Day 12 Cody to Yellowstone

Not sure when we'll get access to the internet again, so just posting a quick beginning to this day. We are in the hotel in Cody, about to leave for Yellowstone and stake our claim at a tent site, hopefully relax with the kids by the campfire.

We may not be able to post for at least a week, so don't panic if you don't see updates for a while. If we have a dangerous run in with a grizzly bear, we'll let you know sooner than later! So, no news is good news.

We hope to make it back to Cody sometime this week to hit the Buffalo Bill museum complex and catch a rodeo.

RE: photos, as we posted in the header, we hope to set up a photo album to make downloading photos faster and more accessible. As nice as it is to include visuals in between the text, it seems to be a time-consuming process and we simply have too much to share with all of you.

Thought: we think every person in every country should be required to travel cross country at least once in their lifetime. I think it would help every country find unity and understanding, and tolerance among its own borders, and shouldn't we all start at home when it comes to peace and living together in harmony? Travel as much as you can, that's our motto!

ADDENDUM:
Change of plans and uh-oh and uh-oh II

I will need to fill in a longer blog about Cody, WY, it is late and we are getting up early tomorrow to get a good spot in Yellowstone. So, we decided to hang out here for a day, to rest and get a quicker start the next day. We figured we would swim in the pool, sightsee a little, rest, clean the car, and see the Cody Rodeo....well, let me briefly tell you: we swam, went out to pick up a few things, ate lunch, hit the Buffalo Bill Museum Complex (FIVE museums), ate dinner, and did the rodeo. It was FANTASTIC and if I do not manage to make it back to Cody, WY, one more time in my life I will NOT be happy...so the uh-oh: I fell in love with Wyoming (but no frets, to visit, not to live)





uh-oh II: at the museum and the rodeo the kids revealed two new loves. They LOVE country western music, Dmytro any kind, Solomia likes certain ones, Nina hasn't decided, AND the whole race car career idea of Nina's has taken a second to Cowgirl, as in professional rodeo entertainer.









More later on the wonderful town of Cody, WY. God Bless it, it is an honest, loyal, big hearted town. And very elegant at the same time, just like its larger than life founder, the well-read Willam F. Cody, "Buffalo Bill" (whom I've admired since I was a kid and whom my great grandmother saw in Ukraine in his Wild West Show tour of Europe). OH and before I forget, my absolute favorite photograph in the museum, of a childhood hero: Annie Oakley, sitting in front of her tent, dressed elegantly (long dress, day wear for her time) reading a book. Yipie ya yay...I love this country!

Day 11 - Devil's Tower

(picture of our camp at Custer State Park, Black Hills, SD)
We got up at 6am to shower, pack up our camp and head out to Cody, WY, with a stop off at the only Catholic church we saw in the area. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a tiny RC church in Keystone, SD. Mass is at 8am, and we camped about 30 minutes from there. So, we needed to get an early start. We made it five minutes after Mass had started, and surprisingly the place was packed, but I suspect mostly with vacationers. It was a lovely service with some heartfelt prayers, despite the singer’s lack of exact intonation, but her enthusiasm (and bravery) shall be praised and honored. I heard someone meet the priest with “Nice to see you here, Monsignor,” I guess he’d be from Rapid City, no clue, if I remember I’ll look it up on the web. Note to fellow Swansfielders: Danko managed to read the name of the other parish priest, his last name is Wirostek…any relation? (Yes, spelled with a W not a V, but I assume that linguistically the names are related, not necessarily family)

After Mass we ate breakfast near the Rushmore Mall, which appears to be a shopping Mecca for many who live miles around Rapid City. Then, we saw an amazing sight: a Starbucks, our first since Ohio (I’m sure Illinois has them, but we saw none in Indiana or Southern Minnesota, but then we saw NOTHING in Southern Minnesota, a sentiment shared by several fellow vacationers with whom we’ve chatted of late). Okay, Starbucks is nothing compared the greatness of God’s earth that we’ve encountered so far, but I really needed decent latte and Danko a well-brewed iced tea (and Solomia is hooked on their teas and juice blends). I shall now defend our vice: we love to experience new things, we will try anything, we aren’t big fans of fast food, and we love to experiment, however, Darka loves coffee and Starbucks does it right, Danko loves ice tea and they never fail to brew a good cup, and the kids have their favorites as well, better that as a treat than chicken nuggets. Yes, it is a chain, yes, some say it is over-priced, etc, etc…but we admit it, we are Starbucks addicts, and we have made peace with that truth. For anyone worrying about our health: Darka doesn’t drink flavored coffee, Danko gets unsweetened ice tea, and the kids dig the organic juices. Not too horrible a vice.

