Today was the final leg of our journey. We choose to spend it at Elderly Instruments in Lansing. This place is famous for everything to do with fretted instruments. (It's not a home for elderly instruments, as I thought at first... that must be the name of the founder, I guess.) They do have some old instruments there, however--they take consignments. The store is in a big, old house with rooms and rooms of guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, and even some dulcimers. (Not as many as I might wish, however. And no psalteries. Quel dommage!) It's a fun place to visit however, and we happily spent more than an hour there!

And then we made a run for the border and home at last! Thirty days, nineteen states, and over 8000 miles. What a wonderful  trip. But it's good to be back home again.

Do you know that there are still ice floes in Lake Superior? Do you know that Michigan is having a bumper crop of mosquitoes this spring? Do you know that Upper Michiganders are called Yoopers? All these things are true.

The mosquito part is most unpleasant. When we merely stop the car, the mosquitoes are all over it. You risk your very blood supply by just opening the door. Rumor is that Michigan mosquitoes have interbred with killer bees. (At least I've been told that's what the group Mustard's Retreat claims, and I believe it!)

Other than that, it's very pretty here. Here are some pictures...

This is a nice town! A little confusing to drive around--it's counterintuitive because the city proper is nestled in a strip not much more than a mile wide in between two lakes. Sometimes you have to go around a lake to get to your destination. Sometimes you can just cut right down the middle. But there is a thriving downtown area with lots of shops, galleries, and eateries. Bicycles abound on the streets. People of all ages stroll the sidewalks. Good energy.

We were able to meet up with Khrysso's friend and UU minister, Scott Prinster, and spent an enjoyable couple of hours in a coffee shop talking. We also enjoyed the city's Museum of Contemporary Art.

Our travel plans on this final leg of our journey were to take us into Bloomington Illinois where I used to live, and hoped to connect with my old friend, Dorie. When it was evident we weren't going to be able to see her, we regrouped on the fly and decided to go north through Wisconsin and into the U.P. of Michigan. So we are about 30 minutes from the northernmost Michigan border, camped down for the night. Fishermen, pine trees, and mosquitoes!

Iowa is a very tidy state. Houses are tidy. Farmyards are tidy. Fields are tidy. Even the stores are tidy. Well, except for the small diner where we grabbed a quick bite. There were ants on the table. Buy hey, I can sympathize. I battle ants in my kitchen every spring, too. 

Well, for the first time we had a difficult time finding a place to stay. We thought we would stay in Sioux City, but found the city to be under so much construction that it was very difficult to navigate, plus hotels were full of out of area construction workers. So... we decided to move on and surely we would find something soon.

Famous last words. We kept going. and going, and going... We looked in every small town we came across, but alas, no place to lay our heads. Route 20 stretched long before us. Finally we came into Fort Dodge and found a room at a Best Western. Ah, the vagaries of travel. Tomorrow we'll go through Dubuque on the way out of Iowa towards Madison WI. "You really ought to give Iowa a try--provided you are contrary..." says  Meredith Willson of Music Man fame. I agree. 

Our journey through Nebraska and on into Iowa was full of pleasant vistas of farms and rolling hills with the occasional small town to break the monotony. Of course, there's always the exception, and we found it in a small museum in Ainsworth Nebraska.  We discovered the Sellers-Barton Museum, and met curator and manager, Carol Larson, who was happy to take a break from weeding the gardens to tell us about the museum. It has been our experience that small town museums are the labors of love of a few dedicated people, usually volunteers, and are invariably interesting glimpses of the people and times of the area. This museum certainly didn't disappoint. There are several rooms of artifacts, and it was our good fortune that we found Carol there when we stopped. She shared much of the history and stories of the area! For us, it was a delightful break in a long day. Thanks Carol (hope you see this!)

Badlands National Park is quite a place to visit with its eerie moonscaped vistas that seem to arise suddenly before you as you round a bend. One minute you're looking at a prairie dog town in a field, and the next you are in the midst of red rocks and desert. We spent several hours there before deciding to continue on to the Pine Ridge Reservation.

The trip took us through the town of Scenic... which we thought would be... well... scenic! But it wasn't what we expected at all. it was essentially a ghost town at the intersection of two roads. The only viable building there was a convenience store run by a lone woman who lived there with her small child. Another traveler had stopped as well, and approached us. His name was Troy Schmidt and he was from Wooster! For the last several years he had been working as a guide with an outfit called Affordable Adventures, and Troy knew all the inside scoop on the area. He was lots of fun to talk to! I'll include his picture here.

