebrate? In the past, The 4th of July Travel Group has visited Las Vegas (twice), Reno, and Biloxi. So what is the common denominator for visiting these places? You got it gambling; we might need to call Gamblers Anonymous (1-800- 522-4700). Yes, Deadwood, SD has gambling. Deadwood was well-known for the gold rush of the 1870 s and was considered the Wild West where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane lived, died and are buried. Its proximity to the Homestake Mine, the nation s most productive gold mine for over 100 years, brought all types to Deadwood. But by the late 1980 s, the gold-fueled rampage was grinding to a halt. The community leaders got a constitutional amendment to allow limited stakes gambling on the ballot in 1989, and the voters overwhelmingly approved the measure. Over the years, revenues from the town s 80 gaming halls have turned Deadwood into a national template on how to restore and rejuvenate towns with a past. Actually the gaming halls are very small and we decided if you have one slot machine, you are a gaming hall. The casinos occupy the old downtown hotels and stores. July 4th in Deadwood, SD (population 1,270) welcomed 5,000+ tourists from all over the US, a 4th of July parade with SD governor candidates, firetrucks, motorcycle performers, and fireworks. I had forgotten how much fun a small town parade can be. Deadwood is centrally located to all of the sites we wanted to visit and all within a 2-3 hour drive. Sites such as Crazy Horse Memorial; Custer, South Dakota; Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway; Needles Hwy; Mount Rushmore (a perfect July 4th place to visit); the Badlands; and little towns such as Keystone, Lead, Spearfish, Sturgis, Rapid City, Wall, and Cactus Flats. Each area was small and historical with its own story. The smallest town was Keystone with 337 people, but a large summer and winter tourist attraction (fishing and camping in summer; skiing and hiking in the winter). The largest town was Rapid City with a population of 73,000+ and the only regional airport around that area. And we also ventured over to Wyoming to see Devil s Tower. We called the week The Red, White and Blue Tour. And I promise we did more site seeing than we did gambling. Here is our July 4th Travel Group. Left to Right: Bubba and Barbara Hutto, Belinda and Tommy Gaines, Daro and DD, Leslie and Dick Ward
Things to see in Deadwood include: Historic Downtown with gunfights every couple of hours, Adams House (past mayor s home as it stood in 1936), Adams Museum (artifacts of Deadwood s notorious past), Mt. Moriah Cemetery (burial place for Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane), Days of 76 Museum (rodeo museum) and old hotels, saloons and brothels. Downtown Deadwood Getting Ready for the Gunfight On Main Street Saloon Where Wild Bill Was Shot Saloon Where Wild Bill Ate His Last Meal???? One of our tour days included an all-day trip to Crazy Horse Memorial; Custer, SD; Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway; Needles Highway; Mount Rushmore and Keystone, SD. Crazy Horse Memorial is the world s largest mountain carving in progress, standing 563 feet high and 641 feet long. The dream began in 1939 when the Lakota Chief, Henry Standing Bear, asked Korczak Ziolkowski a sculptor, to create a memorial to show that the red man has great heroes, also. The first blast began in 1948 and it is still a work in progress that is being continued by the sculptor s children and grandchildren. They do not accept government funding and the work continues through admission fees and private donations. I wondered why they don t ask all of the Indian tribes that now own casinos to make a donation?? Custer, SD, is the oldest town in the Black Hills and is named after General George Armstrong Custer yes, the Custer that was killed by the Indians at Little Big Horn. The town of Custer sits at the entrance of the 71,000 acre Custer State Park and its Main Street is a great place to shop for unique items, visit many galleries and eateries. It is also known for the Custer Stampede Buffalo Art Pieces standing proud along the street.
