PoPo for President!

Lots of riding, sunny and warm weather, and cool places visited these last few weeks!  Headed to Buffalo Gap, a town so small that if you blink, you have passed right through it!  And its Main Street is just a dirt road!  But the Crosswind Conservancy is located there, home to 20 of the world’s approximately 1,500 Spanish Mustangs, whose bloodline dates back to the days of Christopher Columbus!  Beautiful creatures that really took a liking to Daddy—even the 7-week old foal!

 

We decided to take in some “educational” sites.  Founding Fathers Black Hills is a replica of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, complete with its own Liberty Bell!  Unlike the real deal, you get to pull the dong on this bell!   Freedom rings VERY loudly here!   Inside are life-size sculptures of the 56 patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence as depicted in John Trumbull’s iconic painting, “Declaration of Independence”.  As the narrator tells the story of how our new country was forged, you become entwined with the story, ready to take up quill pen and add your own “John Hancock”!
 

Rambling RV Rat Ready to Sign the Declaration of Independence!

On to the National Presidential Wax Museum in Keystone.  Interesting how complex it is to make wax molds and models.  I found the model of G. W. Bush standing atop the 9/11 rubble the most lifelike and moving.

9/11/01 Still Evokes Emotions In Me

I was amazed to learn just how many of our presidents were “one and dones”, serving just one term.  Got me to thinking that I should throw my hat into the candidate ring:  PoPo for President!   From what I learned about some of our past presidents, their follies and faux pas, we’ve had our share of snakes, swine, and jackasses.  So why not this Rambling RV Rat?  I’d run on a platform of smaller government, cutbacks on entitlements, crackdown on illegal immigration, and lower taxes.  Let’s get back to the limited powers the Founding Fathers actually bestowed to the Federal government!  Move over Hillary and Donald, PoPo’s on the campaign trail!  Truthfully, I don’t think this dumb rat could do any worse than our current President!

Join My Team:  PoPo for President! 

OK, off my soapbox and now “all aboard” the vintage 1880 steam train for a picturesque tour through the old mining areas between Keystone and Hill City.  As we peered through the open-aired rail car, we spotted lots of animal life within the Hills--wild turkeys, deer, and horses!

 

All Aboard the 1880 Train!

Speaking of wildlife, I had the scare of my lifetime!  We were riding through Custer State Park in the middle of the day, when suddenly we stumbled upon a major traffic jam.  Stopped vehicles in both directions.   Turns out a herd of about 100 buffalo were trying to cross the road!  We literally were surrounded—buffalo walking within 6 inches of our motorcycles!  Some laying down in the middle of the road in front of our bikes!

The Buffalo Heading Down the Hill...

 

Blocking the Road...

We felt very vulnerable, telling each other, “don’t look them in the eye”, “don’t rev the engine”, “don’t spook them”, for fear they would attack.  I wish I was a smaller rat—I would have stuffed myself inside Daddy’s saddle bags for protection!   Thankfully, after about ½ hour, the bison no longer found it amusing to make me poop my pants, and they moved out of the road.
 

Standing Right Next to Us!

Too Close for Comfort!  He Gave Me the Bull's Eye! 

We took in the calming effects of Wind Cave National Park, participating in an underground tour as well as hiking on some of their nature trails.  Interesting how so many miles within caves exist in this area, but only a small percentage of these miles have actually been visited.  Both Jewel and Wind Cave National Parks recruit volunteers to explore the caves for “mapping” purposes.  Underground is now the new frontier!  PoPo no can do--this rat doesn’t like ferreting through small spaces!    

 

 

Talk to you soon!

Special Events at Crazy Horse Memorial

We’ve had special events these last few weeks here at Crazy Horse, including a Night Blast!   Done on June 26 to commemorate the birthdate of the sculpture’s wife, Ruth.  It was quite a cool and unique experience--Night Blasts  only occur twice a year!
 

Crazy Horse Memorial Night Blast - June 26, 2015

Laser Light Display - "Celebrating Ruth" 1926-2014

 

The prior week we had a rodeo!  Yee Ha!  I got to help Daddy with spectator vehicle parking!  Head ‘em up, move ‘em out, Rawhide!

 

For Independence Day, we had a group of Native American Indians perform Flag Honor Ceremonies on our grounds.  They paraded up the highway on their beautiful horses.  I especially loved watching the little pony!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched the area fireworks from the hill in our campground!  Yeah, can you believe my parents actually stayed up past 10 p.m. for a change!  LOL!

Talk to you soon!

 

Beauty, Beef, and a Big Disappointment

Got on the bikes early on Sunday, taking in the natural beauty of scenic Route 385 North as we headed to Spearfish, South Dakota. Stopped in Newcastle, Wyoming for breakfast at Donna’s Main Street Diner, a little hole in the wall with good service and good food, enough to fortify us for several hours.

 

The ride to Spearfish was a motorcyclist’s dream, with lots of curvy, winding roads!  Spearfish Canyon’s plush greenery, colorful wildflowers, roaring waterfall, and scenic walking/hiking trails made this a perfect destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the fun didn’t stop there!  On to the Black Hills gold mining town of Deadwood.  Now here is a city that puts gaming and casino funds to good use restoring old buildings and preserving its fabled past, earning the distinction of being an entire city named as a National Historic Landmark.

 

We strolled through the city enjoying the ambiance.  And as we passed the Bullock Hotel, my parents reminisced about their first visit  here in 1999. 
 

The Bullock Hotel, Where My Parents Stayed in 1999

We walked endlessly uphill through Mt. Moriah Cemetery, the final resting place for Deadwood’s notorious residents such as Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Potato Creek Johnny.  The cemetery sits atop a high peak, offering a breathtaking and dramatic view of the city.

