Trying to get back home...

We were pleasantly surprised to see the abundance of wind turbines
in each state as we drove eastward.

Our mission: make it back to the Jersey Shore by Friday, 8/26, so we would have the weekend to regroup - Mark is eager to swim + surf and for me, the fall semester begins 9/6. After leaving South Dakota, Mark was a driving machine and we made it through Minnesota, Wisconsin (we stopped in Madison - a cool college town/city), Illinois, Iowa and Ohio in record time.

I have wanted to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, in Cleveland for over a decade, so we stopped for the day and what a day we had! Mark and I are avid museum goers - natural history, contemporary art, fine art, railway, science, hall of fame...you name it, we have probably visited it.

Peace : )

$22.00/each and so worth it.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was by far one of the most memorable museum experiences we have ever had (we spent over three hours on the first floor!). We highly recommend a visit - it's packed with rock star memorabilia and high tech audio/visual exhibits. Highlights included: Elvis, The Beatles, Women in Rock, the Inductees film, and One Hit Wonders.

Imaging Peace guitar (6 foot) by Yoko Ono.

George Harrison is my favorite Beatle.

Elvis bought this Lincoln for his bodyguard and on another day bought 13 Cadillacs and gave them away to family and friends.

The red carpet for the Inductees...

Love, love, love Gwen Stefani. FYI...Moby has a great vegan restaurant in downtown NYC called TeaNY. Super yummy and you may see him there - I have a few times.

From the U2 Zooropa Tour.

It wasn't until we were leaving Cleveland that we realized the potential harm Hurricane Irene was bringing our way. Living on a barrier island, we decided to forgo our plans to go home and instead headed towards Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yes, that's correct...my husband and I have decided to stay safe in the land of chocolate, nuts, and nougat.

More to come...ciao' for now : )

PS: To our fellow east coasters, be smart + be safe.

South Dakota: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Black Hills, and Badlands

Welcome to South Dakota!

Mount Rushmore is the consummate national monument – paying tribute to 150 years of our nation’s leadership spanning from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. The monument reflects the determination and struggle for our great nation’s liberty and freedom, past and present. Unfortunately, today there are many Americans who interpret these principles in term of a distorted self-interest (Glenn Beck, and the folks at Fox “News”).

Homage to Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln

90% of Mount Rushmore was crafted with dynamite
(you can see the rubble below the faces).

Pure craftsmanship while dangling 100 feet in the air.

Let's not forget our fellow citizens...we live in a county founded on
opportunity for ALL Americans, not only the top 1%.

A lovely tribute to those who have served. Thank you.

The nightly lighting ceremony is a moving experience.

The Crazy Horse Memorial, honoring North American Indians, namely the legendary Lakota leader, Crazy Horse is the world’s largest sculpture. The original artist and sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski was invited by Lakota leaders to begin the massive project, in 1947. Today, the site houses the granite carving, as well as a Welcome Center, a Native American Educational and Cultural Center and Museum, a restaurant, gift shops and access to Korczak’s studio. His wife and six of ten children carry on the mission to complete the sculpture (estimated completion is 2035). 

You can get an appreciation of what the final sculpture will look like.

The artist's rendering.

The Mount Rushmore Presidents' heads can fit into the head/hair of Crazy Horse. 

You can see the stratum of where they blast dynamite every 7-10 days.

Hopping on our scooter, we left Crazy Horse and headed for the loop road of the Black Hills. We saw diverse natural landscape from jutting granite pinnacles to grassy plains, to rolling hills, and clusters of forest areas. The temperature was perfect – 80 degrees and no humidity – a great day for seeing the sights that Mother Nature has to offer. 

Welcome to the Black Hills.

One lane. Nerve wracking when vehicles are approaching from the other direction!

Tight squeeze!

Driving through the tunnel is a trippy experience.

The landscape shift dramatically as you drive around.

A wild donkey?!!?

Pretty.

Happy campers on our scooter.

Our ride comes to a close...

Badlands National Park is a curiosity of nature – it looks like a moonscape or a sci-fi movie set. At first glance, it is lifeless and still, but there are wildlife that resides in this vast area of rock and prairie-grass. We saw antelope and prairie dogs, and thankfully, no rattlesnakes. Driving around, the energy is somber and somewhat uninviting, in terms of human habitation. We recommend the site, but it’s definitely a drive-thru visit. 

Love of my life...

Bizarre topography.

This is one of my favorite photos of the area.

Favorite.

Beware of those rattlesnakes...

Seriously...I would LOVE to have a tee-pee as my home office.
I am not kidding. Really, I am not.

Fifteen states (and four Canadian provinces) so far  - heading home to the Jersey Shore, so who knows what's to come.

Stay tuned. Ciao’ for now : )

Eastward Wyoming to South Dakota: Cowboy Town of Cody and Bighorn National Forest

Once we departed Yellowstone, we headed east on highway 14, en route to South Dakota. We stopped in Cody to experience an authentic cowboy town. In the late 1800’s, Buffalo Bill Cody was instrumental in establishing the town of Cody…and everything in this town honors this man – a museum, nightly rodeo, hotels, restaurants and the launch of a new micro-brew in honor of this town’s forefather. 

Off of the main highway is Old Town, an authentic and restored, 1800’s western town with cabins, stagecoaches, chuck wagons, furniture, saddles, clothing, guns, and personal belongings from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to many other outlaws, gunslingers and citizens of the era. It is also the burial site of the infamous, Jeremiah Johnson. 

A typical 1800's classroom - quite a departure from E-Learning!

The skies of South Dakota and Wyoming are gorgeous.

My hubby appreciating former modes of transportation...

The dollhouse on the left was charming.

Saddles from authentic cowboys and cowgirls.

After lunch, my daily iced coffee (I may be addicted), and browsing through the local shops, we got back on the road for a few more hours of driving. When we reached Bighorn National Forest, we were amazed at how beautiful the landscape was and the elevation (over 9,000 feet)! At a roadside scenic overlook, we met three Native American Indians from California that were a pleasure to chat with – vacation destinations, past experiences, and their journey to stay connected with the heritage passed onto them through ritual and practice. It’s always interesting to meet people along the way – diverse nationalities, culture, language, race, and ethnicity - it’s a function of traveling that makes our experiences rich and memorable. 

Mother

Nature

Is

Beautiful.

Scenic overlook of a waterfall.

My handsome hubby : )

Next stop: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Black Hills, and the Badlands

Ciao’ for now : )

PS: I almost forgot...we stopped in Deadwood before we reached the Mount Rushmore area (yes, the town based on the HBO series). Back in the day, it was a completely lawless town filled with bad guys; now it's a honky-tonk tourist town.

Welcome to Deadwood

Deadwood: a cowboy town of hardened criminals.

A reenactment of two men being shot to death because of a card game quarrel.

Live + Free : )