But, I did want to take a moment to catch up on some notes I made along the way, that never quite made it into my daily blogs.
RIDING FOR SMILES. COM
There were thousands of motorcycles on the highways during our trip (one week before Sturgis...everyone with a Harley was in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana!), but these two riders caught our interest. They were ahead of us as we rolled into The Badlands on Sunday - DAY 2. During the trip, we intended to look up their website to get more information, but something always took up our time. So here is what I've found.
Ken and Shannon Wilson of Minnesota are on a 41-day, 8000 mile journey for UNICEF. They are recording, both in pictures and video, their journey and asking people to make a small donation to their cause. Not only are they enjoying life, but they are giving back to others lives. If you go to www.ridingforsmiles.com you can get more information.
Meet Ken:
Meet Shannon:
GLASS HORSE STUDIO
While visiting my friend Marta, she introduced us to neighbors, blown glass artist Ona Magaro and iron sculptor Ira Cuelho.
Their Montana homestead is a reflection of their unique individual styles, spots of bright, striking color amongst the strong, rugged wilderness. It was truly a pleasure to meet them. I chose this picture, (taken at their ranch) because it reminded me of the colors of Ona's glass, set in the dark background of Ira's metal work. One of their combined pieces is pictured below. You can see more of their work at
www.glasshorsestudio.com.
A TRAVEL RECAP
We spent 10 days on the road; approximately 3900 miles in pretty tight quarters in ol' bessie the Envoy, and everyone was still smiling at the end. We traveled across Lake Michigan, through the farm country of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, along ranches through South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. We crossed Lake Michigan on the SS Badger, we saw the Corn Palace, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Rushmore Cave, Crazy Horse Memorial, Wall Drug, Devil's Tower, the Beartooth Mountains, and the Crazy Mountains in that short time. We experienced wonderful small towns and friendly people and struck up conversations with locals and tourists. It was wonderful to see my friend Marta in her new home, and spend time making memories with my son (my son's friend), daughter and nephews. While we were all exhausted, it was bittersweet to end. There was a lot we didn't get to see, but hopefully, whether together or on our own separate trips we will be able to return and catch what we missed.
Our best overnight stay?
Well, Marta's Bed and Breakfast of course! Homemade blueberry pancakes, egg-croissant sandwiches, steak dinner, laughter and music are our best memories! (This is a private resort...sorry!)
Other recommendations:
Days Inn, Mitchell, South Dakota. Staff had great customer service, helped us with an early check-in, reset the router twice, and offered assistance in getting our computer working with the wireless service. Clean rooms, clean pool and spa, complete with waterslide.
Kelly Inn, Mitchell, South Dakota. On the way back home, we arrived extremely late to the hotel (3 am), and the first thing the friendly staff member asked was if we would like to have a late check out. The pool and spa were especially clean, complete with clean restroom and shower. Breakfast was waffles (I'm going to find me one of those machines!), fruit, juices and other good breakfast items.
Best Western, Annawan, Illinois. Another very clean hotel with friendly staff, clean pool and spa area and great service. The boys accidently dialed 911 (you don't want to know), and the staff remained completely calm and understanding through it all. This is one of those hotels in the middle of nowhere, but only a half-hour from the Illinois/Iowa state line, along 1-80. Easy access.
Our worst overnight stay?
Hands down: Roosevelt Inn in Keystone, SD. Run by a few curmudgeons...this hotel did not live up to their advertised promises. Their online message claims to be the local experts, but when asked for recommendations and suggestions, they were more than reluctant to help. They couldn't even simply tell us the password for the wireless service, instead telling us to get the paper our of the nightstand and look it up ourselves.
(How hard can it be I ask you, to say "Well the number is blah,blah, and if you need anymore information, you can find a sheet in the night stand explaining the internet service" Really?)
The pool was the size of a large bathtub...complete with a nice, brown ring around it. And the hot tub...well it looked to come out of someone's back yard. But, I think the topping on the cake, was when they refused to extend an extra hour for late check out because we were having car problems, and I was in Rapid City with the car, and the kids were at the hotel. (Apparently, the two old-geezers cleaning the hotel rooms were pretty speedy, and they would have been able to clean all the rooms plus ours in a mere 60 minutes!)
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