Wild Bill Hickok's Grave

Calamity Jane's Grave

The View from Mt. Moriah Cemetery

Another Dramatic View from Mt. Moriah Cemetery

If there is a museum, Mom usually insists we visit.  Since we get free admission with the V.I.P. passes that are part of our compensation package at Crazy Horse, Dad and I acquiesced.  We visited the Days of  ’76, a museum chronicling an annual celebration of the same name that first occurred in 1924.  The museum is also a repository for carriages, wagons, and other “vehicles” from the pioneer days.  Check me out driving the hearst!

We also stopped in the Adams Museum, dedicated to preserving the history of the Black Hills.  This is where Daddy crushed my little heart.  I was mesmerized by the stuffed jackalope, admiring its uniqueness.  But Dad said there was no such animal.  It was all just a hoax.  Someone stuck antelope horns on a jackrabbit and then called it a jackalope.

 

Just a myth?  I'm calling Mythbusters to prove Dad wrong!

 

I couldn't be more upset and disappointed if Dad had told me that there was no Santa Claus!  Sometimes we ALL need to believe in fairy tales, myths, and magic.

 

I consoled myself by taking up a hobby my Aunt Laurie taught me—gambling with the slot machines!  Unfortunately, I lost my entire week’s allowance on that dang Wheel of Fortune machine!

 

 

Rambling RV Rat Losing His Shirt!

 

The evening ended on a good note—we had a scrumptious beef meal at Legends Steakhouse in the Franklin Hotel.  In fact, Dad’s succulent 28 ounce prime rib was pretty as a picture!

Prime Rib Dinner at Legends Steakhouse in Deadwood

 

We got back on the bikes and headed home with full bellies and fun memories.

 

Rambling RV Rat's Road Rendevous

Mom and Dad’s work schedules at Crazy Horse keep them quite busy—we only have two days off together and try to jam in as much fun stuff as possible in between doing all the chores of life.

 

On June 7, we participated in the Volksmarch.  This is a big deal here at Crazy Horse, since it is one of only two weekends per year that you can walk up to the top of the mountain carving!  It was a 10K or 6.2 mile trek round trip.  This year, we had about 9,500 participants!  The three of us completed the task successfully in 2 hours—that’s a pretty decent pace for us as non-athletes hoofing up a 500+ foot elevation change to 6,000+ feet!  I feel like an Olympian winning the Gold Medal!

 

 

 

We completed a walking tour of Keystone on June 6.   Not much has changed since the late 1800s in the historic district of this old mining town.   Halley’s is the longest running business in Keystone, having been established in 1895.  Love the old Harley!

Keystone is also home to Mt. Rushmore.  I must say, after seeing the size and scope of the Crazy Horse project, seeing Mt. Rushmore is a bit anti-climatic!  All four President’s heads of Mt. Rushmore can fit just into Crazy Horse’s head and hair!  Of course, Mt. Rushmore is a completed project while Crazy Horse is still a work in progress.  But I am confident that Crazy Horse WILL BE completed, although this old rat won’t be around to see it.  Anyway, did you know Mt. Rushmore isn’t quite what it was supposed to be?  The models all show the Presidents were to be carved down to their waistcoats.  But like all things with which the government gets involved, they did not do what they promised.  With the sculptor dying, his son taking over, and the war brewing in Europe, funding was cut off for the project.  So we have just heads.  I am starting an on-line petition to get another head added to the mountain carving.  Someone of great character who is a real character—none other than me, PoPo the Rambling RV Rat!  Here’s what the completed Mt. Rushmore will look like.  I made sure they get my best profile view!

 

I didn’t realize just how erratic the weather is here in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  You can be at a place one mile from Crazy Horse, and the weather may be entirely different.  Southwestern South Dakota has been inundated with rain, hail, and even tornado warnings on what seems like a daily basis!  Fortunately, we have not sustained any damage, but it is a bit scary hearing hail hit our tin can home!

 

Needless to say, we have been a bit uncertain about riding the motorcycles to explore the area, so we took Big Boomer out for some day trips on June 14 and 15.

 

We visited Jewel Cave, the third largest cave in the world with 177 miles of passages!  And that is with less than 5% of the cave actually explored and mapped!  I really wanted to do the Wild Caving Tour, but no can do.  You see, this tour is quite strenuous and involves crawling through VERY small passages.  In order to participate, you are required to shimmy through an
8 ½ X 24 inch passageway.  It was embarrassing enough that Daddy’s chest was too high and Mommy’s butt too wide.  But I was totally humiliated when yours truly, Rambling RV Rat, got my entire head stuck.  Not only did we all flunk the test, but the park ranger had to remove the top of the sample passageway to get me out!  Truly mortifying. 
 



PoPo Stuck and Waiting for S.O.S.!

So we participated in the Scenic Tour instead, a 1.5 hour ranger-guided trek with over 700 steps, giving our legs one great workout!  It is a fairly dry cave with a steady temperature of 49 degrees.

 

We visited the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, a paleontologist’s utopia containing the fossils of 61 ice age mammoths! It is believed that these creatures were trying to reach vegetation on the sides of the spring-fed pond, but fell in, got trapped and died.   Interestingly, all the remains found of the mammoths belonged to males!  Mommy doesn’t think this is a coincidence.  She thinks the women mammoths just got sick and tired of their high maintenance husbands and pushed them all into the sinkhole!  We will never know for sure!  What we do know is that Daddy no longer stands with his back to Mommy.

 

 

 

 

Gotta run!  Talk to you soon!