tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57444551269967063952024-02-22T23:43:39.007-08:00Retirement in The Villages AFTER Fulltime RVing -- With Rick and OrindaWe lived for five years in our 43'Winnebago Tour motorhome and had a great time. But what happens when it is time to go back to the "sticks and bricks" of a regular home? Join us as we transition back to a house in The Villages, Florida -- and still enjoy the RV lifestyle.Rick and Orindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16648238537391346539noreply@blogger.comBlogger453125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744455126996706395.post-1858012472770215362013-10-08T17:54:00.000-07:002013-10-08T17:54:59.946-07:00Riding on the Cart Paths in The Villages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had heard of the extensive golf cart road system that was in The Villages and we were eager to check them out. Here, Orinda is ready to go for a ride after getting some coffee at the nearby McDonald's, where it is not uncommon at all to see golf carts go through the drive through.</div>
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The cart paths are really amazing and cover literally hundreds of miles. As a result, even thought there are over 50,000 carts in the Villages, the traffic on the paths is not bad at all. Of course, The Villages covers over 30 square miles, so these carts are spread out over quite a bit of territory. This is a typical stretch and is well over two cart widths wide, so it is easy to travel on them.<br />
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We enjoy tooling around and enjoying the scenery, such as this view of one of the Executive golf courses. Everything is always neat, clean and beautiful. The speed limit for golf carts is 19.9 mph, which is pretty fast for a golf cart.<br />
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Here is our "self portrait" in shadow form as we travel by some of the many flowers that line the paths. These flowers are changed several times a year and always look great. Adds a great touch to our travels in the golf cart.<br />
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The Villages is home to many, many golf courses, which really interested Rick and sure enough, less than a 5 minute golf cart ride from our new house is the Bonifay Country Club. As a resident, we are automatically members in all the the country clubs (I think there are now 12 total) in The Villages, with 3 or four in our direct area. This is one of our favorites and is a beautiful spot to visit. The club consists of a nice (but casual restaurant on the right side and then a very complete golf pro shop on the left. </div>
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One thing that has impressed us the first time we visited The Villages and continues to impress us after moving here, is the cleanliness and beauty of the entire area. This simple entry sign is typical with the beautiful flowers surrounding it and the manicured lawn area. We have learned this is not unusual -- but is the norm for the area with the flowers being replaced several times a year.<br />
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This is Rick's favorite part of Bonifay and that is the huge, covered porch area in the rear. Facing the golf course, this is a wonderful place to have a couple "adult beverages" and re-hash the golf round. Rick is now playing several times a week (we rotate between all the country clubs) with a couple groups of guys and having a great time. Fortunately, greens fees are quite reasonably priced for residents and their guests. Of course, there are also over 50 "executive" courses that are available at no charge to residents and are quite challenging.<br />
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Rick especially likes the great practice facilities at each club. Here is a typical putting green which is very large. While you can't really see it, directly behind this green is another, even larger green dedicated to chipping and short shots. While there seems to be no good excuse with all these practice opportunities, Rick still has challenges with putting, but is improving! He often hops in the golf cart, runs up to the club and practices for a short time. </div>
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Finally, near the club is the entrance to our "village" of Fernandina. Again, everything is beautifully landscaped and behind the sign is one of the swimming pools in our direct area. This one if for adult residents only -- there are other pools, just as nice for families, and special excise pools for swimming laps and the like.<br />
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We ended up selling the motorhome (and came out OK financially since we had negotiated diligently when we bought it) and purchasing this home in The Villages:<br />
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Wow -- the room! Rick needed a GPS transponder to find out where he was for the first few days as the 2,000 sq. ft. home was about 5 times the size of the coach. Since we had virtually no furniture, our first order of business was to furnish the house, which was a lot of fun. We were very glad we had not tried to keep all the old furnishings from our South Dakota home -- they would really have been out of place in our new home. </div>
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Moving to The Villages was a big change for us, but an exciting one! One of our first purchases was a golf cart since everyone seems to get around the entire community by cart. This place is huge - about 30 square miles of area. We wondered if it would be a problem with that many "older folks" as you need to be over 55 years old to live here, but it has turned out great -- everyone is very friendly and happy to be here. </div>
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There are many, many places to explore, including beautiful Lake Sumter seen here in the sunset. We learned that there are three central "town centers" offering theaters, shopping, and free entertainment -- every night. Rick and Orinda have enjoyed these which offer a fun, relaxed way to spend an evening. </div>
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The other thing we have already learned about living here is that folks LOVE to come visit. We are an hour away from Disney and The Villages offers all kinds of things for the guests to do, including swimming, golf, shopping, etc. Oh, and grand kids and family are welcome (they don't have to be 55!). As a result, we have really enjoyed having company several times already!</div>
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Rick promises to get back to the blog and update our experiences in The Villages and with our new, much smaller, RV! </div>
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We had a great time in the Branson area, but found it was time to head back to Florida for the winter season. We will be staying again at the Old Mill Stream RV Park in Umatilla, FL, which is located in the central part of the state.<br />
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We had a great time here last year and look forward to another great season this year. The park has many great amenities, including this wonderful pool as well as the large lake seen directly behind.<br />
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Our site was all set for us and Rick got the patio furniture out of our small shed and was ready to go. We will take you on a tour of the RV park soon, but for now, we are glad to be "home" again (of course, with the coach, I guess we are always home).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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While we attended the Escapees RV Rally in Sedalia, MO, we also took time to explore around the town and learned that the city owed much of its growth to the railroad.</div>
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The first railroad line reached Sedalia in 1861, shortly after the city's founding in the late 1850's. Soon after, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad (also known as the KATY) also entered the city (in about 1870) and ended up building this fabulous depot in 1896. Today, the depot serves as a museum featuring the railroad history of the area.<br />
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Rick visited the depot with friends Denise and Butch, who also were attending the Escapees Rally (I guess that makes us all escapers).<br />
