NEW SIGHTS IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

We spent the first full day in Colter Bay setting up camp and exploring all that this area has to offer.  In the first photo below, you can see that Jackson Lake is still covered with ice.

Here is a view of the docks at the Colter Bay Marina.  Can you spot the gas pumps on the dock?  The marina opening has been delayed until June 10.

We celebrated with a nice dinner in town at Snake River Brewing Company with our former managers at the Jenny Lake Store (last summer's job), Ron and Karen.

On the way back from town, we spotted over 500 elk in various herds along the highway.  It was dusk so the chances of spotting wildlife are better during their feeding time.  We don't remember seeing more than a few elk in 2010.  In the first picture below, you can see just how much snow is still on the Teton Mountains on May 21.  In the last two pictures, you can see that the fence along the road does not keep the elk in the fields.

Because of the late arrival of spring, no elk calves have been born yet.

SNOW . . .AND SNOW . . . AND MORE SNOW

The drive to Casper, Wyoming was mostly through rain and several road construction sites which were very sloppy.  When we arrived, Paul quickly washed the grit from the sides of the RV in a light rain since the RV was filthy brown in color.  It was still raining, so we decided to toured the local mall in Casper, which made the Oaks Mall in Gainesville look like the Mall at Millenia in Orlando.  Ann found some bargains at J. C. Penny in the form of some nice sweaters that were marked down several times. 

The next morning, we woke up to snow.  This is May 19, but this is Wyoming in spring while temperatures are in the 90's back in Gainesville.  Here is our car, covered with a dusting of snow.

The drive from Casper to Lander, Wyoming, was the drive to hell, although it was less than 200 miles .  Several times the windshield wipers had difficulty clearing the blowing sleet and snow from the windshield.  At the one rest area we stopped at, in the pictures below, the snow was about 3 inches deep.

When we arrived in Lander, our campsite was partially flooded and trimmed in 4 inches of fresh snow.  The forecast for Thursday night was for 5-8 more inches of snow.  A flashing sign in Lander told us that the route we would take to Jackson was closed because of the snow.  Are we ever going to get to Grand Teton National Park?

Luckily, the weather forecast was WRONG, and the road to Jackson was opened the next morning!  We proceeded to cross South Pass, along the Continental Divide at an elevation of 7550 feet.  The road was mostly dry even though there appeared to be about a foot of fresh snow along the side of the road.  It was like viewing a live version of Winter Wonderland.

We finally arrived in Jackson in the early afternoon.  After taking care of essential services including a fresh oil change for the RV, filling up our propane tank, and a few fresh groceries, we headed north about 40 miles to Colter Bay, our home for the next 3 1/2 months.  Our campsite is mostly surrounded by snow, on May 20. 

The one snow bank made a good source to chill our arrival bottle of champagne.  

 

CUSTER STATE PARK AND THE WILDLIFE LOOP ROAD

We continued our drive through the Black Hills to Custer State Park, choosing the Wildlife Loop Road hoping to find views of South Dakota wildlife.  For the first 5 miles along the Wildlife Loop Road we wondered why we were on this desolate road, as we didn't see any wildlife.  However, the west is about wildlife and we were determined to spot some animals before we got to Wyoming. 

The first wildlife we encountered was a small herd of wild burros.  As you can see from the photo below, the burros are very friendly.  Four burros have surrounded the car in front of us while the person sitting in the passenger seat is feeding the burros.  One of the brochures that we had seen indicated we should bring along some crackers or cookies to feed the burros.

Looking for more handouts, the burros then came to our car, but we didn't have any food for them.  Despite the lack of a choice morsel, they wanted to show their affection by licking our windows.

Further along the drive, we came across a small herd of pronghorn antelope resting in a field.

The bird off to the right gives you some perspective of the size of these animals.  They looked so content just resting in the tall grass.

We also saw some mule deer and bison, but these were too far from the road to photograph.  We will have ample opportunities once we get to Grand Teton National Park for bison pictures.

We then drove about 40 miles further west to the town of Deadwood, a former lawless town run by infamous gamblers and gunslingers.  We were too late for the Wild Bill Hickok shootout on Main Street.  Hickok and Calamity Jane are both buried in Deadwood. 

Paul spent some time in the evening visiting one of the 80 gaming establishments.  Cadillac Jack's was one of the most advertised casinos yet it only had one blackjack table open on a weeknight.  A disappointment in that Paul likes to visit various tables to test his luck.  It has been a long time since there was a $2 blackjack table begging for some Florida money.  The $100 maximum bet was not a factor!  The only other tables open were a 3-card poker table and two tables for a Texas Hold 'em tournament.  However, there were lots of slot machines for those folks who like the one-armed bandits. It was an enjoyable evening without putting a hole in my wallet. 

MOUNT RUSHMORE AND THE CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL

We decided to take one of the recommended driving tours through the Black Hills.  After driving through the small town of Keystone, our first stop was Mount Rushmore, where the granite portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln overlook the Black Hills.  In 1927, sculptor Gutzon Borglum began carving this memorial dedicated to the history of America with the help of over 400 workers.  Work was done on an "on and off method" due to the lack of funding.  Work also was stopped during World War II.  Borglum died in March 1941 and his son, Lincoln, supervised the completion of the heads.  These huge granite carvings represent the American ideals for which our country was founded back in 1776.

The carving of George Washington's head is as tall as a six-story building. The one-dollar bill may someday be obsolete but this carving will live on for future generations to enjoy.

There was significant debate to carve Abe Lincoln "with" or "without" a beard.  The beard won out.

Here are some views of the Black Hills with a side view of Mt. Rushmore and George Washington.  It is easy to see why these mountains are called the Black Hills.  Not being geologists, we do not know why the carvings are almost pure white while the mountain rock is nearly black in color.  The carvings on Mount Rushmore is something every American should see in person at least once in his or her lifetime.  We think it rivals the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and the Freedom Trail in Boston as a "must see."

As we were leaving Mt. Rushmore, we found our first wildlife, a hungry mountain goat eating some grass by the entrance to the Mt. Rushmore parking area.  This lone mountain goat was almost the size of a small pony, whiter in color than the picture shows, and seemed out of place between the lanes in and out of the parking garage.

Next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial.  The sculptor who began the project was Korczak Ziolkowski, who was chosen by the Lakota Indian Chief, Henry Standing Bear, in 1947.  Since he passed away in 1982, his wife Ruth has directed the continuation of his work on this monument to the American Indian.  This photo is of the 16-ton large scale model of what the carving on the mountain will eventually look like.  The model is 1/34th scale of the actual carving.  Another reference point would be Paul's height of 6 ft. 1 inch.

The mountain carving is in progress, with the 22-story high horse's head now one-half blocked out.  On this photo of the actual memorial, you can see some white markings which are the area around the eyes of the horse.  The huge hole is the beginnings of the area below Crazy Horse's arm.

The grounds of the Crazy Horse Memorial also contain the Indian Museum of North America.  There were many interesting Indian artifacts including arrow heads, tools, articles of clothing, and beaded articles.  Possibly the most fascinating area was a large corner of the museum containing several hundred jars of different colored and different shaped glass beads used by the Indians to decorate their clothes, headdresses, and shoes.. 

Just outside the replica of the sculptor's log studio home, was a trophy case of various memorabilia sent to Ruth in support of the project in honor of the American Indian.  Included in this collection is a signed football from Bobby Bowden, with the inscription on the ball  written "To Ruth."