Montana, 2002 (Re-run)

 Having been to Montana previously, I wanted to be sure to see some new places on this trip, in addition to a return trip to Glacier National Park.  One such place is St. Ignatius Mission, which I had read about in a magazine.  The mission, located on the Flathead Indian Reservation,  was founded in 1854 and the current church was completed in the early 1890s.  It is special because of 58 murals painted on the walls and ceiling by Brother Joseph Carignano.  These beautiful paintings attract people from all over.  It was amazing to me how the church manages to maintain the murals in pristine condition.

 

 

There were some impressive waterfalls in Western Montana, especially Kootenai Falls with numerous dramatic drops as the river falls 90 feet in less than a mile.  The Kootenai Indians came to this sacred place to worship the Great Spirit.  A swinging bridge crosses the river and provides a great view of the raging torrent.

 While not as big, Yaak Falls are also pretty scenic.

However, Montana's star attraction is Glacier National Park.  On this, our second visit to GNP, we stayed on the west side of the park, closer to McDonald Lake, Creek, Falls and McDonald Lodge.

 Trail of The Cedars and Avalanche Gorge are also  on that side of the park.

Traveling "Going To The Sun Road" presented those awesome views of mountains, valleys, waterfalls  and snow banks still deep in late July.

On the east side of the park, Two Medicine Valley had its share of diverse scenery.

 It's such a long drive across the park, it simply did not allow time to visit our favorite section, Many Glacier Valley.  Accordingly, I've stayed on the east side for all subsequent visits.

South Dakota, 2002 (Re-run)

2002 was a special year for us since we sold our home and started living full time in a 40 foot motor home.  Our travels that year were delayed until July, when we drove directly to South Dakota.  In the town of Mitchell, we made a quick stop to visit the somewhat cheesy Corn Palace.  The "palace" is a large industrial style building with interior and exterior walls lined in corn, cobs and stalks.  Murals made of corn serve as decorations.

Summer in Badlands National Park can be very hot, with temps exceeding 105F.  We stayed inside enjoying A/C except early morning and late afternoon.  This worked out well, giving us better light for photography.

In nearby Deadwood we admired the bronze statue of Wild Bill Hickok.  Famous for being a gunfighter and gambler, Wild Bill was shot in the back while playing poker by a man named Jack McCall.  When killed he was holding two pairs, Aces and eights, which has since been known as "Dead Man's Hand".  Among the many colorful stories about Wild Bill, he supposedly visited the widow of his first gunfight victim and offered $35 in restitution (all the money he had on him at the time).

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a massive sculpture of four U.S. presidents carved into the side of a granite mountain in the Black Hills.  Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture's design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum.  Gutzon died early in 1941, leaving Lincoln to finish the project.

Not to be outdone, the Lakota Sioux tribe authorized a mountain sculpture of Chief Crazy Horse, Indian hero at the Battle of Little Big Horn.  This monument, designed by Korczak Ziolkowski was started in 1948 and is still under construction, due to its large size and difficulty getting consistent funding.  My photo from 2002 compared to a more recent photo shows the slow progress.  A model (lower left) shows the ultimate design.

The "Chapel In The Hills" is an impressive Lutheran stave church built in 1969 just outside Rapid City.  Ship building techniques are used in the construction of such churches, primarily in Norway.

At Ellesworth Air Force Base, we had the opportunity to tour a de-commissioned Minuteman missile silo.  Unless you have been in one, it's hard to imagine the size and complexity of a missile silo.

Never one to pass up a waterfall, I insisted we visit Spearfish Canyon to see Roughlock Falls before leaving South Dakota.