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We really enjoyed the museum's exhibits and information on the past. Here, Rick checks out some of the typical railroad items that were so common not so long ago.<br />
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Due to Sedalia's central location, both the KATY and Missouri Pacific Railroads established large locomotive repair and construction shops. Here, an aerial view of the Missouri Pacific lines large facility in downtown Sedalia in the 1920s shows the size of this installation.<br />
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Imagine the capacity of this crane that could easily lift a large steam engine, weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds, and move it around the shop.<br />
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These shops, employing hundreds of machinists and other workers like these men, could literally build a locomotive from scratch. They could also totally rebuild one if needed. Here, they are working on the rods that connect the driving wheels together. </div>
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This locomotive is typical of the large engines that roamed the rails around Sedalia. Now displayed at the Fairgrounds in Sedalia, Rick was able to see this one every day at the Rally since it was right next to the free coffee stand!</div>
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Sedalia grew rapidly with the two railroads running through the city as this picture of downtown in 1890 shows. The railroad also provided a target for large cattle drives from Texas in the late 1800's. The combination of railroad workers, cowboys and the like also caused Sedalia to have a thriving "red light" district with the city being referred to as the Sodom and Gomorrah of the Nineteenth Century. </div>
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The city was quite the active spot not only for railroads, but also for livestock, such as these mules that Missouri (and Sedalia) was famous for. These four sold for over $7,300 in 1909 -- a huge sum of money for the time!</div>
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Finally, Sedalia as a cattle drive headquarters, was firmly established by none other than Clint Eastwood while starring in Rawhide. Here Rowdy (Clint Eastwood) and Gil Favor (Eric Fleming) have a quick draw contest (in the KATY Depot) with the winner of a Sedalia contest. Bet that kid was pretty excited, although they would likely all get arrested today!<br />
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Today, Sedalia still offers many things to see, although the railroad has a very small presence. The locomotive shops are all gone and Main Street is pretty much deserted. In fact, as we drove down it, we saw this collapsed building that may have been built back in the city's heyday. Bet it would have had some great stories to tell if it could have talked. </div>
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I must confess that I have been a bit slack in posting to the blog over the last few days and that is because I have been attending the Escapees Rally in Sedalia, MO. The Escapees RV Club focuses on fulltime RVers (although you do not have to be a fulltimer to join!) and offers a number of benefits for their members. </div>
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Each year, they hold an Escapade Rally featuring entertainment, seminars, and of course, vendors. Rick attended the rally and parked in the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, MO, as shown here. </div>
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There were close to 600 RVs at the rally and lots of experiences that attendees shared over coffee and snacks!<br />
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The Escapees organization is based in Texas and does a great job in hosting a rally. As you can see, they have some serious equipment in use for the rally.<br />
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Rick was interested in updating his Electrical Surge System with one from the Progressive Industries organization. They had a great booth in the vendor area and are well know in the RV arena for excellent customer service.<br />
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Rick found exactly what he wanted and at a very good price at the show, so quickly snapped it up. He was also able to install that, but that will be another blog post.<br />
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There were quite a few vendors offering RV items that are hard to find anywhere else. Indeed, these vendors almost make the rally worth attending by themselves.<br />
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We were also very impressed by the Sedalia Fairgrounds, which are huge. Every RV was able to have full hookups and the many nice buildings provided a great setting for seminars and entertainment. This beautiful, brick building actually houses the Swine exhibits -- pretty nice facility for pigs.<br />
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Indeed, we were treated to some great in-person entertainment by outstanding stars, such as Yakov Smirnoff, the well know comedian now based in Branson, MO. He gave a super show and we had a great time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghEkcJ5JdaucFBF9CIJYZGeQrZ0SxnxcPtVm6FXEpHPODPhciWXVvpn1obRUYo288L5xjD2oN2V2Wvveys9mFBvTL50IYavul_Du9vusmk3Bg9vlyGReRKa__LjfP_eLjzE_SyL-aWc8/s1600/SAM_4254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghEkcJ5JdaucFBF9CIJYZGeQrZ0SxnxcPtVm6FXEpHPODPhciWXVvpn1obRUYo288L5xjD2oN2V2Wvveys9mFBvTL50IYavul_Du9vusmk3Bg9vlyGReRKa__LjfP_eLjzE_SyL-aWc8/s400/SAM_4254.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota, but was not settled until 1856. This stone tower was erected in 1949 to commemorate the pioneers who settled the area. The memorial is located on a hill near the Falls of the Big Sioux River.<br />
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Downtown is the original Courthouse of Sioux Falls, now serving as a great museum. We have been to the museum before, but learned that they change the displays frequently, so we decided to take a look -- and glad we did!</div>
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When first entering, it seems appropriate to see this buffalo standing in greeting (he is stuffed, fortunately). The displays all around it show the many uses of the buffalo and its parts by native tribes and pioneers.<br />
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Most folks may not realize that Sioux Falls is the spot where the modern hot air balloon was invented back in the early 1960's. Since then, the industry has expanded and there is a vibrate ballooning group in Sioux Falls which is reflected in some great exhibits here at the museum.<br />
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Here, Rick is trying out a balloon basket for size. He had a chance to fly in a hot air balloon a few years ago and loved it. </div>
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There are a number of great exhibits on the early balloons including this pre-cursor to the balloon basket -- a simple aluminum chair. Imagine sitting in this light chair while you cruised a couple thousand feet in the air -- wow!<br />
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This is what the early balloon system looked like -- the small chair and a couple of propane tanks to fuel the balloon. Pretty basic!<br />
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Another major display focused on the American Flag which provided some remarkable insights on the flag and its history.<br />
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Since we are from South Dakota, Rick thought this flag was pretty interesting. This 43 star flag was created when five states, including South Dakota, were admitted to the union.<br />
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We learned that there were many different arrangements for the stars included in the flag, including this "Great Star" flag design flown after California was added tot he Union.<br />
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Of course, this great shot of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong shows the flag on the moon when they landed in 1969. We remember this clearly -- and it sure seems a long time ago now!<br />
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South Dakota also experiences some wild weather, including tornadoes. On July 9, 1932 a strong twister hit Sioux Falls, destroyed a steel bridge and drove a beam right through this tree.<br />
