WOW, WHAT A DAY!!! Just a heads up, this post has LOTS of pictures.
We arrived in South Dakota overnight because Paula's Mother and Aunt had driven in, and wanted to meet up with us to see the local area and to come to our show. Our plan was to head out early to see Mt. Rushmore and still have time to make it to our show in Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
Ever been to Mt. Rushmore?
We arrived in South Dakota overnight because Paula's Mother and Aunt had driven in, and wanted to meet up with us to see the local area and to come to our show. Our plan was to head out early to see Mt. Rushmore and still have time to make it to our show in Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
Ever been to Mt. Rushmore?
I can only HIGHLY suggest that if you're ever in The Black Hills of South Dakota, you visit Mt. Rushmore. I was expecting that it would be neat to see, but I didn't know how much there was. I thought that it would be along the lines of "Can't see it until you arrive and hike up a 3 mile unpaved trail, costs a ton to actually go to the good viewing spot, and is much smaller that in the photos". I can happily say that I was not even close! You can see Mt. Rushmore from quite a distance as you approach. The only fee is to park. There's quite a bit to see once you're there- they've really surrounded the monument with a great setting. We walked a loop trail which goes through the forest and not only offers great close-up views of the monument, but also tells a ton of the history.
BUT- speaking of history, here's the coolest part. See this guy in the photo with us?
BUT- speaking of history, here's the coolest part. See this guy in the photo with us?
That's Nick Clifford. He's the last surviving original worker from Mt. Rushmore! Nick will be 96 years old this summer, but is still as sharp as can be. I spoke with him and said that it sure looked like a lot of work, and he replied that yes it was, but you were just happy to have a job in those days. He carved the mountain from 1938- 1941.
Have you ever held history in your hands? Look at this:
Have you ever held history in your hands? Look at this:
I'm holding one of the ACTUAL drill bits used to carve Mt. Rushmore! Nick had a couple of tools on display and kindly allowed me to handle them and take some photos!
Mt. Rushmore was something we'll never forget and we hope to return soon. We're so blessed to have this opportunity to show the kids so many American landmarks in one summer!
So, we went on and had lunch at a Taco Bell. My sharp-eyed daughter noticed something that I had suspected all along. See this trash bin?
Mt. Rushmore was something we'll never forget and we hope to return soon. We're so blessed to have this opportunity to show the kids so many American landmarks in one summer!
So, we went on and had lunch at a Taco Bell. My sharp-eyed daughter noticed something that I had suspected all along. See this trash bin?
It's an "eco-friendly" deal, with the three separate compartments. BUT- guess what's inside when you open it up?
Yep, that's right, the Trash and Recycling both go into the same container.
This seriously has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
We headed on to Belle Fourche. We made a stop for gas in Sturgis, the home of the annual motorcycle rally. Even though this wasn't quite the time of year when the bikers all converge on the area, it was clear that this town was 100% built on all things motorcycle!
Upon arriving in Belle Fourche, we met with Tim, the Pastor of the church. He told us that before we set up our show, that we needed to get a photo at a local landmark:
This seriously has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
We headed on to Belle Fourche. We made a stop for gas in Sturgis, the home of the annual motorcycle rally. Even though this wasn't quite the time of year when the bikers all converge on the area, it was clear that this town was 100% built on all things motorcycle!
Upon arriving in Belle Fourche, we met with Tim, the Pastor of the church. He told us that before we set up our show, that we needed to get a photo at a local landmark:
We're standing on the geographical center of the United States!
We headed back to the church and were greeted by a family that came over to help us load in. Now, we have several big road cases, two of which have to be over 300 lbs. We were faced with a dilemna, as there were stairs leading to the door and no other way around. Jason (our helper) mentioned that he had some ramps, which he kindly went to get, and we got the cases up the stairs fairly easily. Jason is the kind of of guy who grabs something and moves it, no questions asked.
After we had all the gear inside, Jason says that he didn't know how much more we wanted to put in the trailer, but if we wanted those ramps, we were welcome to them! Seriously? Awesome!
The folks at the church treated us to pizza (and ice cream for afterward)! We were shown incredible hospitality. Our show went great! Pastor Tim gave us an entertaining introduction and we had fun with the crowd.
Then it was time to load out. Put everything back in the trailer and drive on, right? Well... we backed trailer into position, only to find that we had no power to the trailer lights or brakes. Here's why:
We headed back to the church and were greeted by a family that came over to help us load in. Now, we have several big road cases, two of which have to be over 300 lbs. We were faced with a dilemna, as there were stairs leading to the door and no other way around. Jason (our helper) mentioned that he had some ramps, which he kindly went to get, and we got the cases up the stairs fairly easily. Jason is the kind of of guy who grabs something and moves it, no questions asked.
After we had all the gear inside, Jason says that he didn't know how much more we wanted to put in the trailer, but if we wanted those ramps, we were welcome to them! Seriously? Awesome!
The folks at the church treated us to pizza (and ice cream for afterward)! We were shown incredible hospitality. Our show went great! Pastor Tim gave us an entertaining introduction and we had fun with the crowd.
Then it was time to load out. Put everything back in the trailer and drive on, right? Well... we backed trailer into position, only to find that we had no power to the trailer lights or brakes. Here's why:
That's the power line from the Jeep to the trailer. At some point, it apparently became caught in the ball hitch. What to do, with no Walmart nearby to get splicing materials? Would you believe that Jason is a master mechanic, and he immediately says "My shop is nearby, let's go get you fixed up"? Another blessing! We followed Jason to an auto shop where he kindly spliced everything back together the right way. Here's the man himself:
Isn't it amazing how God places the right people near you at the right time? Truly, the generosity of people is underrated in this world. The media only wants you to hear about the bad things, because that's what sells newspapers. My Mother always told me that there were 3 good people in the world for every 1 bad one, and as a kid, I had a hard time with that. But she was correct- in fact it may be 5 or 10 to 1. Mama knows best!
So, we drove on to Bismarck, North Dakota and arrived at 6:15 AM, thanks to losing another hour to the changing time zone (gotta love late check out times in good hotels). We're preparing to head on to Valley City for our show tonight. Getting closer to the east with every show!
So, we drove on to Bismarck, North Dakota and arrived at 6:15 AM, thanks to losing another hour to the changing time zone (gotta love late check out times in good hotels). We're preparing to head on to Valley City for our show tonight. Getting closer to the east with every show!
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