Dreams Captured in Stone

Visiting monuments like these bring tears to my eyes. I am awed at the sheer will and determination necessary to see dreams and lives carved into stone. Mt. Rushmore exemplifies dedication to god, country and man more so than any other structure I've ever seen.



It was a terrifying drive to get here from Yellowstone as we drove over the Beartooth Scenic Byway(I-90). White-knuckled and praying all the way that we would make it up AND down and over AND around some of the most curvy and winding roads we have ever been on. We drove up several thousand feet into the snow-capped mountains on the narrowest roads still under construction! We now have a new found respect for the small luxuries of guard rails and breakdown lanes that we used to take for granted!



Pictures could not capture the momentary relief of getting out of the car. This wasn't even the highest point in the drive. The nightmare continued as we made our way down the other side. We blessed all the people who were working on this maze in the mountains and prayed for their safe completion of this project. If we were assigned this job, we would have quit on the first day!

Before getting to South Dakota we drove through a portion of Montana and stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Famous for Custer's last stand, Little Bighorn is also home to Custer National Cemetery where veteran's and their spouses were interred from 1886 through 1978. It was a quiet stop and a good place to stretch our legs during the 250 mile drive today. The kids learned a little bit about history that they don't talk about in school.

Custer Nation Cemetery

Mt. Rushmore-July 29, 2010

Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse are fantastic projects completed with the will and perseverance of man. It's hard for us to imagine what it was like for the people that worked and continue to work on these mountains. The tools alone were heavy, the dynamite was dangerous, the wild life encountered in the mountains must have been scary, and the weather was not always as pleasant as it was on our visit.

Their massive size of these pieces of art are only specks on the landscape surrounding them.

Crazy Horse Memorial in Black Hills of South Dakota

After seeing the monuments we had some fun at an old gold mine turned tourist trap in Keystone. The Big Thunder Gold Mine was first discovered in 1882. For nearly 32 years two gentlemen worked this mine searching for their lucky strike ultimately digging out about 10 ounces of gold; not too profitable! Ultimately these gentlemen were also munition experts who also worked in other mines and that's how they supported their hobby. The mine is now a fun activity for kids and families where we all had fun on the tour and then panned for gold. The kids discovered a few flecks of gold along with several pieces of pyrite. It was really quite a relaxing activity where we spent an hour or so swirling dirt, sand and rocks.

Getting ready for the tour of the gold mine

Later in the evening we returned to Mt. Rushmore for an evening ceremony at the monument. It was a solemn ceremony about the making of the monument, the leaders immortalized in stone, and a recognition of veterans that sacrificed to serve our nation and preserve our freedom.

Welcome to the Family

Weddings are an easy way to grow an extended family very quickly. One day, in a matter of minutes, you are hitched, and are now a member of a whole other family(like the one you had already wasn’t enough!). And so, like with a wedding, we are inviting you to become a member of a whole new family. We will meet and come together around the laughing table as stories, opportunities, adventures and day-to-day “stuff” come up.

Our first adventure of the next 15 days actually does start with a wedding. As we began to plan this trip that will ultimately take us over 4000 miles and through at least 9 states, we were excited to take into our plans the wedding of Ty & Heather. Once the date of the wedding was secure, then planning the trip could start. Would we venture to drive all the way across the United States from Massachusetts to California , seeing sights as we went, and then fly home? That was the original plan. Yet after some deliberation, we decided to fly to CA and then planned out a route that would take us from San Francisco to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Disney Land, and up the California coast. Just as the bride and groom took several months to plan their wedding, so did we. And if our trip turns out to go as beautifully as their wedding, we’re in for a fantastic time. Sure it was hot; what wedding in July wouldn’t be? And there was a torrential downpour with lightening and thunder that threatened to flood the dance floor and drive everyone to scurry for their cars, yet in the scheme of things that didn’t last too long and there was plenty of dancing and fun to be had. And, in just a matter of hours, our family had grown! How many new friends will we make on this trip, and how many will reconnect after being disconnected for too long?

Our first day is a long and busy one. Getting up at 4:30am to depart and get to the airport for a 6 hour flight and then immediately grabbing our rental car for a 6-7 hour drive so we can make it halfway to Yellowstone by tonight. It’s an aggressive way to start a vacation; it’s going to be worth the effort. We can’t wait to see the majesty that awaits us.