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Want proof of this tornado hit? How about this -- the real tree and beam from the picture above. Wow -- this must have been some heavy wind to do this.<br />
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A display that Rick got a kick out of dealt with bicycling. Back in the later 1800's, cycling became popular, but not everyone was pleased. Indeed, medical professionals advertised against cycling since it caused injuries caused by crashes, various "nerve" problems, as well as vague biking maladies. The answer? See your doctor, of course!<br />
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Finally, Rick loved this vintage Schwinn cruiser. Now that is a bike! This is a great museum and is sure worth the visit.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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We had a great chance to see the wonderful aquariums in the Sertoma Butterfly and Marine Cove house in Sioux Falls last time. However, now it is time to take a look at the star attractions -- the butterfly house.<br />
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The Flight Room is about 3,600 square feet of tropical paradise and contains many, many tropical plants, flowers and of course, butterflies. Held at a constant 80 degrees, this is a perfect environment for the butterflies.<br />
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There are thousands of butterflies tooling around as you stroll through the flight room on paved paths. They are literally everywhere and beautiful to see.<br />
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Rick was not sure where to take pictures first, as there were many, many butterflies all vying for his attention. He did not know the names of these, but had a great time watching them.<br />
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The butterflies arrive at the Sioux Falls location as <span style="text-align: center;">chrysalises which were raised at butterfly hatcheries. These are grown and hatched in a special room (which we could view) and when they emerge, enter the flight room. </span><br />
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Butterflies from around the world are represented here and include locations such as Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.<br />
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It was amazing to sit on one of the benches, next to a small waterfall, and watch these beautiful creatures fly among the tropical foliage.<br />
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Rick was surprised at the wide variety of color, shapes and sizes of the different butterflies as these two indicate.<br />
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There were small and large butterflies and literally all colors of the rainbow.<br />
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This fellow was hard to pin down for a picture, but eventually Rick was able to wait for him to light long enough to take this shot.<br />
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Rick really liked this one. Not sure where it is from, but the colors were amazing.<br />
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Finally, this one was one of the largest in the flight room and flew very rapidly and well.<br />
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The Butterfly House is a great place to visit to see both butterflies and aquarium dwellers. This is well worth a visit of a few hours when you are in the Sioux Falls area.<br />
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Located in the city of Sioux Falls is a very unique attraction -- the <a href="http://sertomabutterflyhouse.org/">Butterfly house and Marine Cove</a>. This large building houses thousands of butterflies as well as a number of very large aquariums which makes up the "Marine Cove" portion. Rick thought the addition of the aquariums was a great idea since he used to keep large aquariums in years past.</div>
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Rick started his visit at the aquariums, which were great. There was a wide variety of freshwater and marine aquarium displays featuring many wonderful fish. These large Oscars were clearly the masters of their large tank. There were a few other fish in it, but they stayed well away from these guys!<br />
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The next aquarium was a marine tank and featured these clown fish that seemed interested in checking me out while I was watching them.<br />
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One of Rick's favorites is this yellow tang. A saltwater fish, this beautiful marine specimen comes from the Hawaiian and Indonesian reef areas. I really liked the related materials in the tanks, such as this coral which makes the Tang feel right at home.<br />
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I enjoyed the way the tanks were mixed between freshwater and marine environments. After the coral reef tank and the tangs, we came upon this blue discus fish in a nice freshwater tank. As you can see, the tanks were in great condition and well maintained.<br />
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Moving back to the marine tank environment, Rick spotted this fellow nestled into the coral. I am not sure of this species, but it is a colorful and interesting fish.<br />
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The fish were great to watch, but Rick also enjoyed the interesting plants and corals in the tank. The plants and reef materials really set off the fish and help display them in a fashion similar to their native environment.<br />
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There were even a number of anemones in the marine tanks. While these look like plants, they are actually predatory animals and wait for their prey to land on them. These are beautiful to look at, but can be dangerous to unwary fish and other small marine creatures.<br />
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The aquariums are great and Rick loved them, but wait until we get inside the butterfly area!<br />
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The Music Museum at the University of South Dakota has two full floors of exhibits and we were delighted with what we found upstairs, beginning with this original foot pump organ.<br />
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Upstairs, there is a wide variety of instruments, including a number of horns and brass instruments.<br />
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There was also this harp guitar which was something we had never seen before. Apparently, this allowed (a skilled player!) to play harp music at the same time as they strummed the guitar. Apparently, it did not catch on.<br />
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The harp guitar was not the only harp-related item. The harp zither is from 1920 and was made for a professional musician. I will bet it sounded great and wished we could have heard it.<br />
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At the other end of the size spectrum is this square grand piano from 1891. This piano was given to a 14 year old girl who kept it in pristine condition her entire life and finally gifted it to the museum. The woodworking on this piano was amazing.<br />
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Here is a very unique item - a double harp. Built in 1890, this is one of two known to exist with the other being in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I will bet this was quite a challenge to play.<br />
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Here is an early electrified keyboard from about 1900. This forerunner of today's electronic organ used electric motors, relays, and more. The components are huge and really gives one an idea as to the great progress that has been made.<br />
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Here is another remarkable grand piano from 1864. As with the other instruments, this one is in spectacular condition.<br />
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Of course, the brass instruments are well represented as this display from the famous Conn Instrument firm. In fact, we realized that our son learned to play on a Conn trombone. Pretty cool.<br />
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The museum offers a wide variety of instruments -- including this "Sargent Pepper" trumpet from the Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club movie featuring the Bee Gees and many others.<br />