Okay, on to much more exciting adventures, next stop: Devils Tower, Wyoming. WOW!!!!!!!!! Still in the enchanting Black Hills region.





History: so here’s this big rock, familiar to many through the movie Close Encounter’s of the Third Kind. Many theories exist regarding the formation of this huge rock tower, among them Native creation stories, such as it being a rock that rose up high to save seven sisters from a big bear, whose claws made the deep crevices on the side. In one of the versions, the seven sisters decide to escape to the skies, and became a constellation known to us as The Big Dipper, in another version it’s not seven sisters but a group of brothers who kill all but two bears in the area to teach them a lesson that bears shouldn’t harm people, and that is why there are no bears in the Black Hills.

I don’t recall the exact geological theories, so I won’t attempt to explain them here, but I found the ranger’s talk on the history of the area fascinating. So basically the west was a mix of many tribes, some of which were forced out of the east coast of the US back in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the 1800’s there were 22 different native peoples living and fighting in the Wyoming and South Dakota area. The US government had a treaty with the tribes to give them these lands for their own, but col. Custer wrote in a surveying letter that when he pulls grass out of the ground in the Black Hills its roots are covered in gold. Well, this is obvious bunk, but it sure started a group of folks to pine for occupation and ownership of the Hills, so Custer’s small cavalry went up against 30,000 natives. Obviously, he didn’t win, but even though Custer was considered an impossible, uncooperative, selfish, and egotistical man, it was not taken well that the native tribes killed him, and so started another eradication of native peoples on American soil.

I find it interesting that much of the displays and pamphlets in the area give a very Native perspective to history, lots of emphasis on both sides given equal importance and respect and neither side really shown as the more important.

So, continuing the history, how did Devils Tower get its name? Actually, its amusing and maybe some would say kismet. So, the native tribes had various versions of Bear Lodge or Bear House. Col. Dodge came over in the late 1890’s (I think) and since he was not fluent in any of the local languages, he brought along a Native American from the east coast along as an interpreter. Some of you are jumping ahead and guessing what happened: when the name of the tower was asked of a local Native American, the interpreter didn’t hear “Bear’s Lodge” but “The House of the Bad God.” Col. Dodge wrote it down on his surveyor map and went home. Back in DC he figured that “The House of the Bad God” wasn’t an elegant name, so he “Americanized it” (as the ranger put it) and called it Devil’s Tower, which due to a clerical error later became Devils Tower (someone forgot the apostrophe). In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt declared Devils Tower the first national monument. Some have complained that the name should be changed, but that would take an act of congress. It can be done, but this particular ranger, who is of the Devils Tower Historical Society, feels that the name may have been a saving grace for the monument in that it’s intriguing name has brought more visitors versus the name Missouri River Buttes, similar formation 30 miles down the road from Devils Tower, about which very little people know, including this particular man who after thirty years of living in the area saw the Buttes just recently. So, perhaps, that misinterpretation was a good thing, for this tower as a national monument, but others would argue it opened up a whole can of worms.

Some Native communities are arguing that the tower is a sacred place and using it as a recreation area is insulting. This tower is very popular for rock climbers, been so since the end of the 19th century. Some Native Americans think that hammering stakes into the tower is like hammering into a living body. Many Native Americans come to pray at the tower and leave prayer cloths hanging in the trees, we as visitors and the rangers are forbidden to touch these cloths; they are removed only by Native Americans.



The month of June is closed to climbers so that Native communities can hold religious ceremonies at the tower. However, there is a lawsuit in the courts now appealing the decision to close the tower, a national monument, in the month of June for religious reasons because then this would be, as the claimants argue, a sanctioning of a religion by the federal government, which is, according to the lawsuit, unconstitutional. I am on neither side of the argument, but I am curious as to the outcome of this dispute.

NOTE: for future visits to Devils Tower, eat before you go into the park or pack a picnic. Again, we didn’t plan too well, we assumed we could at least get cold drinks up at the visitor center to accompany our picnic, but the visitor center is strictly a small bookstore and small and informative exhibit. We ate at a KOA “restaurant” at the entrance to the park…we should’ve eaten our picnic.