The fun part ended there, however, as we moved into Pine Ridge. I don't even know how to explain that place. There is so little that is happy or prosperous there. No industry. No opportunity. About the only jobs are at the gas station or one of the few stores that meet the needs of the population. At the Wounded Knee site, we saw a ramshackle building with a sign proclaiming to be a museum. We found a young family who was trying to create a memorial there. And a man who was trying to support his family and their cause through their handicrafts. I bought a small painted drum that will always remind me of them. It was very disturbing. And it's not right!

Going south across the border to Nebraska we came to the town of White Clay. Surely this is the most disgraceful town in America. This town's sole reason for being is to sell alcohol to the residents of Pine Ridge. You see, the sale and possession of alcohol on the Reservation is forbidden by tribal law. So the thirteen total residents of White Clay, two miles away, provides it... to the tune of over ten million cans of beer alone last year. There are four establishments in town that sell liquor, and there is little else. The residents make their money on the misery of others. We saw Native Americans passed out cold and lying in the street as we drove by. We learned that alcoholism is the primary problem on the Reservation. Almost all crimes there are alcohol related. So why, we wondered, does the state of Nebraska allow this to continue? The answer seems to be that the neighbouring towns don't want "the problem" in their backyard, so the state is willing to look the other way so it stays contained in White Clay.

The way we have treated and continue to treat Native Americans is America's shame. It was hard to see, and not something I'll be able to forget.

We began the morning at he Crazy Horse Memorial. What a wonderful place! So much better than Mount Rushmore. We spent about 4 hours there, and really enjoyed all the museum exhibits and Native American artifacts. Lot's of history here. And it's beautifully displayed. There were also Native American artisans from around the country who spend their summer here, and we enjoyed talking to them. They were generous with sharing their time and telling us about their art. It's a beautiful facility and well worth a visit.

Then we drove into Rapid City for lunch. They have a great downtown, including an artists alley where urban art is encouraged. I'll post some pics of that as well. 


We ended the day in Wall, SD, home of the iconic Wall Drug. This site has become a destination in its own right. It now takes up a whole city block and has all kinds of stores within it, including a mallway with specialized stores. They're famous for their Free Ice Water and Five Cent Coffee. Kitsch personified!

This was another highlight for me. I had been so looking forward to visiting this site, I guess because I'm such a fan of the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It didn't disappoint. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Next we visited Mount Rushmore. It was okay. Very touristy. But iconic, right? Gotta do it.

The fun part of getting to Rushmore was stopping at the little town of Alladin, population 15. The most impressive structure in the town was a century-plus general store. Everything but the kitchen sink. And I mean that literally. No running water. No kitchen sink. No bathrooms! Outhouse on the hill, we were informed by Tauru, who nurtures her tough lady image, but she's really pretty nice. By the way, the town is for sale!

Well, I wasn't sure I would be all that impressed about Yellowstone, but it was awesome! We saw lots of animals... bison, mule deer, big horned sheep, elk, coyotes, and even a plain old bunny rabbit! And we saw some pretty mysterious hot springs. Even with all the tourists and all the cars, it was still wonderful. Here's some pics.

From Yellowstone we drove to Cody WY to spend the night. We had bended to drive a bit farther, but the woman at the visitor's center did such a good sales job on us that we stayed. We got some laundry done... out most hated chore. Had dinner at a rally good Chinese buffet. And spent the night at the Antler's Inn, which is one of the more delightful places we've stayed. All the furniture was hand carved by a local craftsman. And he people were wonderful. Pictures following...

We started our day in Cody with breakfast at the Irma Restaurant and Hotel. This was founded by Buffalo Bill himself, and the current owner has kept the feel of the original. It's quite a place, as you can see in the pictures. Lots of animal heads on the walls.

Then we left Cody to head towards Devils Tower, a pretty long haul through some interesting landscapes, and across Granite Pass to clear the Rockies. Still lots of snow on the mountains, as you can see.

Staying in Hulett tonight in preparation for Devil's Tower tomorrow. Found another great independent place to stay--the Hulett Inn. We lucked into a two-room suite facing the Belle Fourche River. Thanks to Victoria for the warm welcome and good advice.