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Finally, we saw these saxophones and thought back to when our daughter played the Sax. However, we did not know then that the Sax was developed by Adolphe Sax back in 1857. These original saxophones are the ones that created this popular instrument in the future.<br />
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We learned quite a bit during our visit to the museum and really enjoyed seeing the wide variety of rare instruments. This is well worth a trip.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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We drove down to Vermilion, SD to take a look at the campus of the University of South Dakota and the National Music Museum located on the campus. The University is a nice sized campus of over 10,000 students and is likely not the place you would expect to find a true, world class museum. </div>
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However, this museum hosts one of the finest collections of musical instruments and related items in the world. Offering some 15,000 exhibits, the range of instruments is absolutely incredible.<br />
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Housed in an original 1910 Carnegie Library building, the museum offers a great site to explore musical instruments you will see no where else.<br />
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This is the Guitar annex and Orinda was startled at all the guitars and related instruments on display. There were many, many unique and custom instruments located here and it was fun to learn about the history of each one. Many of these are relatively recent in construction -- especially compared to many items in the rest of the museum.<br />
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For example, this Grand Piano from 1815 provided not only piano music, but also bassoon, harp, bells and a base drum. Built and played in Vienna, this gives an idea of the top of the line home entertainment instrument 200 years ago. Notice the spectacular, original condition of this piece -- the woodworking was amazing.<br />
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How about this 1808 organ from Pennsylvania? Used until 1941, this is one of the best preserved American organs remaining. This is a BIG instrument!<br />
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Many years ago, Rick had a brief encounter with violin lessons (which were dropped to the relief of Rick and his instructor!). Anyway, Rick has been intrigued with the instrument ever since and these example are truly unique. The instrument facing us is in original (unrestored ) condition -- which does not seem to be a big deal until you realize if was built in 1792!<br />
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Now the paint on this harpsichord is a bit cracked, but otherwise, the instrument is in excellent condition. In fact, even the paint is in good condition considering it was built in 1530! Think about it -- folks alive in Christopher Columbus's day listened to this very instrument. Wow!<br />
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This was one of Rick's favorite violins. Built in 1613, this is one of three un-altered example of a Cremonese (the location of the builder) violins in the world.<br />
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Here are other violins from same period (early 1600's) and in superb condition. Rick thought these looked alot like his rental violin in 4th grade, but he did not think the museum would let him try to squeak out a rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on one of these!</div>
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This museum is one of the most amazing museums we have been in. It really gives one pause to look at an instrument that is close to 500 years old. This is well worth the trip if you are in eastern South Dakota. </div>
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One of our favorite stops while in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is at the real Sioux Falls which provides the name for the city. Located very close to downtown, the falls are now in a great park setting.</div>
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The park provides an extensive walking area along the falls which allow you to see the falls from several different vantage points.<br />
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The falls are on the Big Sioux River and pass through this extensive area of rose quartz rock. This sold rock is why the river falls though this area as it has withstood the erosion for centuries.<br />
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Not surprisingly the falling water attracted interest from folks in the area who saw it as an opportunity to generate power for a grist mill and later, for electricity. In fact, just to the left of Orinda is an old turbine house that was used to power the flour mill built here.<br />
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This is the remains of the Queen Bee Flour Mill which was place in operation in 1881 and powered by the river. The mill was some 7 stories high and dominated the landscape here next to the river. </div>
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This is the foundation for the large pipe that channeled water into the turbine house seen in the distance. The water dropped about 50 feet which was sufficient to provide about 800 hp for the operation of the mill. </div>
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Here, Orinda provides a better view of the pipe support and gives an idea as to the size of the pipe and the distance that it ran to get to the flour mill. Unfortunately, the water volume was not sufficient to fully power the mill and it went bankrupt in 1883. The mill operated on and off for the next 40 years or so, but never fulfilled its hoped for production. </div>
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This picture shows what the mill complex used to look like and gives an idea as to how the mill operated with the water feed pipe dropping into the turbine. The turbine was connected to a series of gears and shafts which then drove the mill. </div>
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We are visiting in late summer and the water flow is at a low point, but it is still a beautiful place to visit as Rick and Orinda verify here.<br />
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The largest drop on the Falls is about 25', with a total drop of over 50'. At high water, the river expands well beyond the normal course seen here, and covers all the rock shown above. That is an impressive sight to see. </div>
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Orinda really enjoyed our visit to the Sioux Falls on this beautiful day. We are always surprised to find visitors to the area that have not heard of these great falls and would encourage anyone to pay them a visit.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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Sioux Falls, South Dakota is the home of the Battleship South Dakota Memorial site. This is a great place to learn about the amazing history of this great WWII ship and its crew. Of special note is the large, blue shell seen above. This is the type of shell (weighing well over a ton) fired by the South Dakota'a main guns.<br />
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The South Dakota was 660' long with 9 huge 16" guns. This ship could travel at some 30 mph with her 130,000 hp engines. The South Dakota was heavily involved in many of the largest battles in WWII and was claimed to have been sunk by the Japanese at least twice. This lead to the battleship being called Battleship X so as not to give away the fact that the South Dakota had survived the battle intact. </div>
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There are many great artifacts in the memorial, including this remarkable steering station. Here, Rick imagines what it must have been like to steer 42,000 tons of battleship in formation while under attack from aircraft.<br />
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The South Dakota was also involved in one of the last battleship to battleship surface conflict in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal where the South Dakota demolished several Japanese ships using guns like this one that fires a 16" shell that weighs over 2,600 pounds! Imagine that heading your way!</div>