Since we miscalculated our time at Devils Tower, our time of arrival at Cody was 11pm. On our way in we wanted to take the “scenic” route, but due to the late hour decide to take the “not as much to see” route to get to Cody faster, as was recommended by a local who travels from DeSmet Lake to Cody (over 120 miles) for soccer games (that’s dedication, I think Beckham’s mission to make soccer more popular in the states should be an easy mission, although I still think if he were serious about his mission he would’ve done it on the east coast, but that’s another story). So…we drove through Big Horn National Forest, this is some of the “non-scenic” route…we are awed as to what is considered scenic!








Currently, we are at a Days Inn in Cody and we may not be back on-line for a week, but check in occasionally, perhaps there are a few Wi-Fi surprises waiting us in the Yellowstone area.

OH and PS, another good thing to get the kids: small aluminum stools on which to sit around the fire, didn’t want to drag their huge camping chairs, so hoping to pick up some stools tomorrow. So, that’s CamelBak Hydration backpacks, aluminum stools, and odor eaters…the van is taking on an interesting waft, odor, uh…stink that even the TWO Yankee Candle air fresheners cannot conquer, hmmm…perhaps we need to take more advantage of those nice clean free showers at the campgrounds.

Goodnight and sleep tight and hope you are enjoying the blog, please feel free to post comments and share thoughts. Roma, I was excited to read your comment about Wisconsin curds, we aren’t planning to hit WI on the way back home, but maybe next WI visit. ☺ Sounds yummy.

Day 10 - Bison, Burros and Mammoths

We were considering a half-day of hiking and half day of more attractions. Since the weather was looking a bit wet, we decided on doing some sightseeing first and then hike the second half of the day. First on the list: Custer State Park Wildlife Loop. This is a 20-30 mile auto loop that promises a good viewing of mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, elk, prairie dogs, wild burros, and wild bison! Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint or break it’s promise like the government of the 1850’s. We saw mule deer, we believe we saw the antelope, definitely plenty of prairie dogs and whitetail deer, and up close and personal the wild burros, and almost close the beautiful bold majestic awesome but not too brilliant bison! Before the taming of the west, the U.S. was home to 60 million bison. How the pioneers and army, which I assume was less than the 60 million bison in numbers, managed to kill off almost all of them is unfathomable and can only be explained one way: bison ain’t too smart. They are quick and strong, but they don’t appear to be brilliant. I LOVED gazing at them, it was peaceful and almost spiritual to see God’s creature chew on grass, make some grunting noises, and play with its young, BUT I could’ve come up to all of them and had way too much ground meat to freeze for a lifetime without too much effort, I think I could’ve done it with a butter knife, I mean these guys just don’t really seem to mind, well, they are cows and they aren’t used to being hunted since they are protected in the park, but still…you could see, as you stared at them in the eyes, reading the comics would a be a challenge for them. NEVERTHELESS, I am a HUGE fan of the bison and am thrilled to have seen them, they are beautiful and graceful creatures in their own massive way.








BUT, we had even more fun with the wildlife. Years ago Custer Park offered burro rides, later it was decided a bad idea (I don’t know why) and the burro were let loose in the park, now these non-native animals are several generations into being native to the Black Hills. We thought we had seen all the fun, driving away from the bison and headed to our next destination, when we had to slow down, burros on the road, everywhere, about twenty of them. They walk right up to the car window and we saw that several people got out of their cars to pet them, so did we. It was hilarious and joyous, and so heartwarming to get out of the car and get to know these animals face to face. We had a blast. It was hard to leave them, Solomia was ready to take one home (and Darka wasn’t too unconvinced of this idea), but we really had no room in the car with our camping gear, so we bid these gentle playful creatures farewell and with a little bittersweet sorrow left.








Next stop: Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD, about an hour’s drive from the park. This is a working paleontological site, as in digging is in progress. Here a home developer found a single tusk and realizing the gravity of his find, (gravity: since these tusks are really heavy…get it??? Hee, hee) he sold the land to a private paleontological foundation that manages the dig. They’ve been digging for 14 years and say they have at least thirty more to go. We saw what is known as the largest single area of Woolly and Columbian Mammoth fossils. This was an ancient sinkhole that trapped over what appears to be 60+ male mammoths. Did you all get that? MALE mammoths, the females weren’t stupid enough to climb into a hole form which they couldn’t climb out, or some theories say the women pushed in the men…if so, what did the males do to deserving being pushed??

