America, The Beautiful Continued

Last time I wrote I would finish tomorrow and that was a week ago.

Sorry for the delay.

When I last wrote, we were in the hauntingly beautiful state of Wyoming on our way to Deadwood, South Dakota, one of the main destinations of our trip.

In 1989, a faltering Deadwood voted and got "gaming" in the town. Then it was probably called what it is, gambling. The gambling saved the town and the HBO series, Deadwood, more than likely revived it.

Driving into the town at night is like driving through a western Las Vegas, without the crowds and the "beautiful" people. It is a different kind of place.

Oddly enough, here was a tough place to find a dog-friendly hotel. But, we did and made the ultimate sacrifice in getting a smoking room. YUK!

After a night of rest, we explored the town taking in the museums and the Mt. Moriah cemetary where Wild Bill Hikock, Calamity Jane and Sheriff Seth Bullock are buried. (See photo above)

Also, it was here we saw nature in all of its glory as we saw a flock of deer just hanging out in the cemetary.

When that was done, we went back to our hotel to prepare for the highlight of the road trip, Mt. Rushmore.

All that can be said is WOW! It is so amazing how this masterpiece of American ingenuity came to be and how hard the work and how long it took to complete what we see today. Amazing!

From there it was a lllloooonnnngggg drive to Denver through Western Nebraska. It was only a seven hour drive. But by the time we got there it was 11pm and we just crashed.

The next day we took a tour of the Coors brewery and that was really great. We learned a lot and there is nothing like the end and the samples. And, Coors is generous. If you are ever in the Denver area, go to Golden and take the tour. It's free!

Another lllooonnnggg drive from Denver to Santa Fe, New Mexico and another late night. But, we got there and the next day, we were able to see all Santa Fe has to offer including the oldest church and first house in the United States. And then we took in the Loretto staircase. Only photos do it justice.

A much shorter drive and we were in Albuquerque. Another cool town and here we were able to take our dog Scout around and she was really happy. So were we.

From Albuequerque, it was more or less getting home, with an overnight in Flagstaff, Arizona.

One more thing, Cracker Barrel restaurant is a find and anyone in California needs to write to get them here ASAP. Their webdress is http://www.crackerbarrel.com.

This road trip is proof positive that America is truly the greatest nation on God's earth. We saw so much in such a short time, but were proud to say we were Americans, even Scout the dog!