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Here is a shot of the breech of the massive gun that could shoot huge shells over 23 miles. Not only that, but these guns were so accurate that the South Dakota was able to hit enemy ships miles away with the first shots. <br />
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Of course, the gun barrels had to be cleaned as this sailor shows. This would be a very tight fit for most folks today and Rick was very happy he was not asked to clean this out!</div>
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The memorial has a number of great exhibits, including this actual propeller from the South Dakota. This propeller is over 17' in diameter and weighs over 18 tons. It seems there is nothing small on a battleship.<br />
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Inside the memorial building are many more artifacts and pictures covering all aspects of the ship, including this actual bell from the ship.<br />
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Rick also learned that the Battleship South Dakota was not the first ship to carry the state's name. Indeed, this armored cruiser was named South Dakota was commissioned in 1908 and took part in WWI.<br />
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There were many things to look at and learn. For example, the large Japanese battle flag seen above was surrendered to the South Dakota from the Japanese battleship Nagato at the conclusion of WWII. Interestingly, the Nagato was the only Japanese battleship that was still floating at the end of the war.<br />
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There is also this remarkable model of the South Dakota. This very large model is beautifully detailed and gives a great view of the entire ship. The Memorial is a great place to visit and should be a must stop if you are anywhere near Sioux Falls, SD.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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Before hitting the road fulltime in the motorhome, we lived for a number of years in Madison, SD, a relatively small city northwest of Sioux Falls. We really enjoyed our time in Madison and knowing the friendly folks who lived there. As you can see, Madison still has a real Main Street which is a pleasure to stroll along while shopping.</div>
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Of course, Madison was not always the tranquil town that you see now. Indeed, back in the 1874 era, the Town of Madison was established here, on the shore of Lake Madison.</div>
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But where is the town?? It turned out that the railroad decided to come through the area about 5 miles north of this location and the person holding that land, C.B. Kennedy, invited the residents of "old" Madison to move to his homestead and create a "new" Madison. This was done in 1880 and the town moved to its current location. </div>
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The railroad is still a force in the city, but now, instead of hauling passengers, it predominately hauls corn and beans from the productive farmland in the area. </div>
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When C. B. Kennedy offered land for the new City of Madison, he also provided land for a new University, which evolved into Dakota State University, located in the city area. </div>
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Dakota State is a smaller public university (of about 2,500 students) that focuses on information technology as well as traditional liberal arts and sciences. Rick and Orinda were proud to be members of the Business faculty here and greatly enjoy returning to visit. </div>
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The campus is a beautiful enclave in Madison and offers everything that larger universities offer along with very student-focused attention. We were pleased to conclude our careers in higher education at this great school.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the great leaders in South Dakota as well as at Dakota State was General William Beadle<span style="line-height: 10px;">, whose statue Rick is standing next to. After a distinguished <span style="font-family: inherit;">career in military service during the Civil War, Gen. Beadle was appointed as the Surveyor General of the Dakota Territory and later, President of the University. </span></span></span><br />
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We also had to be sure to stop by our "home" here at MyDakotaAddress.com which serves as our mail forwarding and residency location. We have had great service over the years from Terri and her crown who operate the firm. It is fun to cal the couple thousand folks who "live" here neighbors!</div>
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We left the excellent Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish, SD and decided to return to Deadwood using the Spearfish Canyon Highway. This scenic road offers many great views of the Black Hills and is a great drive of about an hour.<br />
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We had a fabulous weather day with cloudless skies and mild temperatures. It was hard to imagine a nicer day to drive amid the forests and rock cliffs of the Hills. </div>
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It is easy to see how the Black Hills got their name. The rocks are a dark granite and the spruce trees are a very, very dark green that look black from a distance.<br />
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One of the top attractions on the Spearfish Canyon drive is Bridal Veil Falls. Unfortunately, this has been a dry summer and the "Veil" was pretty small. Indeed, this was more of a Bridal trickle than a real falls. Still, we have seen this in wet times and it is spectacular then.</div>
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We liked this cliff structure which is at about the halfway mark on the drive. It is amazing to drive through the hills since all round it is desert plains area.<br />
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We found it interesting that no water flows into -- or out of the Black Hills. While there are many beautiful streams in the Hills, we were told that they go underground at the edge of the hills, so no water leaves the area.<br />
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On the way back to Deadwood, we traveled through Lead, SD, which was home to the fabulously rich Homestake Gold Mine. Started in 1876, the mine became the largest gold mine in North America and extracted 40 million ounces of gold before closing in 2002. Mining took place up to 8,000' below ground and included miles of tunnels.<br />
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Just a few miles away is Deadwood, SD as indicated by this welcoming sign. We eased back to our RV to enjoy the rest of the day. </div>
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We stayed at the Whistler Gulch RV Park which is at the south end of Deadwood. While the sites are a bit narrow, the location is great and we enjoyed walking down to the town (and taking the trolley uphill on the way back).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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During the late 1800's, there was a strong interest in rearing trout for the area around the Black Hills and the mountains in the Yellowstone area. As a result, a fish hatchery was established in Spearfish, SD in 1895, making the hatchery one of the oldest in the country.<br />
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The first director of the hatchery was D. C. Booth, who was instrumental in its success. Today, the hatchery is a great attraction and a beautiful place to see the many trout being raised as well as the museum featuring the early years of the hatchery.<br />
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Rick loved the hatchery, which is not surprising since he also loves to fly fish. Unfortunately, that was out of the question while in the hatchery area (rats!)<br />
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Wow -- talk about a lot of trout! It was lots of fun to see these fish swarm in the clod, clear pools. There is also food available for you to feed them and watch as they attack to get it. Obviously, they are used to getting fed!<br />
