De Smet, South Dakota. Setting of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "On the Shores of Silver Lake", "The Long Winter", "Little Town on the Prairie", "These Happy Golden Years" and "The First Four Years"
the surveyors' house that the Ingalls family lived in during "On the Shores of Silver Lake". Moved from its original location, but largely unchanged.
A replica of the modified claim shanty/Brewster schoolhouse where Laura taught
the original De Smet schoolhouse that Laura attended. Much moved and modified over the years - was eventually used as a private home. Slowly being restored.
Our tour guide. She actually taught in a one-room schoolhouse herself.
The Ingalls family home in De Smet. Laura never lived here - it was built after she married. But Pa, Ma and Mary lived here for the rest of their lives.
the Ingalls home
a memorial site on the Ingalls' original claim location in De Smet. The cottonwoods that Pa planted are still here.
original cottonwoods
the original Ingalls family grave marker. Barely legible now.
The family members each have a newer headstone. Carrie, Ma, Mary, Pa and Laura and Almonzo's infant son are all buried here.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder site is De Smet's main business. Note the "Little Town on the Prairie" logo on the street signs.
This "Little Town on the Prairie" wine may be taking things a bit too far.
training missile within the Minuteman Missile Silo visitor's site
missile model display within the visitor's center. The Minuteman missile is on the right.
diagram of the missile silo locations within South Dakota. The D9 site was the one that was open to visitors. Most of the others have been removed.
This is an antennae for communicating with the "Looking Glass" plane system - an airborne command system
at Wall Drug
Wall Drug
Mt Rushmore
heading for the Presidential Trail - goes up to the base of the mountain, through the sculptor's studio and back to the visitor center
Scale model in the sculptor's studio. The real thing is visible out the window. You can see that he planned for more detail than was actually implemented.
one of many tunnels through the Iron Mountain that frame Mt Rushmore
They are fighting pine beetles and forest fires by having inmates gather dead brush. Our tour guide called them "forest beavers". Once snow falls, the park rangers burn the wood piles.
"wild" burros in Custer State Park. Our tour guide had pancakes and popcorn for us to feed to them.
wild buffalo in Custer State Park. This is the only buffalo we saw.
small tunnel on the Needles Highway. Our tour bus actually squeezed through there - with 2 inches to spare on each side.
You can see the beetle-infested (brown) pine trees on the far slope
"Cathedral Spires" on the Needles Highway. Formed underwater, according to our tour guide.
Lake Sylvan, filming location for National Treasure 2
Distant view of Crazy Horse - note the face and outstretched arm
model of completed sculpture in front of work in progress
Presidential statues in Rapid City: Truman with his "Dewey Defeats Truman" newspaper
I already forgot who this is - Millard Fillmore?
Woodrow Wilson
Ford
Reagan
Eisenhower
Nixon
elder George Bush - photo taken by a tourist who drove to Rapid City from Alaska
John Adams
George Washington
Jefferson with the Declaration of Independence
exquisitely detailed Declaration of Independence. Even the signatures are well-reproduced.
shorty James Madison
Jimmy Carter
Sturgis, SD. Home of the annual motorcycle rally. Luckily it was held the week before our trip.
gambling in Deadwood
graves of "Wild Bill" Hickok and "Calamity Jane" in Mt Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, SD
view of Deadwood from the cemetery
"Geographic Center of the Nation" marker in Belle Fourche, South Dakota
field of sunflowers in North Dakota
Devils Tower, Wyoming
view of the rim of Devils Tower. There is a climber visible SOMEWHERE on the edge. I swear.
view up the side of Devils Tower
touching the base of Devils Tower
amazing, no?
view over the plains from Devils Tower
Native American prayer bundles
"prairie dog city" at the base of Devils Tower
one of the most frequent sights at the beginning and end of our trip - wind farms
Minnesota state sign
first sign for Wall Drug - only 355 miles away!
entering South Dakota
South Dakota State Capital in Pierre
entering North Dakota
entering Montana
entering Wyoming at sunset
entering Nebraska
South Dakota wheat fields
South Dakota Indian Reservation
Fort Pierre, South Dakota
Montana
final view of the car
final mileage - 2183.9 miles in 5 days of driving.
