Category: Trips

Geographic Center of the US

Belle Fourche SD – September 2021

Belle Fourche (pronounced bell foosh) is the actual geographic center of the US. It became the center when Alaska and Hawaii were added as states in 1959.
We are standing at the geographic center of the US.
Buckskin Johnny Cabin was the first built in this area, in 1876.
Inside of the cabin.
Inside the cabin.
This is a 1928 International Harvester 10-20 tractor.

Sturgis SD

September 2021

The huge biker rally was here in August. They estimated about 500,000 bikers in this small town for the weeklong rally. It was very quiet when we came through.
The the famous Iron Horse Saloon

City of Presidents Walk

Rapid City SD – September 2021

Rapid City SD bills itself the “City of Presidents”, and there are statues of all the presidents (President Trump is not there yet) on different street corners in the middle of downtown. It’s a neat idea. So I took about an hour and a half to walk all over downtown and take pictures of all of them. Here are my favorites:

George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
Ulysses Grant
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt close-up
William Taft. This one is cool. President Taft was a huge (literally!) baseball fan, and he was the first president to throw out the first pitch at a major league baseball game. In this statue, he is bent over ready to throw. There is a baseball behind his back in his right hand!
Calvin Coolidge
Franklin Roosevelt
Dwight Eisenhower
Ronald Reagan

Rushmore Plaza Civic Center

Mary Jean, her daughter Melissa and her friend Pat saw Elvis Presley in concert at this venue in June 1977, just a few weeks before he died.

Mary Jean and Pat revisited the place this week.
The entrance.
The arena. Mary Jean’s seats in 1977 were in the front orange seats on the right, near the fork truck.
Poster from the 1977 concert.

National Presidential Wax Museum

Keystone SD – September 2021

This is a pretty neat museum.
White House Press Room.
George Washington
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
James Monroe (in the back)
James Madison
Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
Ulysses Grant (and Robert E. Lee made it to the Presidential Wax Museum!)
Theodore Roosevelt
Calvin Coolidge
Franklin Roosevelt with Churchill and Stalin
Dwight Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy
Ronald Reagan with Gorbachev
Donald Trump

Mt. Rushmore

Keystone SD – September 2021

This is the #1 highlight of the trip for me. I have been wanting to see Mt. Rushmore for so long – and now we have seen it! We arrived in the afternoon so I got pictures with afternoon shadows on the statues. We went back early next morning and the early morning sun gave us excellent pictures!

Our first view of Mt. Rushmore – profile of George Washington!
Avenue of flags.
We made it!
So we went back for the night lighting ceremony.
After telling something about each of the four presidents, and spotlighting each president when they told the stories, they then lit all four. It was pretty cool! Then they had a flag folding ceremony with all the veterans in attendance. Pat’s husband Rolland asked me to represent him, so I went down to the stage and I actually got to be one of the seven who folded the flag! It was pretty special.
Early morning visit.
Beautiful blue sky.
My best shot! This is going on the calendar next year!