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While most of the trout were being raised for release, there was also the trophy pond where some huge trout were swimming around. Some of these were well over 30" long and easily the biggest trout Rick had ever seen. But, the no fishing sign means Rick can only watch!<br />
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After seeing the trout ponds, we walked through the beautiful grounds to the historic area. Here, Orinda pauses near the original hatchery fish runs, which are no longer in use.<br />
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The original hatchery building is now a very interesting museum which shows how the hatchery operated back in the day. The building also served as a house for Director Booth and his family. We were interested in learning that Booth, his wife and children lived in a couple rooms above this working area until their new home was completed.<br />
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Originally, fish were transported in milk cans like these by wagon, boat or rail car. These cans were used to carry fish in the Fish Railroad Cars.<br />
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Today, we were able to tour one of the original hatchery rail cars that have been restored to the appearance of the original cars. These were revolutionary and carried ice to keep the fish in good condition.<br />
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We need to recall that back in the early 1900's, roads really did not exist in the west and the railroad made for a great way to travel -- for people and for fish! The "Fish Car" was a mobile life support system for thousands of fish and a crew of four or so hatchery workers. The railcar has been lovingly restored and was fun to tour.<br />
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In 1905, this house was finished for the Director and his family. Now over 100 years old, this house had all the modern features such as indoor plumbing, electricity, and steam heat.</div>
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The house has been carefully restored and is beautiful. We decided that this would have been a great place to live back then -- and for that matter, right now. Rick especially loved the wonderful woodwork in the house as well as the furniture from the period.<br />
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We had a great visit to the D.C. Booth Hatchery and would strongly recommend it if you are in the Black Hills area. Here, the trout gave us a sendoff as we crossed the footbridge back to the parking lot -- great visit!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tWG6F2Nuf-GlHHxyk3ExEZ6um84dBrxfHUzzL4xl297kzXwATJaa_fdWkoEN-QJY0EP6kglT_vNNoxweX9eBM3-4vvZhNmGaA1L3pV1YayC94Lz2z4hqafW4DyEyq6lRFM5-JPYgW9I/s1600/SAM_3720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tWG6F2Nuf-GlHHxyk3ExEZ6um84dBrxfHUzzL4xl297kzXwATJaa_fdWkoEN-QJY0EP6kglT_vNNoxweX9eBM3-4vvZhNmGaA1L3pV1YayC94Lz2z4hqafW4DyEyq6lRFM5-JPYgW9I/s400/SAM_3720.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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Close to the Mount Rushmore monument is the fabulous Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway which travels some amazing terrain in the Black Hills. </div>
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Not surprisingly, as you can see from the GPS screen, there are LOTS of turns on the road and you can plan to take a slow, enjoyable drive through the mountains.<br />
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Here is one of the "Pig Tail" bridges that actually circles back on itself which is required due to the narrow spaces available for the road. Peter Norbeck was a US Senator and proposed the scenic drive while in the 1930's which showed great foresight.<br />
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There are several one lane tunnels carved right in the granite rock. Many folks apparently said building a road through this area was impossible, but Norbeck was successful in pushing it.<br />
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Hmmm ... does not look like a good place to take the motorhome! The car filled the tunnel (you are advised to hit the horn as you go through to let oncoming traffic know you are in there).<br />
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What a beautiful place this is. You can see why the Black Hills have been popular with travelers for many decades. There were a number of folks enjoying the drive the day we took it, but we never felt crowded at all.<br />
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Each tunnel has its own character and gives you the feeling of driving as it was many years ago. This is certainly no place to high speed travel!<br />
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There are also quite a few wildlife viewing opportunities. First, we enjoyed seeing these antelopes that blend in to the hillside so well they almost disappear.<br />
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Next, we were warned to watch for slow turtles. We watched carefully, but never saw any turtles at all. Guess they were at lunch or something.<br />
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The bighorn sheep were not at lunch, however! This herd was crossing the road and we got a great view as they ambled by.<br />
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Now how cool is this? We noticed that most of the sheep were wearing radio collars to help the Game Wardens keep track of the growing herd in the Black Hills. The collars also cause warning signs to illuminate on the road warning drivers that the sheep might be crossing.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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We arrived in the Black Hills and even though we have been there a number of times before, took a tour of this great area. Of course, high on the list of attractions is the Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Our first stop was along the side of the monument where there is a great side view of George Washington's carving. </div>
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You can see both the amazing carved figure as well as the dark colored granite from which the figure was carved. Located at about 5,700' in elevation, this face of George Washington is over 60' high.<br />
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From a distance, it is easy to see the granite cliff where the carvings were created. It is also easy to see how the Black Hills got its name, given the dark rocks and the equally dark green color of the spruce trees.<br />
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Carved by Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, the monument was carved from 1927 to 1941 before completed to this stage. Initially, the figures were to be carved from head to waist, but funding restrictions caused the monument to stop at the current completion.<br />
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Regardless of the initial plan, this monument is remarkable and inspires patriotism in all who see it. We have been several times before and never fail to be moved as we view it.<br />
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Of course, Mt. Rushmore is not the only monument in the area. We drove through the Needles area (see the next post) and came out in the town of Custer, SD. Driving back north, we passed the fabulous Crazy Horse monument.<br />
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The size of this project is beyond reality and when completed, will be over 500' high and 600' wide. In progress since 1948, the monument receives no public funding and is totally done by a foundation directed by the Ziolkowski family, represented by the wife and children of the original sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski. While we did not have time to explore the monument up close this time, we have done so on several prior visits and it is certainly well worth the visit.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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Highway 16 leads from Cody, WY, over the Bighorn Mountains, to Buffalo, WY and is billed as the "Safest and Fastest" Route to the Yellowstone. It is also a very scenic route and one that we have used several times in the past.<br />
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The mountains are high, and beautiful and we looked forward to a pleasant drive on our way to Buffalo. Many of the hills are bare rock and very formidable.<br />