Despite the obvious conclusions that prove that women are smarter than men, the site was a neat trip. NOTE to any families with kids ages about 6-13, the site has a junior paleontologist program BUT you need to make reservations MONTHS in advanced, since we did not know that we’d be here back in November 2006, we did not make reservations. Dmytro was very disappointed and said when he was informed that dad couldn’t get him into the program for that day “Didn’t you tell them that I’m studying to be a paleontologist?” He figured that such a budding scholar should be given a priority space in the program. We were able to console him by visiting the interactive exhibits, taking a peek in the working laboratory, and telling him that actually the program does not take the kids into the actual dig site, but rather has a separate section in which they learn a little about paleontology. He was also comforted by the fact that at age 18 he can return to this site as a volunteer at work at the actual site, how cool is that?







These two excursions, the wildlife loop and the mammoth dig, took up more time than we thought, actually we really didn’t think, just did and were at peace that we might not get the chance to hike at Custer, which was okay since we knew that we are going to hike a great deal in Yellowstone. There is simply too much to see in the Black Hills, there is something for everyone: Teta Talia, had we known, we would’ve had you meet us in Rapid City and shown you the area there. The people are super friendly, kind, and generous. We wouldn’t want to live in South Dakota, but we hope this isn’t our last time in this state.

After our trips, we headed back to the tent-site, took a dip in the lake, and roasted hot dogs over a campfire. The kids entertained us by each telling us stories, fantasies about knights, and fairies, and dragons, and Nina’s story about a king and queen who died and then all the princes and princesses of the land became kings and queens, and this apparently happened several times.

NOTE: eating near the Mammoth site, pack something…VERY disappointing and not worth the trouble. We were hoping to not need to eat there, but time was our enemy and we were hungry, so we ate lunch at a family eatery that was gorgeous inside, brand new building with lovely décor, and NO menu to speak of. The chicken salad was a cup of roasted chicken and a single trip to the salad bar. There was a big sign by the soup at the salad bar: “dinners include ONE trip to the salad bar OR one bowl of soup, not both.” Geesh…I predicted this place wouldn’t be around for long, but then we noticed it housed a casino in the basement…aha. Yes, food there was definitely a gamble.

Also, Hot Springs, SD, is a very small village, with some turn of the 20th century buildings done in a very red stone. It looks cute, but no substance. They did plop down a HUGE five-story retirement complex there, built of the same color stone. It’s an imposing building, looks grand, but surrounding it is a cute creek, and not much else, a little sad from a glance. This is just an impression from driving through, so take note I could be completely wrong and mean no offense to aficionados of Hot Springs, SD.

Day 9 - Two sides of a coin (country)

As I told my friend Lala, the west is like the Metropolitan Museum on a grand geographic scale: there is just SO much to see and do! It has the standard attractions for kids, like waterslides, etc…, but we didn’t have time for such common things because of the amount of great new things to see and visit.

First thing we got up and sterilized the kids in the showers, very clean, the kids AND the showers. Then we headed to Mount Rushmore. Danko and I weren’t too keen on going, but how could we not stop by and see it being less than ten miles away. We assumed we’d take a quick peek, the kids would do their junior ranger program and we’d go back to Custer to relax at our tent site. I believe that Mount Rushmore has been given a bad rap and has acquired a kitschy reputation. Let me tell you, I was stunned at how moved I was by the carving and did not find it kitschy at all. The philosophy behind the art and the sculptor are very impressive and inspiring. He wanted to leave a time capsule, if you will, for the future to see the motives and achievements of a democracy. The sculpting itself is beautiful and moving and I have never seen it represented with such dignity as it itself conveys when seeing it in person. The inviting hills, the sweet smell of the Ponderosa pine, and the dignity of the mission all added to me becoming a fan of Mount Rushmore.



After a lovely half-day at Mount Rushmore, and the kids achieving their second Junior Ranger badges, we headed over to see the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is a work in progress that started in 1948 when Lakota elders asked a Polish American sculptor Korczak to sculpt into the Black Hills a monument to Crazy Horse, the Lakota war chief who refused to even touch the pen that would sign a treaty with the US government. He was successful in battle, but was stabbed in the back by an army soldier during a truce. The monument of Crazy Horse, when completed, will be the largest sculpture in the world, Mount Rushmore would fit into a small part of the head of Crazy Horse. The sculpture will depict Crazy Horse, mounted, and pointing into the hills. He was once asked after a battle “where are your lands now?” and he replied “My land lies where my ancestors are buried.” So that is to what Crazy Horse is pointing, the lands of the Black Hills, of the Lakota people, but for today’s native community he represents all native peoples.





