BIG IN IOWA

No, we didn't find that singing group here...They are probably still back at The Upper Deck.

The wind is BIG in Iowa......gusty, strong, and blustery....and the sun is shining!

The flatness is BIG in Iowa.....land and crops as far as the eye can see...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Hawkeye State is the home of President Herbert Hoover, that poor guy who always gets blamed for the Great Depression. We can't find anything here in De Moines of historical value. They are proud of their caucus, their sports, and their shopping malls.........not all bad.....

Still on the look out for those clever business names... Recently we saw a consignment store called Consigning Women! Also a casual restaurant named The Grateful Shed.

STONED IN SOUTH DAKOTA

What do Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and The Badlands have in common?.....They are all made of stone!!

Mount Rushmore is truly amazing! These faces are 60 feet high and took six and a half years to carve using 600 workers! Most of the work was done using dynamite and there were NO injuries!.......We saw Rocky Mountain Goats, Mule Deer, Wild Turkey..... After getting lost in the park, we found THE MOST AMAZING place nearby...

Crazy Horse Monument! It was commissioned by the Indians so "the white man would know the red man has heroes too." The monument was designed and started by a man who worked on Mt Rushmore. All government money has been refused, the work goes on by donations only! When finished it will be the largest sculpture in the WHOLE WORLD at 563 feet tall, and it will be carved in the round. To compare:

Statue of Liberty 151 feet tall

Mt Rushmore faces 60 feet tall

Crazy Horse 563 feet tall

This was sooooooooo impressive! The white sculpture is a smaller version of what the finished product will look like. There was an Indian museum attached and the actual home where the sculpturer lived there with his wife and TEN children...seven of which continue to work there. Don't miss this place if you travel near by!!!

The Badlands were really BAD, BAD, and BAD. First of all we got lost trying to find it...taking one of those shortcuts we are so famous for.....We had to travel on GRAVEL ROADS and only saw three cars...one of which was ours! Were we lost again??? Totally totally barren ....and the wind was vicious......It looks like the surface of the moon! We traveled on until we saw a street sign out in the middle of nowhere!! Too funny that we were on Sagecreek and 237th St.!

Stopping at Wall Drugs was a fun end to the afternoon. This is a store that grew and grew.....into a whole town I think! Its successful sign marketing just shows you what a little store can do....even in the middle of nowhere.