Mount Rushmore and South Dakota

On August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn South Dakota4 Comments

One of the most iconic places to visit within the United States is Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. With the enormous carvings of the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, it is quite an amazing site to see in person. In addition to Mount Rushmore, there is also Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and Wind Cave National Park. Since we drove from Colorado through Wyoming on our way to South Dakota, we also included a trip to Little Bighorn, the site of Custer’s last stand.

Little Bighorn National Memorial is the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which is also known as “Custer’s Last Stand”, that occurred in June of 1876. Standing on the grassy hills, staring out at the open land, it is hard to imagine how the men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by George Armstrong Custer must have felt when they were surrounded by the warriors of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapahoe nations. The battlefield is located about a five hour drive west of Mount Rushmore and, if you are at all interested in historical locations, it is well worth the drive. It certainly conjures up visions of the true old west, not necessarily the glamorized Hollywood version of the old west, but the harsh and bloody west that was filled with as much violence as there was heroism. Over 270 members of the 7th Cavalry lost their lives in the battle, including George Custer and two of his brothers.

Memorial Tombstones at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Memorial

Actual Headstones where George Custer is Buried

George Washing with Thomas Jefferson Looking Over His Shoulder

In addition to just seeing Mount Rushmore, it is worth taking the time to hike around Mount Rushmore and viewing the enormous figures of the founding fathers carved into the side of the mountain from different angles. Seeing the different views of the sculptures carved into the side of the mountain from different angles provides an opportunity to really understand how the figures were chiseled from the mountainside . Also, viewing the profiles of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln from various perspectives allows you to fully appreciate the detail in the work of art. Also be sure to go and see the Crazy Horse Memorial. Although not completed, it is still an impressive site and will hopefully, one day, be the fitting tribute to all Native Americans as it was intended to be. If it is completed, it might become the world’s largest sculpture.

We also visited the Wind Cave National Park while we were in South Dakota, which offered a candlelight tour that is extremely limited in the number of guests that can participate and takes you to parts of the cave that other tourists can’t see. So, we had booked tickets for that tour in advance of going to South Dakota, which we’re extremely glad that we did. We had some time to kill before our tour, so before going to the cave for a little spelunking, we went to Cosmos Mystery Area. It is actually a pretty interesting site where things seem to defy the normal rules of gravity. We’re sure it is all just an optical illusion, but it was fun just the same. Wind Cave is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world and has a unique geological formation on its walls called boxwork. The highlight of the tour was when, at the deepest part of the cave on the tour, the ranger had us all blow out our candles and sit in absolute darkness as light can’t reach that part of the cave. Needless to say, it was quite an amazing day.

Located about an hour south of Mount Rushmore is the Hot Springs, which is home to the Mammoth Site. The Mammoth Site has the largest concentration of mammoth remains, both wooly and Columbian, in the world. It is an active paleontological dig site where you can actually get your hands dirty and help dig up some of the bones. Seeing something that old being discovered first hand as they excavate the earth and expose the remains is something that you won’t soon forget. It is a very much a contrast to seeing Mount Rushmore, but well worth putting on your itinerary.

Another interesting location to see while in South Dakota is Custer State Park where you can do some hiking and if you like, you can go on a Hayride Chuck Wagon Cookout at Blue Bell in the park. If you want an up-close experience with herds of buffalo, this is the best place to do it, maybe even better than at Yellowstone. In addition to the buffalos, there were also wild herds of donkeys, who were very friendly, perhaps too friendly. There are also plenty of trails to get out and enjoy the great outdoors and we took a pleasant hike to a beautiful lake. The chuck wagon dinner was a ton of fun and they even got the kids, all of them, including the 15 year old, up and dancing to the chicken dance. It was truly the perfect ending to a very memorable trip.

If you haven’t been to South Dakota or to Mount Rushmore, you should definitely make it a location to get to some day. The mountains are beautiful, Mount Rushmore is amazing, and there are a lot of fun things to do in the area. We even found time to go to Wall Drug, which is supposed to be the world’s biggest drug store. It was a little hokey, but sometimes you have to look at life’s oddities as well. This trip was from many years ago, so we apologize for the quality of the photographs, but it doesn’t take away from our memories of the experience.

The Eiffel Tower is an Iconic Landmark

On August 31, 2017February 9, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France, Photo Challenge15 Comments

There are very few man-made structures that come to symbolize a city or country. The Statue of Liberty, the Sphinx, and the Eiffel Tower all invoke images of the countries where they reside. We have yet to visit Egypt, but we have gone to the Statue of Liberty in New York as well as gone to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Not surprisingly, you can find replicas of all of these in Las Vegas, but clearly that isn’t the same thing as seeing the real thing. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time almost a decade ago is definitely one of our favorite travel moments. There is something special about the Eiffel Tower, whether it is its raw architecture with the exposed beams or its graceful curvature as it reaches skyward. Clearly it is the most photographed landmark in Paris and every souvenir vendor has miniature replicas galore. We have seen it in autumn with brightly colored trees in the foreground, at night from the Seine, as well as on a cold, wet, winter day. The time of year doesn’t seem to matter, when you see the Eiffel Tower you get a sense that you looking more at a symbol of the French people than a tower constructed to be the entrance of the world fair in 1889. For this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge, Structure, we have chosen a variety of photos that we have taken of the Eiffel Tower.

View of the Eiffel Tower from the Top of the Arc de Triomphe

Crossing the Bridge towards the Eiffel Tower

Is There a Special Place in Your Heart?

On July 3, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France2 Comments

While we were in Europe, we made a point of spending a weekend in Paris and buying an oil painting from one of the artists along the Seine. We had it stretched and framed and we picked it up from the framer over the weekend and when we saw it, the painting brought back fond memories for us. We have been to many wonderful cities in various parts of world, but Paris holds a special place in our hearts. Perhaps it is partially due to the fact that it was the first city outside of the United States that the two of us visited together. It might also just be part of the relaxed charm that has made the city renowned for being a romantic location.

During our first trip to Paris, we stayed in Latin Quarter on the Left Bank in a quaint little hotel that was more of a bed and breakfast than a traditional hotel. It was wonderful because we were within walking distance of restaurants, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and even the Eiffel Tower. We were fortunate to have wonderful weather considering the fact that we were there during November, which added to our memories of the beautiful city.

During our second trip to Paris, we weren’t as fortunate with the weather, but that didn’t diminish our experience. There are so many wonderful little bistros and places to stop for a coffee and croissant that we could find places to stop during the times that it was actually raining and not just cloudy and overcast. Obviously we took a walk along the Seine once again, strolling hand-in-hand, and looking at the artwork of the few artists that were out on such a gloomy day. We lucked out and found exactly the painting that we were hoping to find to capture our memories of Paris.

Perhaps it is just a trick of the mind, but sometimes there are places and moments in time that become a special memory that seem to surpass reality. We will always treasure the time that we spent in Paris and it will likely be a city that revisit again and again. There are so many places to see in the world, but there are also some places that just seem to draw you back over and over again.