The sentiment is moving, the sculpture is beautiful, but I do have some issues with the movement. Korczak the sculptor was offered several times millions of dollars from the federal government to complete the project. His project not only includes the grand sculpture, but a center of Native Studies and a medical school for Native peoples (not sure if it is meant to only teach natives, or perhaps focus on western and native medicine, either way a good idea, perhaps later requiring graduates to work on reservations). Korczak turned down all funds stating that the project belongs to the people and it should be funded by the people and not built by a handout. I understand the pride behind the philosophy, and it can be good thing, however, since the project is not just an artistic endeavor but includes important educational endeavors, I find the philosophy standing in the way of bettering the lives of many people.

A work of art is of value not only in completion, but during its creation. It can bring people together, generate interest, as many visitors come to see the grand scale of the work at Crazy Horse Memorial and spend time in the visitor center seeing the works of area artists, native and western, reading literature, and being exposed to native culture. But, the Crazy Horse Memorial project is more than just a sculpture carved into the side of a mountain. If the whole project is realized, it will give opportunities to young native peoples to better their lives, bring hope and dare I say progress to that which I have read to be hard conditions on reservations. These conditions were placed on them by an oppressor, a conqueror, and I understand the desire for self-preservation and even bitterness from broken promises. As Red Cloud said that the US government has kept all promises but one, that they would take all the land. I feel and sympathize, but when it comes to millions of our tax dollars given to realize a project that is completely conceived by Lakota for the betterment of their community, I am all for it. At the visitor center, the project leaders, Korczak’s wife, state the ideals of the work and ask for donations making the memorial every person’s memorial. In my eyes, tax dollars are my money. In each national park, as my kids are told by the rangers during the junior ranger program, each national park belongs to each American, from the youngest to oldest, and since we are all the owners of these national parks and monuments we need to take care of them, and so on. So, it seems to follow that if my hard earned taxes are given to the Crazy Horse Memorial, it becomes mine as do all the national treasures we have and as Korczak and his family would like us to think of the Crazy Horse Memorial if we became members. In other words, that government gift is a gift of the people, where does Korczak think the monies come from? US! The very same people from which the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation asks of donations, monetary and otherwise (time, artwork to sell, and the like).

That’s my thinking behind the memorial and a very interesting contrast to observe between Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, which are less than 20 miles apart.

Curious fact about Mount Rushmore: there is a Hall of Archives behind Lincoln’s head which is to store important historical documents of American history, such as the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Roosevelt’s New Deal, etc… I hate to admit this, but I’m not sure if the documents, or rather copies of the documents, are there or not, but I praise the concept. It is prudent to place such important ideas into a mountain, to be preserved and found when time and civilization may forget what once was.

Also, neat fact: the movie National Treasure II is coming out this winter and they did film around Mount Rushmore, it’ll be neat that our kids will be personally familiar with the treasures in the next movie, as they were with the ones in the first movie. Very neat, I look forward to experiencing their reactions at the movies.

After visiting the monuments and having much deep philosophical struggles about the better of mankind or the principles of self-preservation, we had dinner: spaghetti (finally, pasta! Not common on western menus) and buffalo meat sauce, cooked and served at the famous five-star Nebesh tent-site at Custer State Park. After a delicious meal, we hit the lake, it was a bit cool and late, but very refreshing and we are grateful that the kids convinced us to go swimming. Then we had a campfire, ate marshmallows and brownies (Warning: roasted brownie bites are nasty! Don’t do it!), and a restful night’s sleep.

Day 8 Late, but lucky

We had a tiny mishap in planning, but not too horrible and it was worth spending a cool day in the Badlands. So, we got to Custer around 6:30pm, not horrible, plenty of time to set-up camp, however, we only had reservations starting the next day, so we had to find a first come-first serve site. We weren’t too keen on setting up our tent and then needing to move the next day, so we considered getting a room, but none were available close by. We headed over to one of the first come-first serve tent sites and we found a beauty! Our site was next to the chemical toilets, but no foolin’ this was a positive since the toilet didn’t smell, so if any of us had to go in the middle of the night, no problem. ALSO, this site was much nicer than that which we had reserved, it was walking distance to a small pond, man-make lake, and the hot camp showers. It was lovely.

After setting up our tent, we needed to find some food, fast, it was late and we were hungry. We decided to head to Keystone, the town outside Mount Rushmore, in hopes to find a quick bite and a grocery store. Keystone is a tiny village of about 300 people, it has plenty of fudge and souvenir shops, but no late evening grocery store. We ate at one of the family restaurants (nothing to really write about), and headed to Rapid City, South Dakota’s second largest city (smaller than Columbia, MD, population c.65,000) to find a grocery store. We found a Safeway, did some late night shopping, loaded up with food staples for the next few days and headed back to our tent. We decided to cancel our reservation and stay put for three nights.