After we ate lunch in Custer, we headed out on a 70 mile scenic byway named for the visionary SD Senator and Governor Peter Norbeck (Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, also known as Needles Highway). The byway is considered a masterpiece of artistic engineering featuring spiral pigtail bridges, tunnels that frame the faces of Mount Rushmore, hairpin curves and finger-like granite spires that rise from the forest floor. You can often see buffalo roaming, white mountain goats, deer and elk. We were fortunate enough to see a herd of buffalo right next to the road. The road is a little scary but beautiful. Completed Face At Crazy Horse Memorial Outline Of Horse s Face To Be Completed A Couple Of Buffalos That Are Displayed Along Main Street In Custer
Can You See Mt. Rushmore in the Back? The Buffalo Bull Watching His Herd Once we made all the of hairpin curves and passed through one lane tunnels we arrived at Mt. Rushmore. It is an impressive view as you drive into the park. It was built as a tribute to freedom and democracy in America. The granite sculpture features 60-foot faces of 4 US presidents that played an integral role in the birth, expansion, development and preservation of the nation can you name the 4 presidents??? Between 1927 and 1941, Gutzon Borgium and 400 workers sculpted the colossal faces of the presidents with many obstacles such as harsh winters, inadequate funding, naysayer s and the beginning of WW II that stalled the progress. It is truly one of the wonders of the world towering 5,500 feet above sea level. Mt Rushmore was an appropriate place to be on the 4th of July.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln Our next site seeing day was a 20 mile scenic byway of towering limestone palisades, quaking aspen trees, cascading waterfalls, babbling brooks and hiking trails on the northern fringe of the Black Hills. We traveled from Deadwood to Lead SD and then to Spearfish SD on Highway 14A. Each small town had a history of mining and rejuvenation after the gold dwindled. These small towns are now places for outdoor fun, fly-fishing, turkey hunting, snowmobiling, golfing and hiking. We saw many spa resorts along the way. We stopped in Spearfish and ate lunch at the Bay Leaf Café which is a quaint eatery featuring home style comfort food. From Spearfish SD, we headed to Sturgis, SD. Now Sturgis has its own reputation beside gold mines--the Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. On August 4-13, Sturgis SD turns into a Motorcycle Mecca with 300,000-500,000 of your closets motorcycle buddies mobbing the town of 6,688 people. Sturgis also has a military history with Old Fort Meade that offers a museum that honors those who served in the days of the Wild West; a true step back in time.
The July 4th Travel Group Getting Into The Action With All Of Our Motorcycle Buddies Our 3rd travel day was to the Badlands a 32 miles byway loop on highway 140 between Wall SD and Cactus Flat SD. It is the most popular drive in South Dakota. It takes the motorist through another worldly moonscape marked by ragged ridgelines, saw tooth spires and native grasslands that support diverse wildlife including bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets. Before we turned off on highway 140 to the loop, w e visited the famous Wall Drug Store in Wall SD. The store survived the depression by offering free ice water to thirsty travelers making their way across the vast unpopulated South Dakota landscape from the east coast heading to the west coast (now called Interstate 90). Wall Drug Store has grown into the #1 Roadside Attraction in American and is internationally known. It offers a 76,000 sq. ft. building that has a wonderland of free attractions and photo opportunities. And yes, they also have lots and lots of things to sell if they don t have it, you don t need it as their sign proclaims. The population of Wall is 877 people and I think the majority of them work at the drug store. In fact, they hire international students from SD
University to work in the summer rush season and retirees that travel around the country in their motorhomes or travel trailers. In fact, I visited with one of the retirees and asked my teacher questions. How many people work there, where do they come from and etc? The gentlemen that I spoke with gave me the above information about the international students, but said since President Trump had limited foreign students from certain countries, Wall Drug Store was having a hard time finding workers. I don t think I would have wanted to go to Wall SD for a summer job as a college student. He did say, however, that the owners provided dorms (mobile buildings made into dorms) for the students and paid them a wage. He also said that the retirees that worked there were seasonal and would head to Texas or Florida in the winter and work at tourist attractions in the south during the winter months. In fact, when we visited LBJ Ranch in Johnson City TX this past Spring, our tour guide was from Alaska and traveled across the US in a travel trailer working at tourist attractions for a minimum wage or for free trailer space. So, if you have a hankering to travel by motorhome/travel trailer and get free parking space around the country, I guess that would be a profitable way to go. OK, back to the BADLANDS. I understand why they say the Badlands looks like another world, once you turn off of I-90, it was a different world. It was not what I had anticipated, but beautiful in its own way. The Badlands Our last travel day was a 5 hour trip west on I-90 that took us to Wyoming and the Devil s Tower National Monument. This is a geologic wonder steeped in Indian legend and a modern day national park and rock climber s challenge.