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We stopped for lunch at a rest area about half way up the mountain and enjoyed the great views at about 7,800' up. Rick was very pleased with the performance of the coach -- the Cummins 400 did a great job of powering us up.<br />
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A short way later, things changed in a big way! The road literally disappeared in a flurry of construction. The pavement was gone and we followed a very slow pilot truck for several miles.<br />
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This is not the best conditions for large motorhome travel, but we took it easy and had no problems. Of course, the dirt tossed up on our Buick tow car was amazing and Rick had to do some real cleaning in Buffalo.<br />
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After a few miles of construction, we finally got back to the paved roadway and reach the crest of the Powder River Pass at 9,666'.<br />
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Obviously, the pass is above the treeline in the area. Given the difficult terrain, we were very happy for the great weather and decided that we would not be excited about crossing the pass during the winter.<br />
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We also quickly learned that what goes up -- must come down! We negotiated some 7% grades as we descended, but again, the great compression brake on the Cummins worked like a champ and we had no problems.<br />
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Once we were out of the construction zone, Hwy 16 was great and we enjoyed the drive, although we were glad that we didn't have to run on the dirt any longer than we did.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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Old Trail Town in Cody, WY is located at the site of the original town site of Cody, WY as founded by Buffalo Bill in 1895. In 1967, Bill Edgar, a resident of the area, started collecting actual buildings of the old west.<br />
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Today, there are 26 buildings and over 100 wagons that have been painstakingly collected and assembled here. Most of the buildings were taken apart log by log, moved and re-assembled.<br />
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Today, Old Trail Town is a real old west town -- with the real buildings and feelings that go with it. Each building is furnished as it was in the period.<br />
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This was a nice one room cabin that was built in the 1890 period. Imagine spending a REAL cold winter by yourself here.<br />
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The buildings are arranged in a typical town formation around the "Main Street" of the town. It was easy to imagine these wagons full of folks and materials as the ranchers came to town for suppliers.<br />
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Of course, no town would be complete without a school and Old Trail Town is no exception. This was called the Coffin School - so called because the original resident cut his foot with an ax and died of infection. The school was then set up after his passing.<br />
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The town also featured an actual store from the late 1890's. This was the Walmart of the era, with everything you could want.<br />
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Naturally, this was the real, wild west and outlaws played a part. In fact, this very cabin was one of the home cabins of the famous Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid outlaw group from the nearby Hole in the Wall.<br />
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This famous picture that is in the cabin shows Butch (sitting on extreme right) and the Sundance Kid sitting on the extreme right), along with the rest of the Hole In The Wall Gang.<br />
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Here is another cabin used by Kid Curry and the Sundance Kid in 1897 before they attempted a robbery in Red Lodge, Montana.<br />
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Rick got a great kick out of being in the actual cabin these famous outlaws used. Although, for all the fame, these were pretty Spartan accommodations, as the regular citizens did not see the humor in the outlaw's activity.<br />
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This was the best appointed cabin in the town and was the residence of a cattle rancher. While plush for the day, Rick thought he would still prefer his motorhome. Old Trail Town was a great place to visit and much more interesting than Rick first expected. Well worth the trip!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDoZa6coD-4O0OnTvQv0AoxEBnSD33C36lTNzBI1ekfIL_NlBLTW6YaSL_Gb5R_nWwhsZ3OLdqnO1BoDsIAgwOMA3bCbJ7RZWmeJcWwBpYRdsYyP0p-HCnBRrBKOrvADdf_V1o2u6q2w/s1600/IMG_8905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDoZa6coD-4O0OnTvQv0AoxEBnSD33C36lTNzBI1ekfIL_NlBLTW6YaSL_Gb5R_nWwhsZ3OLdqnO1BoDsIAgwOMA3bCbJ7RZWmeJcWwBpYRdsYyP0p-HCnBRrBKOrvADdf_V1o2u6q2w/s400/IMG_8905.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Buffalo Bill Lake is a remarkable reservoir as it is a huge lake with almost desolate shores. Given the lake of rain and rocky shoreline, very little vegetation grows in the area. Still, there are beautiful views available on every front.<br />
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The lake is several miles long and is at about 5,100' in elevation. Offering great fishing, this is a popular local destination as well as providing irrigation and power generation.<br />
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Col. Bill Cody had a huge impact in the area in addition to founding the City of Cody. He was an early proponent for irrigation and owned much of the land in the current lake area. </div>
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The dam was completed in 1910 and was the tallest dam in the world when completed at 325'. Built out of concrete and rock, the construction was a totally new experience in engineering.<br />
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The dam is only 70' wide at the base and widens to 200' at the top as it is wedged tightly in the rock gorge carved by the Shoshone River. At this point shown in the picture, the water is about 325' deep. Whew. </div>
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On the downstream side of the dam, the vertical height is easy to see! Here, Rick is looking straight down to the base some 350' below. Not a sight for the vertically challenged. </div>
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The gorge behind the dam presents a remarkable view of the original river canyon and is a beautiful, if rugged, picture of the river.</div>
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This shot behind the dam shows the more recent 25' extension to the dam which brought it to a height of 350'. The building on the far side is the Visitor Center which provides a great historical overview on the dam and area. </div>
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The original construction was very challenging with floods, extreme winter weather and new methods of construction being used. It was hard to imagine the difficulty that the construction crew had back then, but this picture gives a bit of an idea as to how the dam was built. </div>
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The Buffalo Bill Dam and Lake are a great place to visit just a few miles outside of Cody and we had a great time checking the area out.<br />
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We exited the Yellowstone Park using the east gate and headed toward Cody, WY. As we neared Cody, we passed Buffalo Bill Lake, which is formed by the Buffalo Bill Dam, which holds back the Shoshone River.<br />
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As we drove by the site of the dam, we made a note to be sure to come back and visit it the next day. Here, you can just see the dam on the right and the 3/4 mile long tunnel we would pass through to get to Cody.<br />
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Cody is located at the edge of the mountains and was founded by none other than Buffalo Bill himself in 1895. The views from the town are just amazing.<br />
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Needless to say, "The Scout", Buffalo Bill Cody is a main focus of the town, which is appropriate given his amazing life as buffalo hunter, Army scout, showman and business man.<br />