For those thinking of heading to the Black Hills of South Dakota:

DO IT!
In the Badlands, if it is going to be hot, stay at the Badlands Inn, it’s a no frills place, but you can’t beat the view as it is the only Inn right at the park’s entrance. Eat at the Cedar Lodge, and do Wall Drug for a little bit for kicks (to cool off)

In the Black Hills, which are just beautiful, stay at Custer State Park and get a tent site at Center Lake Lower loop campground, it’s by the hot showers and the lake is refreshing and very clean. Perfect for kids. DO buy groceries in Rapid City before you get to the park, makes life easier.

Day 7 Like a cool crisp spring morning, relatively speaking

Woke up to a much more pleasant temperature. We even had a bit of an issue in our hotel room, the air conditioner just wasn’t doing the trick, ended up that the unit was working properly and we were moved to a cooler unit, thank goodness, because I don’t know how we would have gotten any sleep in the heat we encountered. How hot? Well, we learned on Thursday that the temperature on Wednesday was 108 degrees IN THE SHADE! Holy moly! We actually walked in that weather, explored the region a little. It was incredible and I believe a first for all of us. This day it was more around the upper 70’s, low 80’s, so in comparison it felt like a cool crisp spring day.

First thing we decided to eat breakfast at the Cedar Lodge, it was easier than finding a grocery store, and to attend a geology walk at 8:30am. We learned quite a bit about the erosion that created the Badlands. So, in a nutshell, this was a prairie that through wind and water eroded into a land of some lower prairies and these ominous pinnacles of sandstone and sediment. It looks a little like Mars, but with grass. After the geology talk we went on the fossil trail, there are many fossils of ancient marine life and prehistoric post-dinosaur era animals. Nina asked a ranger a very good question at the geology walk: may we climb the rocks? And it was a resounding yes, and we were encouraged to explore and not worry about the rattlesnakes on the rocks, they are more in the tall grasses and along the edge of the grasses. So, at the fossil walk we got off the designated boardwalk of fossil exhibits and climbed freely, and enjoyed several great views.

Then the kids attended their first junior ranger activity and became official Junior Rangers of the Badlands, they even got a nice “golden” badge to prove it. We shopped a little, ate another meal of Sioux Indian Tacos (yum yum), and went for another hike. Many complaints were heard that our first hike was too easy, namely from Dmytro and Nina. Okay…so we took them on the one marked “strenuous.” A talent has been discovered: Dmytro is one serious hiker and climber. He did a great job. We figured Solomia would be good and Nina, well, Nina is a mountain goat, although this hike was a little tough for her, but Dmytro surprised us. We witnessed some lack of enthusiasm in the car whenever we would point out some spectacular view. Turns out, he just isn’t a car dude, he likes to see the view on his own two feet, and he delights in it even more if he reaches the view after a solid hike. He beat Danko and me down the steep terrain, with much less sweat or worries, it was truly artistic to see him hike. Go Dmytro!












Things we learned from this hike regarding equipment, some of you may have known this forever but for those that haven’t here’s what we learned. Saint Nicholas gave the children fanny packs with water bottles this last winter, prepping them for this great adventure. He figured the kids should carry their own water as they drank so much from mom and dad last summer when hiking. Alas, these water bottles are not the easiest from which to drink, even mom has a “drinking problem,” as in more water on shirt than mouth (note to father-in-law, it wasn’t JUST mom, dad had problems too!). So, it has been decided that on the way to Yellowstone the kids will each be getting a camelback backpack so that they don’t have to stop to drink and can just pull on the straw in the shoulder strap and have a swig. For those not familiar, camelbacks are basically canteens in a backpack, with straws that go from the water sack to the shoulder strap and one can simply pull on it and suck up some refreshment. For some reason St. Nichols just didn’t realize how much the kids would be stopping to drink and how convenient such an item would be. No biggie, the walking sticks he gave along with the fanny packs…BIG hit.

After our strenuous hike, we got in the car and managed to catch a Bighorn Sheep standing on a one of the pinnacles. It is rare to catch these guys, so we are very lucky. Then, the three Nebesh extreme hikers took a nap in an air-conditioned car as we drove our way further west into the Black Hills to Custer State Park.

