Saturday, June 15, 2013

American Quilters Museum

 Carol started quilting about three years ago. I told her about the American Quilters Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. She expressed interest and I promised her that I would take her there. Its been about two years since I promised and every time we  planned to go something came up and we did not go. Driving home from the Black Hills seemed like a good time to stop in Paducah. We dedicated a day at  the museum and Hancock of Paducah, a very fine fabric store, which Carol really loved.

The museum does not allow any photography inside and we, of course, honored their rules. I did see one lady using her cell phone to take pictures.  Below are three picture of the outside of the museum.








Outside we saw a display of bronze statues honoring the Lewis and Clark Expedition.







A short walk from the museum and we were on the banks of the Ohio River. The picture does not show how quick the current was that day.


This was our last stop and we left the next day for home. We had a great trip. We both want to go back to stay in the cabin just to relax and read without all the driving to the sites. Well, maybe we would go back to the Mammoth Site and Custer State Park.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Maxwell Homestead


 The Maxwell Homestead (circa 1840?) is located on what is now Jack Pine Road which is off West Argyle Road. The elevation is just about 5000 feet. This site is at the bottom of a slight hill just below the cabin that we stayed in. Our hosts have tried to find more information about the Maxwell's but so far have been unsuccessful.  We could only imagine the hardships that this family endured to get there and survive for ever how long that they stayed there.

The location is beautiful, but the terrain does not look (to me) suitable for farming. Perhaps they had cattle grazing on the land. However there  is a fairly dense woodland surrounding this site.

Following are pictures of the structure as it looks today. The third picture was taken from the side of our cabin. From the picture you can see the downward slope of the site.







Monday, June 10, 2013

Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial


 Mount Rushmore is a National Monument. Admission is free, but there is a charge for parking. The parking pass is good for the year. So not a bad bargain. The Presidents are below.


 
There is a long walkway leading up to a viewing area. All the state flags are presented in the order that they joined the Union. There is also an excellent gift shop on site.



We also visited the Crazy Horse Memorial and Museum. Below is a scale model of what the finish product will look like. This site is privately funded and I felt the $10. per person fee was reasonable. They also cap the amount at $25. for a carload.


The following picture was taken with a short lens. The picture after was taken with my telephoto lens.


The opening below the out stretched arm is large enough to hold a 10 story high building. That will give you a reference for the scale of this monument. We began our tour with a movie showing the beginning and a history of the sculpting thus far.


We spent a couple of hours in the Indian museum. There are a number of paintings depicting the old West. Many Indian artifacts are displayed throughout the museum. Several local Indians artisans were also on site making their wares. There was another very nice gift shop. Following one of many displays.






Tuesday, June 04, 2013

The Badlands


 We were about two hours away from the Badlands. As we were driving, Carol asked me several times, "why are they called the Badlands?". Each time I answered, "you will see."  This is an area devoid of water and with difficult terrain to transverse.  The good news for the early settlers, the Badlands were not very wide and could be avoided.

Traveling in this part of the country, almost requires a stop at Wall Drug. Early on, the owner put up signs promoting stopping for a free glass of ice water. Today it is a sprawling complex selling every thing imaginable. Carol bought herself a cowgirl hat. She is pictured below with her "friend"




Following are several pictures taken during our scenic ride through the Badlands Park.










The scenery was awesome and well worth the time it took us to drive there and back to the cabin.

Sunday, June 02, 2013

The Mammoth Site

 When we were planning this trip, we did not have the Mammoth Site on our to do list for the Black Hills. Once there our hosts talked about the site and Carol added it to the list. I was neutral. I have to say that it was well worth the time and I found it most interesting.

It seems that when the earth was forming and the volcanic actions were pushing the Rockies, Devils Tower and other formations up, A fairly large pit was formed. The area beneath the pit was "super heated" . Even during the cold of winter, grass was readily available around the rim. The speculation is that the Woolly Mammoths and Columbian Mammoths came for an easy meal and slipped into the pit. They were unable to climb up the walls of the pit and fell prey. The estimate is that an average of three mammoths fell in every ten years over a period of three hundred years.

The land was purchased by a man who was going to develop it. When grading was begun they discovered a tusk and it was soon identified as a Woolly Mammoth. A non profit corporation was formed, funds raised and the owner sold the property for the same price he paid. A building was built over the property where the pit is located. A core sample was taken to a depth of sixty feet. So far excavations have reached the forty foot depth and sixty Mammoths have been uncovered.

Following is a small sample of the pictures that I took.








The picture below is model of what a Woolly Mammoth would have looked like.



This is a picture of what an ancient hut may have looked like. It was constructed of mammoth bones covered with animal hides.




A skeletal model of a mammoth. This is a frontal view of the head.



The site is located very near Hot Springs, South Dakota. We are talking about a repeat trip just to stay in the cabin and relax. However, we did agree that the Mammoth Site and Custer State Park would be the only two repeats.