We spent this last week traveling from Yellowstone, WY, to Jellystone, WI. (I’m not kidding. We are camped at Jellystone Park Campground in Bagley, WI. I can see Yogi and the Ranger Station from the camper window.) This week has been full of driving across miles and miles of farmland with some history mixed in the middle. From Yellowstone, we went to Cody, WY, and spent a day and a half learning all about Buffalo Bill and the Wild West. We even spent an evening at the chuck wagon followed by a night of rodeo. From Cody, we drove to Keystone, SD where we spent time at Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. I had prepared myself to be under-whelmed by Rushmore for a couple of reasons. One, I was afraid Hollywood and other media might have made Rushmore seem much bigger than it is in real life, and two, I had a friend tell me that her experience driving by the monument was less than stellar. I prepped the kids that the real thing might be really far off. We might not be able to get as close up as we would like. It might be a lot smaller than we’ve imagined. For once, I am so glad I was wrong! Mt. Rushmore is amazing! The planning, the execution, the detail is spectacular! Our National Park System has done a wonderful job with the museum and exhibit area, and we all thoroughly enjoyed reading about Borglum and his work. We also enjoyed revisiting the history lessons from the time period of the presidents represented. The beautiful weather and yummy ice cream topped off the adventure. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson is credited with the first known recipe of ice cream recorded by an American? It is a very good recipe indeed.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is also wonderful…lots of history, talent, and dedication. It is still a work in progress and for very good reason. The sculptor commissioned to do the work believed in private enterprise and did not want to give control of the project to the government just for money. He and his family committed to do the work, raising funds along the way. Entrance fees, gift shop souvenirs, and Native American arts and crafts sold at the museum fund the ongoing project. Impressive considering $10,000,000 from the government has been turned down twice over the last 60 years!
From this area, we drove back to Rapid City for a taste of real Tex-Mex from On the Border. It’s been a long 3 years without good salsa and freshly made tortillas from someone else’s kitchen. But this is where we said goodbye to my mom and dad. As we continued east, they took their turn south to head for home. Hopefully, our next visit will be sooner rather than later.
We finally made our way to the other side of the state after miles and miles of farmlands and a stop at the world’s only Corn Palace. We clipped the corner of North Dakota to snag another geo-cache and then found our way to Minneapolis, MN to see a friend of mine. We were actually neighbors when we were babies…until I was about 2 years old. Then in second grade, after a family vacation, we became pen pals, writing (the old-fashioned way) for years! I went to visit her my sophomore year of high school, and she returned the trip during my sophomore year of college. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen each other since then but have been able to reconnect through FB in the last few years. It was such a joy and a blessing to spend a few hours with her! She is a beautiful, artistic, creative woman, and I am so thankful we had the opportunity to hug and catch up.
Finally, today we drove through the corner of Iowa, stopping in at one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood homes in Burr Oak. Mary and I enjoyed the tour while the boys took a brief nap.
All in all, it has been a great week of travel. We’ve seen in person some things we’ve only read about in history. We’ve made up silly songs about our adventures, and we’ve been able to see how God has blessed our nation with all kinds of people and histories…from the Native Americans to the cowboys of the Wild West to the farmers who work tirelessly from season to season, providing for the rest of the nation what we often take for granted, the very food on our plates. We’ve seen the purple mountain majesties and the fruited plain, and we give glory to God for without Him, everything that we’ve seen…everything we’ve experienced…is meaningless.
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise.” Daniel 2:20-23
Choosing Life 
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