Few and Far Between

Yeah, Yeah, it has been awhile. Nobody listens to me anyway.

Since the last entry we have had some good moments. We went on our summer vacation and it was very similar to the movie with the same title other than "Grandma" didn't die on us. If she did you better bet I was strapping her to the top of the car and she would have been dropped off in MONTROSE South Dakota (it was her favorite place anyway).

It really was a lot of fun. On the way up we drove through Wyoming, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We went to Martins Cove, The Little Bighorn and little "museums" along the way. It seems if your town is less than 400 people in Montana you have to have a museum in comparison to Utah where if it's less than that amount then you have to marry a cousin.

They were all good places and interesting to see. We saw plenty of antelope in Wyoming and I really enjoyed the Buffalo area.

In Cross Lake we did the same old stuff, listening to everyone bitch about the other and how they will all come down in the fall - Yeah right! I just let them say their say. Oh and I won BINGO! Eat dabbers all you old ladies!

On the way back we went through North Dakota, South Dakota and yes, beautiful Wyoming. I was actually shocked by the Dakotas. In a way they were really beautiful in a pancake type way. North Dakota seemed to be booming and had it's beautiful spots. South Dakota was a lot of fun. The very first mile we were sucked into the novels they have for interstate signs. There were advertising signs every mile for the "GREAT CORN PALACE", "1880 Town" and "Wall Drug". We had no idea what these places were and like I said we were sucked in. We stopped at all of them.

First was the "Corn Palace" which was in Mitchell South Dakota. This palace of literal corn is made into a new designed palace every year with a different theme. It was cool to think corn is still used for what it was put on earth for (art) not just ethanol.

Second was "1880 Town". For what seemed 880 miles we were tempted into meeting "Cisco" the horse from "Dances with Wolves". Miagen was so excited to get his picture taken with it as was I. But to our disappointment Cisco met his demise a year early in a logging accident. He was 107 years old. Your my boy "CISCO"!!! ANYWAY...

This whole town was just like walking through a town in 1880. Complete with skinny dancing girl (who professed she had only two lessons) and BIG JIM at the bar. I will try to post pictures if I can get them scanned.

Third was Wall Drug. If all the other interstate signs were novels, then Wall Drug was the "Iliad". We had no idea what this place was. This place used every broken down tractor, farm house and shot up freezer in the field to advertise. Much to our surprise it was a neat little set of stores where you could eat under a log where Butch Cassidy had once taken a poop and Sundance had buried it. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast

We went to Mt. Rushmore for 5 minutes and then off to The Crazy Horse Memorial where Ethel had the infamous "FLAG CEREMONY". We got to meet the daughter of the man who thought up the mountain carving. Her name was Anne. They had all these great big flags of all these tribes from around North America. I bet she was pleased to see Ethel's little flag, knowing she wouldn't need a ladder to hang it up. It was fun.

LAST...

The best thing about South Dakota was MONTROSE!!!! This is where Grandma Jeanne had to use the bathroom. She had been doing the Pee Pee Dance for awhile and said for me to take the next exit. She said it looked like a good place to stop. I started getting that feeling as we went further and further into town, that this place was like one of those towns that you see in the movies where people are never heard of again. We never did get to the restroom and when the guy with the chainsaw came out from the river bottoms I just got the hell outta there.

All and all it was a long trip! But it is one that I will never forget...