Devil s Tower rises 1,267 feet in height, about 1,000 feet in diameter at the bottom and 275 feet at the top. Our friends, Leslie and Dick Ward, had a discussion about whether Devil s Tower was considered a Mesa, Plateau or Butte. Before iphones and Siri, we would call Dick (phone a friend) when we needed to know an answer about an item where a certain river started, what was the name of this flower, etc. He has been replaced by Siri sorry Dick. Devil s Tower National Park was proclaimed the nation s first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. The Indian legend that is associated with Devil s Tower is also linked to another geological area in Bear Butte SD and the legend is: Two Sioux boys who wandered far from their village were met by a large bear, Mato. The huge creature had claws the size of teepee poles and spotted the two boys and wanted to eat them for breakfast. Mato was almost upon them when the boys prayed to Wakan Tanka, the Creator, to help them. The huge rock, Devil s Tower, rose up and Moto tried to get up the rock on every side, leaving huge scratch marks as he did. Finally he sauntered off, disappointed and discouraged. The bear came to rest in Bear Butte, SD another geologic wonder. Devil s Tower Wyoming USA 2017 The Devil s Tower also reminded me of Uluru or Ayers Rock in Australia that is revered by the indigenous people, the Aborigines. Of course Uluru is much large and red, but it also is a large rock in the middle of nowhere. Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia 2016
The July 4th Travel Group has not decided on where we will travel to in 2018, but you can be assured it will probably be some place that has a gambling, but exciting places to see while there. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Before we left Deadwood, we met a young couple from Iowa that were taking a motorcycle trip to Mt. Rushmore. They were our type of people so I told them I would mention them in our blog; so here they are-- Ron and Kim Williams Ron is the baldheaded one tee hee. Actually, Kim is celebrating her win over cancer and when she lost her hair, Ron shaved his head so she would not feel alone (now that is a good man). Even though Kim s hair has grown out, Ron likes his shaved. Kim and Ron Williams from Iowa After we returned home from the Red, White and Blue Tour, we started preparing to head to Ruidoso, NM at the end of August. We have been going to the mountains for many years because we love the climate (cool) and the company (good friends). In the past, we traveled to Ruidoso and then head to other towns for a couple of days. Since we have seen everything possible in the Ruidoso, Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, White Sands and Carrizozo areas; we decided to venture out. Last year if you will recall, we went to Albuquerque NM toured around the city and rode a hot air balloon. This year we decided, with our Ruidoso Buddies Leslie and Dick Ward from Kansas, to go to Sante Fe, NM and tour and then travel to Ruidoso. We have known Leslie and Dick for over 40 years and they are great travel companions. On August 22 we flew to Santa Fe, NM and meet up with Leslie and Dick and started our 4 day Santa Fe Tour. We stayed at the Drury Plaza Hotel which is within walking distance to the downtown Santa Fe Plaza. The hotel was at one time a hospital but converted (about 10 years ago) to a very nice hotel. It offered cocktails and snacks in the afternoon and breakfast in the morning; so we were happy campers. In fact, we saved money on food because once we had breakfast and happy hour/snacks, we didn t need dinner. We arrange several tours with Viator in Santa Fe and Taos. We walked to the Loretto Chapel (this is the Catholic Church with the miracle stairs and if you haven t seen or heard the story, it is worth reading about or visiting) and caught a tour with the Loretto Line Company which is an open-air bus that took us around the city pointing out sites of interest and art galleries lots of galleries. After the tour, we walked to the Plaza and checked out the Indian wares on the Plaza. According to the guide, in order for the Indians to display their wares in the Plaza s Designated Indian Area, they must show that they of Indian descent. And yes, I bought some Indian jewelry that was very unique. Later that day we toured the CACAO Chocolate and Coffee Factory. It was fascinating as they made chocolate from bean to bar. They imported Cacao beans from around the world and each bean brought a different taste to the chocolate. It was a small factory, but it was very productive. This tour was one that I found on Viator. When I travel to a new place, I always look up on Viator.com to see what tours are available. I also go to TripAdvisor.com to see what they suggest to see. We now have a new toast for happy hour Bean to Bar, Bar to Bed because on the chocolate tour they talked about chocolate bean to chocolate bar a lot.
