Road Trip - Page 2
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Deadwood
"Founded" in 1875 by deer hunting pioneer Frank Bryant when found gold instead, Deadwood ha a checkered past. While the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, which has a terrific booklet and a great walking tour, doesn't emphasize it, most people think of Deadwood think of Wild Bill Hickok. So did we.
A pretty town - with a wild past
Most famous for a death - Wild Bill Hickok
Since the Gillespie's are from Kansas, and Hays isn't that far from the home place, this picture of Wild Bill in Hays seems appropriate. There were a number of other pictures that were very different from the typical pictures seen of wild Bill.
Needless to say, this was his final stop - at Mt. Moriah
His plot is well marked
Burried next to him, at her request, not his, is Calmity Jane.
Visitor have left a variety of items for Jane
Here, in Saloon Number 10 is where Wild Bill met his end.
The building is original, however the slot machines, furnishings, saw dust and actors are not.
Several times a day there is a reenactment of Wild Bill's death
Bill joins the card game, but objects to where is chair is - not against a wall.
They play poker as an acquaintance comes in for a drink
The dastardly villain pulls his gun on unsuspecting Will Bill and shots him in the back of the head
Wild Bill falls over his cards - Aces & Eights - the "Dead man's hand"
He then gets up to have his picture take with other desperados
The actor playing Wild Bill puts on quite a good show. What follows is part of the early talk, in character, that he gives. (until I run out of space on my chip) His both very informative and entertaining. don't pass up the chance to watch the show - and its free!
We leave Saloon #10 and Deadwood behind
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Vore Buffalo Jump
Another one of those ownder thing thatoccur whwn you stop to read all the historical markers and give in to hapenstance.
you've all seen movines with a scence where the Indians drive bhuffalo over a cliff. Well it ain't necesarily so. When we saw the sign for vore Buffalo Jump, we went of a side road and looked ahead for a cliff. We didn't see the jump until we were literally right on top of it.
There's a walk to take down into the pit. you cannot see the pit until you're maybe 50 feet from it. No wonder the buffalo went over the edge. As the sign states, the bottom of the pit is at least 20 feet deeper than its current level.
Seeing Billy with Jackie in her red coat gives you some idea of the size.
There are on-going excavations here.
Believe it or not, this was on of the stops that make road Trips worthwhile and cause no end of conversation while driving
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Devil's Tower
The Indian teradition for this unusual place is facinating. Please take the time to read about it. It makes the entire stop much less scientific and much more romantic.
Devil's tower in the distance as we approach
Other, additional minor towers
We were told there probably would be someone climbing - a most every day occurrence.
We looked at the tower, went in the visitor's center and read the pamphlets. When we walked back outside, folks were looking up at one spot on the Tower. Two men were well up half way. We got out the binoculars and started watching. Minutes stretched into perhaps an hour. We took turns looking, then passing the binoculars, and commenting on the sanity of the climbers. We think Uncle Billy didn't really look - we think he didn't want to possibly see them fall, so when handed the binoculars, we think he shut his eyes....
The Devil's tower
Climber s at a "rest stop
The lead climber starts up - Billy closes his eyes
The second climber starts up
Don't be fooled - he really didn't look too often through those binoculars
Look for a very small speck about 1/3 of the way up on the right side
Because -
Just as we were leaving, we happened to see this guy is free climbing - by himself
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The Badlands
Just how many pictures could you take of the Badlands? We gave up trying to capture the awesome beauty of the place. We were quite surprised at the vase grasslands. We had expected more desert environments.
The view from a visitors center.
Vast vista - as far as the eye can see. Formations close at hand.
Among the sites, the enormous prairie dog village - 1,000's of them
So vast
Reds and grays Whites and browns
Pinks
Can you see the hawk?
How about now?
Now?
The Western Bluebird we were finally able to photograph
Where we saw cougar foot prints and tried to get Jackie to find him
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Wall Drug
OK, what can you say about Wall Drug? Let's just admit - if you've been there, there's not words enough to explain the place. If you've not been there, nothing really prepares you for it.
And to think it all started with free glasses of cold water!
Here we are
Riding the Jackalope
No one goes to Wall Drug without having Ice cream, coffee or doughnuts,
or like us, two of the three - no coffee
Me and my new best friend
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Carhenge
We'll let Carhenge documents speak for the site:
Carhenge In A Capsule
"Just north of
Carhenge, which replicates
The artist of this unique car sculpture, Jim Reinders,
while living in
Thirty-eight automobiles were placed to assume the same
proportions as
"One of the first sculptures to be added to the Car Art Reserve
Is a sculpture of a spawning salmon created by 29 year-old Canadian Geoff
"Additional sculptures have been erected at the site, known as the Car Art Reserve. "
Some of the art attracts participation by tourists
"Reinders' "Ford Seasons", comprised only of Fords and inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons, suggests the Nebraska landscape's seasonal changes as wheat is planted, grows, is harvested, and then the field lies barren during a windy winter."
There's even a time capsule from a high school - to be opened in 2044
"Carhenge's uniqueness, novelty and unusual components continue to draw the attention of film and television production crews as well as over 80,000 tourists from all over the world. Carhenge has been preserved by Friends of Carhenge, a local group, who now owns and maintains it."