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Not surprisingly, outdoor activities are a main focus of life in Cody. This included the Foundation of North American Wild Sheep headquarters and an remarkable sculpture of the largest wild sheep ever taken. </div>
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This is the Chadwick Ram, the largest ram ever taken by a hunter, in 1938 up in British Columbia. Taken by Lee Chadwick, the horns on this ram measured over 50" on each side - which were very impressive on this life-size replica.<br />
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Downtown Cody is a fun place to stroll and do a bit of shopping. Orinda Had to stop, however and check out this white buffalo which shared the sidewalk with her.<br />
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A focal point of main street is the Irma Hotel -- built by none other than Buffalo Bill in 1902 who kept an office in the hotel for conducting business. This really helps you connect with the past -- which is never far away in Cody, Wyoming!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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Leaving the Yellowstone Cascades and traveling north, we came to a large meadow area that was covered by several herds of bison. This is an amazing sight and gave us a glimpse into what such herds must have looked like in the great Plains in the 1800's.</div>
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We saw a number of calves ranging with the herds. We suspect that the calves were pretty safe hanging around with the adults!</div>
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This bull was not worried about anything or anyone! Rick was very glad that he was using a zoom lens to capture this shot as we did not want to get anywhere near this fellow.</div>
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Hmmmm. These guys were standing shoulder to shoulder and totally blocking the other lane. They apparently had not moved for quite a while as there was a long line of traffic waiting their turn. We didn't think that the bison were in much of a hurry to move and were happy to ease by them.</div>
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One of the premier attractions in Yellowstone Park is the lower falls of the Yellowstone River and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. From this picture, you can quickly see why this is so spectacular. </div>
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The falls themselves are some 308' high, or about twice the height of Niagara Falls. These are spectacular from our vantage at Artist's Point observation platform.<br />
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The Canyon is very deep (some 1,000' in total) and the river rages at the bottom after dropping over the falls. That is some rough water!<br />
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One of the amazing things about the canyon is the way light changes the appearance of the canyon and the falls. We watched for about 30 minutes and were delighted how the changing sunlight illuminated the canyon in different ways.<br />
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Orinda was happy to be here and experience this wonderful display of rock and water. This has to be a must do if you visit Yellowstone Park.<br />
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Located a short way to the east from West Yellowstone, MT, is Earthquake Lake, which was created during a severe 1959 earthquake that created a dam on the Madison River. </div>
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When the quake hit, a very large landslide crashed down a mountainside, killing 28 people and virtually blocking the large Madison River, and within a month, the 190' deep, 6 mile long lake was created. </div>
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This caused understandable concern among the Army Corps of Engineers who were worried about failure of the new, landslide dam and resulting huge flooding downstream. They worked at a feverish pace and were successful in creating a spillway to protect the dam. Wow, an interesting story that we enjoyed learning about. </div>
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We then returned to the park and decided to travel along the beautiful Yellowstone River. The river has its source at Lake Yellowstone, which sits at 7,732' in elevation and is the second largest freshwater lake in the world above 7,000' as it covers over 136 square miles. </div>
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Shortly after the river leaves the lake, it passes under Fishing Bridge on its path to join the Missouri River and eventually, the Mississippi. </div>
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However, the river has to drop a very long way and quickly enters the Upper Yellowstone Cascades where the river rushes through these beautiful rapids. </div>
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What a beautiful spot as the river rolls by. Fed by snow melt from the lake, this is one cold, clear river. </div>
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In the spring, Cutthroat trout move upstream to spawn near the lake and actually jump up these rapids. Since we were there in August, we did not see any of them, but it was easy to imagine how hard they have to swim to get upstream.</div>
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We then headed north toward the Falls of the Yellowstone, but suddenly, Rick saw this coyote easing across the road. He did not seem very concerned about us and just walked down into the woods, probably muttering something about tourists. </div>
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We decided to travel from Old Faithful on the Grand Loop Road to the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="line-height: 24px;"> John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway which is at the south entrance to Yellowstone Park to take a short visit to the Grand Teton National Park. On the way, we had to stop briefly at Kepler Falls, seen here, in Yellowstone. </span></div>
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These falls on the Firehole River, drop a total of about 150' in several stages of cascades. While not as dramatic as some falls, these are still beautiful and fun to see. </div>
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The falls are close to the Continental Divide which is at a pretty high 8,391'. No wonder the oxygen seems pretty sparse in this area!</div>
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The drive is beautiful and presents an interesting difference in terrain, coming from the thick forests and waterfalls of Yellowstone, to the high desert plateau just a bit further south. Still, there in the distance are some pretty tall mountains!</div>
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As we got closer, the mountains looked more and more impressive. We are still quite a way off here and already these rugged mountains looked like a wall in front of us. </div>
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Even though it is now mid-August, there was still snow on the sides of the Teton Mountains. It is also impressive to think about how high these peaks range above us, even though we are now at close to 7,000' in elevation.<br />
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The tallest peak, the Grand Teton, reaches some 13,775' high and is surrounded by other peaks that are close to the same height. Seemingly carved from solid rock, these provide a very stark, but impressive beauty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cWMmifW3PEF-hA5JW35jhyphenhyphenLwVSyGYDm7MuPGeOETisXcCWfrJdoHVEG7dL7FU9wH1N8fVsS_YYu4O71M0ASUHMxDerqId3WkeO9xpyNXWhRfumcyufLbaK3MwR9v8OQLZLRV3UBXVXM/s1600/SAM_3339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cWMmifW3PEF-hA5JW35jhyphenhyphenLwVSyGYDm7MuPGeOETisXcCWfrJdoHVEG7dL7FU9wH1N8fVsS_YYu4O71M0ASUHMxDerqId3WkeO9xpyNXWhRfumcyufLbaK3MwR9v8OQLZLRV3UBXVXM/s400/SAM_3339.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Located just to the south of the park is Jackson Hole, famed for ski lodges and tourist (and there were plenty of tourists!). They are also well know for the great elk horn archway seen here. We were able to get a quick lunch and then make the trek back to the coach having well satiated our mountain viewing needs!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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