Loretta Chapel With Miracle Stairs Leslie And One Of Santa Fe s Many Sculptures The next day we traveled the High Road Scenic Byway to Taos from Santa Fe. The byway is one of the most impressive drives in New Mexico, according to travel books. All along the way were local art galleries and authentic Mexican and southwestern restaurants. In the small, I mean real small, town of Chimayo, is the Santuario de Chimayo, a legendary church thought to have healing powers. As in Santa Fe, the structures and towns seem to fit into the natural landscape. The adobe brick churches, chapels and homes tell a story about the Spanish influence on the region. The Jemez Mountains, the Rio Grande Valley and towering mesas give you an idea of just how New Mexico was meant to be experienced. most helpful and we would recommend their tours to anyone going to Taos. Mark, the guide, was very informative and had lots of facts during our tour. We visited the Historic Taos Plaza, St Francis de Asis Catholic Church (most photographed church in North America), an authentic Native American Pueblo Village, and the Gorge Bridge towering over the Rio Grande River. Every site was most fascinating. St. Francis Church was made completely of adobe and shaped differently than any church I ve seen in a while. It was very modest inside and unique on the outside. Mark said they had to redo the adobe every so often and it looked like it had just been refinished. Once we got to Taos, we took another Viator recommended tour with Turquoise Tours and Gift Shop located on the Plaza in Taos, NM. Lindsey, the owner of Turquoise Tours, her mother, Brenda, and the guide, Mark, where
St. Francis de Asis Catholic Church Brenda, Lindsay, and Mark Turquoise Tours We then traveled to the Native American Pueblo Village outside of Taos. The Indigenous tribe belongs to the Native American tribe of Puebloan people. The Pueblos are considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the US and is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tribal land of 140,000 acres is original to their tribe and was granted to them by President Richard Nixon in 1970. The village is inhabited by approximately 150 full-time residents. The village is used for ceremonial activities and special events. They are considered the most private, secretive and conservative pueblos. A young Pueblo man gave us a tour of his village. He is a college student studying water conservation at the community college and plans on returning to the village to assist with protecting his village s water source; his Indian name was Big Red Star. The tour was most enthralling and we loved the stories he told about his people and their hunting grounds in the mountains and the Blue Lake.
Pueblo Village All entry doors were on the roof and small windows to keep their enemies out. Big Red Star and Mark, Tour Guides Blue Windows or Trim--Keep Evil Spirits Away From the village we traveled out into the desert; and then all of a sudden, we drove upon a huge gorge that was made by the Rio Grande River. It took us by surprise.