Day 6 - IT IS CRAZY HOT!

And NO, not a dry heat. It is African Sahara hot, it is so hot that a hot tub would feel like an ice pack hot. It is SO hot that boiling water would be a refreshing cool down drink hot. It is so hot and to top off the sauna like feel, there are big ugly black flies that bite like big dogs. But, we’re having fun.

FINALLY, not just driving on the highway. We got up, ate breakfast and headed out back over to the Badlands. Since we got to the area around 11:30am and it was 104 degrees outside, it was decided to eat lunch at the famous Wall Drug in Wall, SD (named so because it is on the edge of the wall before the pinnacles of the Badlands). Wall Drug was founded 1931 by a pharmacist and his English teacher wife from Sioux Falls. They were looking for a small town with a good decent Catholic church where they could do some good. They didn’t mind being poor, but wanted to use their talents to better the world. After struggling to make a go of a pharmacy for five years, they hit the jackpot when the wife came up with the idea for the pharmacy to offer free ice water to travelers on I-90, tourists off to see Mount Rushmore, or traveling east to see their families. It was genius idea that gave this family a business that has lasted four generations. The place today is basically a restaurant and souvenir shop, but it has many entertaining goodies: like an animated T-Rex, stuffed Bison, a water fountain that soaks the kids, as well as a pretty decent collection of fine art by western American artists and a cute chapel replicated from an order of Monks in Sioux Falls. It’s a decent place to pass the time away from the blistering sun. (Oh, I read to eat the fresh pies at Wall Drug, note to self and anyone who will be there: don’t eat the pies, wasn’t worth it)




PROOF that the world is really only about 25 people and the size of Harrisburg: outside of Wall Drug, Danko met up with the Boy Scout leader from Maryland who had taken his troop out here, and in his troop is Danko’s co-worker’s son. Danko actually helped pay for the trip, by sacrificing his diet and buying chocolates at a fund-raiser. Curiously, it was the first time I heard of any chocolates…figures. I have learned that he was buying chocolates at a dollar a piece often, so often that the boy scouts made it to South Dakota…on a plane…well…guess we’ll be doing some extra hikes.

We headed over to the Badlands park around 3. Driving in, we stopped at various viewpoints and simply were amazed. Unfortunately, Dmytro got a little spooked, because Solomia was worried he’d trip and fall down the cliffs, but that fear was soon replaced with a fear of rattlesnakes…yikes!





We stopped off at the Big Pig Dig. About 15 years ago, a hiker discovered an unusually high amount of fossils in one spot of the park. Fossils here are fairly common, especially of prehistoric marine life, but this was a rare high concentration. If one spots something that could be of interest, anyone can fill out a paleontological report and the local paleontologists check it out. So, they did check out this particular spot and found it to be a watering hole that later on trapped many animals in prehistoric times. Today we saw three paleontologists mapping and brushing the dig, among the items was a skull and bones of some prehistoric creature. VERY cool, figuratively, since it was anything but…see note at top about HOW hot.





Ate dinner in the park at the Cedar Pine Lodge. To be honest, the Cedar Lodge gift shop is much smaller than Wall Drug, but it is much nicer (so I recommend shopping there if anybody ever is out here). We ate their famous Sioux Indian tacos: Indian fry bread topped with seasoned Buffalo meat, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and cheese. Below I’ll include the recipe, because it is worth duplicating, I’m salivating just thinking about it.

SIOUX TACO:
Fry bread--1/4 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 cup water (or enough to make soft dough), 1 tsp salt, 3 tsp baking powder
Mix together, using a big spoon drop dough onto a floured surface and pat down to about an inch thick. Fry in 1 or 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Meat topping--32 oz refried beans, 1 lb ground buffalo meat (or beef can be substituted), 1-2 packages of Taco Seasoning
Brown meat, stir in refried beans and seasoning. Spread meat on top of fry bread. Top with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Complete with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
ENJOY!

People here are SUPER friendly. In ten minutes Danko found out more about three strangers in a bar than we know about our next door neighbors of nine years. Also, poor economic standing is not equal to unkept and dirty, a big difference from the south we saw last summer. The bathrooms in the poorest of gas stations are very clean, dare I say “Uncle Nick” clean, and for those that don’t know my Uncle Nick…well, that’s CLEAN.

Not clean: our windshield. I tried to grab the idea in a photo, and it simply didn’t translate, but it must be an entomologists dream!

