Day 29, Sun Aug 28th, Rock Island, IL to New Lisbon, IN Visit Springfield, IL

We got up early this morning, downed some coffee and donuts and set our course to go towards Pittsburgh.  Our route took us on Highway 55 in Illinois which runs along the old route 66.  So you know we had to get off the highway and explore a bit....

We didn't have to go far before we came across this giant hot dog man.  These were made by International Fiberglass of Venice California in the 1960's.  The first one was designed for Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, AZ.  Copies were made and sold to many different types of businesses.  The ax was eliminated, and a hot dog, muffler, or car part was put in its place.  this one stands proudly on route 66 in Atlanta, IL

A gas station museum on route 66 in Springfield, IL. Once a working gas station - now home to a host of Route 66 memorabilia relating to automobiles and petrol.

We took a little detour to the state capital, Springfield.  This was once home to Abraham Lincoln and the site of his final resting place.  We took a tour of his home and visited his tomb.

His and Mary's house started out as a single story.  As he became more successful as a lawyer and politician, they added a second story.  The nearby town of Lincoln was named for him during his lifetime.  He went to the dedication and remarked that he didn't know whey they were naming their town Lincoln - nothing with the name Lincoln ever amounted to much.

Before we got back on the road to the campsite, we had a late lunch/early dinner at Steak and Shake, a fast food restaurant that feels like a Route 66 Diner.  The food was great - wish they would come to Massachusetts!

Day 28, Sat Aug 27, Valentine, NE to Rock Island, IL

On the road for 12 hours today (including lunch and gas breaks).  Nebraska and Iowa look like an episode of Little House on the Prairie.  I could just see Laura Ingalls running home from school with her books swinging behind her.

The grasslands are punctuated by farms planted with corn and sunflowers.  It was beautiful, but truth be told, it was looooong.

No time to stop and have fun.  Tomorrow we will hit another section of Route 66.  Hopefully we can take a peek around.  :)

Day 27, Fri Aug 26, Gillette, WY to Valentine, NE visit Mt. Rushmore

We had a full day today.  We started out fairly early and set our sights on Crazy Horse Monument and Mount Rushmore.

We stopped first at Crazy Horse which is a sculpture that is being carved into the Black Hills of South Dakota as a tribute to Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota war chief.  The memorial was designed and partially carved out of the stone by Korczak Ziolkowski.  Since his death, his work is being continued by his wife and children.  The memorial, though partially complete is of an enormous scale.

The face has been completed

This is a scaled model of what the finished memorial will look like.  It is so large that all of the Mount Rushmore carvings would fit in the area of his head!

Our next stop was Mount Rushmore to see the familiar memorial of four of our presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.  We had lunch there and continued on towards the Wind Cave National Park.

Our own version of Mount Rushmore

Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln

The Wind Cave system is the 5th largest in the world.  Only 5% has been explored.  We were fortunate to arrive just as they were starting a tour.

Wind Cave National Park has acres of prairie and woods surrounding it.  Joshua informed us that the Prairie dog was the source of the bubonic plague in earlier times.  But aren't they cute!

We were tempted to camp in the Wind Cave National Park campground.  However, Joshua needs to be in school on Wednesday - so we need to hightail it home.

We decided to take Route 20 in Nebraska which winds through little towns (and I mean little - population 118 for example).  This turned out not to be the wisest choice.  Dave started looking for a gas station when we were at a half tank.  Unfortunately, the nearest gas station was 8 miles down the road (after we ran out of gas).

Curtis, a good samaritan, stopped to offer help just moments after we pulled over to the side.  Dave went with Curtis - forgetting to tell me that he was going :(  and came back with a couple of gallons from Curtis's lawn mower.  Yay Curtis!  We were back in business and on our way to the next town where we stopped at a bar/convenience store/gas station.  The pump looked like something we saw at the Route 66 museum.  Who needs digital displays!  After this fiasco, I cried Uncle and "we" decided to stay at a Motel for the night.  Free hot breakfast convinced David that this was a good idea.

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Day 26, Thur Aug 25, Yellowstone, WY to Gillette, WY, visit Cody

We are hearing about Hurricane Irene that is threatening the east coast.  We hope that you are all safe and you are in our prayers.

Our goal today was to get as close to Mount Rushmore as possible.  This involved a lot of driving, but we managed to break up the day with a stop in Cody (named after Buffalo Bill Cody).  Joshua and I had to take a pit stop, which took us to the Buffalo Bill Dam Visitor Center.  This was a real jewel.  The dam was the highest in the world when it was built in 1910.

Very windy!

We visited the Old Trail Town museum in Cody.  It is a wonderful collection of old west buildings and artifacts.

homesteader's cabin

grocer

school

we visited the grave sites of some old west outlaws

Yikes!

we bellied up to the bar

We had lunch at the Irma Hotel, once owned by none other than Buffalo Bill himself.

After seeing the bison at Yellowstone, I almost felt guilty eating the buffalo meat in the buffet (almost).

We needed to get back on the road, so we headed up and over the Big Horn mountains.  These had the most amazing views!

Day 25, Wed Aug 24, Yellowstone

No drive today - we are staying right in the park.  The Pearl is nestled in the trees and the night sky last night was fabulous.  Bella and David both saw shooting stars.  The milky way is visible here as well.
The site we are in allows us to set up the tent - yeah!  We were careful not to leave any food out to attract bears.  There is no internet here, no electricity, and, in our camp area, no showers - Ewwww!

Today we explored more of the park.  We drove to different areas to hike trails that lead to the upper falls, the lower falls and a petrified tree.  On the way we saw some furry friends.

Evidence - Elk or Bison patty?

Ah! There they are!

Traffic jam - Yellowstone style

This little guy was a bit confused - Dad (behind him) tries to help

The brink of the falls - an imposing sight!  It was a steep trail down to see this...but I think it was more steep on the way back up :)

where the buffalo roam