Gorge Made By the Rio Grande River Beautiful Sunset From Hotel Roof Bar in Santa Fe We left Santa Fe and drove to Ruidoso NM where we met up with our other traveling buddies. Back Row: Kirk Goergen, Daro, Dick, Jerry Goergen; Front Row: LuAnne Goergen, DD, Leslie, Pam Goergen
Kirk and LuAnne are from Georgia and are brother and sister-in-law to Jerry/Pam Goergen. They have traveled with us before to Washington DC where we had a fabulous trip. It has been about 5 years since we last traveled together, I think it was because they had to rest up from such an exciting trip in Washington or maybe it is because they haven t retired yet young people. We rented condos next door to each other in Ruidoso located at Cree Meadow Golf Club (Aspen Run Condos 2 bedrooms/2 baths) facing the 10th hole on the golf course. We have rented this condo for the past three years and it offers everything we like close to middle of town, grocery store, shopping, race track, casino, and of course golf. We rent with the Condotel Corporation. Ruidoso, NM is always a wonderful place to escape the Texas heat. We walked most mornings and didn t think we were going to pass out from the heat. We went to the race track and the Goergen s won; we visited an Iris Farm and Jewelry Factory that we hadn t seen before, got our nails done by Nicole at a new shop called Get Nailed (no, Daro and Dick didn t go, they the family and our houses (my niece and Daro s 2 brothers were flooded) yet glad I wasn t home to have to be in the middle of a crisis. After we got home, the devastation was unbelievable. Friendswood really got hit hard as did Dickinson. My heart hurts and prayers continue for those that have to start all over again and rebuild. Hope you will join DD & Daro on our next adventure -Turkey in the Sand San Diego, CA Travel Tip: Run Bucks Run Make a travel checklist that you keep and use before every trip. I m including my check list that I print and post in my office so I can make sure I don t forget anything that the trip requires. You can make your own or use mine. I revise mine ever once in a while as things change Travel Site: Full Moon Over Ruidoso were on the golf course), witnessed a beautiful full moon, saw lots of deer and elk, found a new microbrewery (Hidden Tap) that had great beer (Smart Blond) and hamburgers and watched a lot of weather channel reporting since everyone on the Gulf Coast was flooding from Harvey. Kind of a bittersweet vacation worried about When booking a cruise or a vacation. Check with cruises.com or vacationstogo.com. Sometimes they give you deals that cruise lines don t give. For example: We just booked a cruise for South America and we went through Princess Cruise Line. Our friend, Jim McDaniel, said to check cruises.com because they had same price for the tour, but they sweetened the pot by adding a $600 per cabin bonus that we can use for anything (excursions, specialty dining, etc). Princess did not have this promotion. So double check multiple sources you may get something extra.
THINGS TO TAKE ON TRIP AND TO DO BEFORE WE LEAVE 2 3 WEEKS BEFORE CALL CREDIT CARD COMPANY AND BANK GET FOREIGN CURRANCY LINE UP TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM AIRPORT SEND LETTER TO MASA (THIS IS MEDICAL INSURANCE THAT WE PURCHASED WHEN WE STARTED TRAVELING) RECEIVE CONFIRMATION BACK FROM MASA 1 WEEKS BEFORE ORGANIZE TRAVEL BAGS NOTEBOOK, MEDICINE, BACKPACK SEND ITINERARY TO KIDS AND NEIGHBORS CALL ALARM COMPANY PAY BILLS DETERMINE WHAT TO WEAR (I WILL TALK ABOUT PACKING IN A LATER POST) CHECK AND REDO MEDICINE LIST AND IMPORTANT NUMBERS (I WILL TALK ABOUT THIS LATER) MAKE ITINERARY AND COPIES OF PASSPORTSFOR SUITCASES MAKE SURE TOUR COMPANY HAS ALL REQUIRED INFORMATIONN (IF USING A COMPANY) CALL CELL PHONE AND GET INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM Fill OUT POST OFFICE STOP MAIL FORM AND DELIVER FILL OUT POLICE REPORT VACATION AND DELIVER DAY BEFORE GET BOARDING PASSES AND MAKE COPIES CHECK PASSPORTS CHANGE OUT DEBIT AND CREDIT CARDS (DIFFERENT CARDS FOR EACH) DOUBLE CHECK ALL PAPERWORK TO TAKE -I HAVE A NOTEBOOK THAT I CARRY WITH ALL INFORMATION NEEDED TOURS, MEDICANE LIST, IMPORTANT NUMBERS, ETC