Day 5 - "A Snag"

Sioux Falls, SD, was a pleasant surprise. Our Country Inn & Suites was very clean and large, a 1 bedroom suite. We had a relaxing breakfast and took a dip in the pool before checking out around 1pm. We had a neat experience in the parking lot. On our driver’s side window was taped a piece of paper and on it was handwritten: Slava Isusu Khrystu! (Glory be to Christ!). Wow! Ukrainians in South Dakota! No clue who it was, but it was a neat note, and we definitely are keeping it.

Then we head off to see what made Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, and that would be…Sioux Falls. Currently, they are in a drought, so the river is considerably smaller, but the falls were still a beautiful sight to see. It was scorching hot, over 98 degrees. We decided to have a pre-lunch snack, some ice cream at the Falls café, housed in a building leftover from a early 1900’s mill that sat on the falls.



After our cooling snack, we drove around Sioux Falls to check out some of the many street sculptures that adorn the corners. The outdoor sculptures are changed every May. There are a few permanent sculptures, such as the following, who needs Florence?



Then we ate a Mexican restaurant, one of many in the area, and headed for the Badlands. Driving across Southern SD is MUCH more interesting than southern Minnesota, which you will see can be a bad thing. We stopped at the Corn Palace, a building that every year since the early 1900’s is decorated with intricate maize mosaics.



A few miles from there we took a quick look at a prehistoric dig of a village. We got there late, 30 minutes before closing, but it was enough for us to take in the amazing project. They’ve been digging since the 1920’s and one of the archaeologists there told us he has at least fifty more years to go. The kids got to wash some artifacts, mostly bison bones, and touch carbon from trees, bones, some prehistoric pottery, and petrified bones. We left at 6pm and it cooled down to 94…





We decided to not stop at any other attractions, but eat dinner around 7 or 8 and head to our hotel in the Badlands. We stopped to take in a great sight at a rest area, however, and it was worth the stop. Chamberlain, SD, sits on the Missouri river. It is where Lewis and Clark stayed and named Camp Pleasant, the first place they shot a bighorn antelope and saw a magpie, which up to then thought to be only a European bird. The sight was gorgeous, but a little scary as the sign points out:






We ate a restaurant at the other side of the river. We had some local Missouri river catfish, it was delicious. Then, drove FAST, usually over 80 miles an hour, to our hotel.

Okay, here’s the snag. We drive into the Badlands National Park after 10pm mountain time. It was eerie and exciting. We couldn’t wait to see all of this in the daylight, and couldn’t wait for it to actually BE daylight. After about 20 minutes into the park in the very very dark, we pull into our hotel parking lot with much relief. BUUUTT…the office is only open from 9am to 9pm. Yup…NOBODY, not a soul, no deer or bison or prairie dog to hand us our room keys. NADA! I had a gut feeling an hour before and asked Danko if the hotel had late check-in, and Danko said that they must, they had our credit card number, shouldn’t be a problem. Well, problem. The next town is 9 miles away, and not a big town, I think population around 300. So we called every hotel they got…booked. We decide to head to Rapid City, 70 miles away, second largest city in SD. So, we should have luck there…should is nice…but didn’t. One hotel quoted us early on $300/night for a suite. We figured if we get there and nobody has vacancy, then we’ll take it. We got to Rapid City, no vacancies, and the $300 suite was gone.

We are advised to try Elk Creek Inn ten miles down the road. So we do. We call; they have a vacancy. We drive up…I wouldn’t wish my worse enemy to stay there. It scared us all. Danko started calling international hotel toll-free numbers: basically “Does anyone have a room in SD?” Holiday Inn Express did, queen suite, in Deadwood, SD. Okay, 30 more miles, but it’s a chain we trust. We take it, not even asking how much. We drive calmly and relaxed knowing we have a room after all. Danko starts to read about Deadwood. It is a casino town. We are taking our kids to Holiday Inn/Gold Dust…a casino. This is a first. I’m a little worried, imaging a loud town with inappropriate visuals. A HUGE sigh of relief…Deadwood is a very cute town, very clean, at 1 am it was quiet, open, but people walking calmly, relaxed, and dressed nicely (not formal, but not sloppy). I saw a woman walk past in a short short skirt, got a little nervous, but then saw her shoes: flat leather Merril sandals, you can tell a lot from shoes, those weren’t “street” shoes, those were just nice “Hi, welcome to our home” shoes. PHEW. The hotel had an entrance separate from the casino, it is right ON Main street, with a neat view from the room. So, a first for Nebesh family: we stayed at a casino, and it was very nice.