July 11, The Badlands Nat'l Park

Well folks, Today was our last park. We arrived at the Badlands around 12:00. We set out for the loop drive and saw a lot. It is very different, but beautiful. This park was completely formed by water. The pinnacles and towers are all made of dirt. It is eroding one inch a year. But it will still take 100,000 up to 500,000 years to completely erode. But it will definitely be flat someday. There are a lot of hills for kids to play on. Not our favorite park but we are glad we came. After our long drive, we went to famous Wall Drug. I thought it was interesting that a couple started this store in 1931 and for 5 years they struggled to keep it open. Then one day Mrs. Wall, or whatever her name is thought of advertising free ice water to drink. As people drove by, they stopped and soon there were thousands of people visiting this store. What a story!. Well, this is it. We have visited many beautiful parks and monuments and enjoyed every minute of it. We have an education that college could never teach us. We are so grateful to have had this beaufiful trip and are so happy you were all with us. We love you and will see you soon. George and Sylvia Kline.

July 10, Mt. Rushmore

Oh my gosh, what a sight Mt. Rushmore is! And how proud I feel to be an American! When we arrived there, we were led by this very well educated ranger on a trail and she told us all about the artist who sculpted this magnificent mountain and also a little history of each of the presidents. This memorial sure put S. Dakota on the map. A couple of interesting facts. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum created a model of the four presidents on a 1 to 12 scale, meaning an inch on the model represented a foot on the cliff. A monumental task to dynamite all the rock and then drill the heads. So much work was involved. It took 400 workers to complete this project. Work was started in 1927 and completed in l941. So interesting. It surely is a great American icon.
After viewing the memorial, we bought a pass for Custer State Park. This is quite a park. We had lunch at a very nice lodge. Then we drove the 37 mile wildlife loop. Beautiful rolling hills and wildlife. We drove on needles road and viewed numerous pinnacles and spires. Lastly, we took a nice drive around Legion lake. This afternoon was lovely, quiet and serene. We feel so grateful to have all of these gifts. Love you

Mount Rushmore

July 9, Wind Cave Nat'l Park, South Dakota

Hi folks, I didn't mean we were on our way home. I meant that we made the turn East on 90 and we are going in that direction. We have a few more stops. Today we went to Wind Cave and took a tour of the cave. It was nice but not nearly as grand as Carlsbad. We saw a ton of Bison and Pronghorn. They are all over. An interesting story about the Bison. About 75 years ago they were all but wiped out of extinction. They soon became an endangered species and they have recovered about 50%. It takes a long time. They are giant, beautiful beasts. The scenery here is spectacular. Love you.

July 8, Devils Tower

Hi everyone, We stayed at Devils Tower Campground and we never expected what we saw. A rock so bold and towering above the earth is a phenomenon that is so interesting and fun. There are many Indian stories about this tower. It was a sacred place for the Kiowa Indians. There are many stories about this beautiful tower and we stayed busy reading them. Many people were climbing when we arrived there and we were mesmerized. The very first climb was done by William Rogers and Willard Ripley, using a wooden ladder. Approximately 5,000 climbers come here from all over the world. It is in a beautiful forest and we hiked around the base. A very fun and interesting day. Take care. Tomorrow Wind Cave Nat't Park

July 7, on our way home

Hi everyone, We made the turn East on 90, but not before going up a 10,000 ft. summit called Big Horn mountain. It took us 6 1/2 hours to go 200 miles. But beautiful scenery all the way. We are staying in a Wal Mart tonight and leaving early in the morning. Sweet dreams everyone. We love you and will see you soon.