Arches National Park

 On the 29th of June 2011 we visited Arches National Park in southeastern Utah.  When we arrived, it had been raining for a short time.  The air was fresh and the temperature was a very pleasant 72 degrees.

The sheer size of the rock formations is unimaginable unless you are actually there.  The rocks in this picture are over a mile away.  Our guide indicated that they are taller than a 20 story office building.

 One of the names for this formation is "Pilgrim Family."  If you look at it just right, it does look like a woman on the left holding a baby, while the man on the right is carrying a girl on his right arm and a smaller child on his left.

Even though the rock formations appear to be absent of vegetation, the desert floor abounds with plants and wild life.
The green of Pinyon and Juniper trees are a striking contrast to the red of the sand stone rock formations and the desert floor.
We were surprised to see that wild flowers were still abundant.

Our guide stated that Native Americans folklore indicates that the two rock formations, known as Guardians, are protecting the balanced rock.  Could be, who knows...

This is a view of one of the Guardians from the other side.  Geologists say that the band of white was caused by being submerged by an inland sea thousands of years ago.

The arch on the right is said to be thousands of years old.  In another two or three thousand years, the one on the right may also be all the way through the rock.

This rock formation, although it had another name, reminded me of an Egyptian Pharaoh standing at a podium giving a speech.


Maybe I watch too much of the National Geographic programming on TV.

Although we did not walk the 1.6 mile trek to the Natural Arch that is on the Utah license plates, we saw several other arches from the safety of our vehicle and the observation points that were just as awe inspiring as is this one. 

Badlands National Park

On the afternoon of the 28th of June we visited the Badlands National Park on the plains of South Dakota.

The accessible portion of the National Park runs east to west just south of Interstate 90 on the edge of the great plains and skirts the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

There is another section of the park to the south and west that is totally within the reservation and only accessible on foot or horseback.

The lush green grasses of late June are in stark contrast with the sharp rocks and deep crevasses.


It is not hard to understand why Native Americans called it the Badlands.

 Standing at the eastern end and looking westward, the "Badlands" appear to continue as far as the eye can see.


However, not all is barren rock.  

 Although we did not see many, the park literature indicates that Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats, American Bison, Prairie Dogs, Swift Foxes, Coyotes, Black-footed Ferrets, Bobcats, numerous species of native birds as well as Prairie Rattlesnakes abound. 

It is understandable why the settlers, during the western expansion, before the rail roads went to the south of this area.  It would be impossible to cross any of these in a covered wagon.

A pleasant stretch of beautiful grassland can be surrounded by deep ravines and sharp rocks.



Crevasses like this abound.

  






We found the Badlands absolutely beautiful, but could fully understand why they should have been avoided in earlier times.


This is a park I would like to revisit.

Crazy Horse Memorial

On the 27th of June 2011 we visited the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota


On the right is a rendition of what the monument is suppose to look like if and when it ever gets completed.


The original artist, Korczak Ziolkowski, made the monument his life's work.  He moved to the Black Hills and started the monument in 1947.  Although he intended to complete the monument  during his life-time he passed away without completing the project.  His children have since assumed the effort.  However, since his death in 1982, little progress has been made.  


There is a fee of $10 per person to enter the visitor's center.  It is NOT a federal or state project and, in my opinion, more time is spent promoting the museum, restaurant, and gift shop than completing the monument.

Because the visitor's center and museum is approximately 10 miles from the actual monument it is impossible to experience the magnitude of the project first hand.  

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

On the 27th of June 2011 we went to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. 

The monument commemorates four past presidents; three that are considered founders of the nation and one believed to be responsible for the western expansion of the country.

   George Washington,

   Thomas Jefferson,

   Abraham Lincoln, and

   Theodore Roosevelt  

The artist, Gutzon Borglum, chose the site because of the broad granite face of the mountain and its south easterly facing direction.  

He knew that the site would receive sunlight for most of the day.

The day that we visited, there were thunder clouds passing through, as seen in this picture, but they soon moved on to the east.

In the early 1920's Mr. Borglum started planning the monument.

Congress approved the $836,000 funding in 1927.  The total cost is estimated to have been around a million dollars and was completed during "The Great Depression."

Washington's head was dedicated in 1930.  Jefferson's head was dedicated in 1936, Lincoln's head followed in 1937, and Roosevelt's head was dedicated in 1939.

Originally, Mr. Borglum wanted to include a national archive & library which he called the "Hall of Records" below and to the right of the monument.

It is estimated that at more than a million visitors flock to the memorial every summer.  


It is awe inspiring and breath taking.  One cannot appreciate the enormity of the project unless actually looking up at these huge statues.

Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument

 On the morning of 26 June 2011 we toured the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument which is on the Crow Reservation just north of Interstate 90 in the Little Big Horn Valley.  Luckily, we visited on the anniversary of the battle that took place on the 25th and 26th of June in 1876 and were able to watch a 90 minute reenactment of the battle.  The site is memorialized as the location of the battle of the Northern Plains Indians efforts to preserve their culture and Lt. Col. Custer's efforts to attain glory.  In the long run, neither side succeeded in their endeavors.  

The battle participants consisted of a summer gathering of the Lakota Nation, Northern Cheyenne Nation, Arapaho Nation, several Plains tribes including the Sans Arc, Minniconjou, Hunkpapa, Blackfoot, Brule, Oglala, and others.  The estimated total of Native Americans was 7,000 which included between 1,500 and 2,000 warriors. 


The U.S. Army was represented by Custer's troupe of 260 men.  Historians indicate that the Army was led to the site by Native American Crow guides that Custer released on the evening of the 25th since their job had been completed.  At dawn on the 26th Custer attacked.  The Native Americans responded to the attack in mass.  

 After the Native Americans were roused, Custer had his men retreat to the high ground just above the encampment.  He sent a rider to Captain Reno's troupe which was encamped several miles to the east.  It is reported that all of the 260 soldiers, except the one man that was sent for reinforcements, were killed.  

 The Native American victory was short lived.  Ultimately the Native Americans of the Plains were forced onto reservations and the plains were cleared for immigrant migration.

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The view from the top of the hill looking south is spectacular.  From the mound where Custer made his last stand, the valley and the Little Bighorn River can be seen running east and west for miles.  In late June the vista was covered with lush grass in various shades of green.

Yellowstone National Park

 On June 24th & 25th, we visited Yellowstone.  It truly is a magnificent park.  

Since the park is just north of Grand Teton National Park and the roads had been cleared of snow for about a week, we were able to enter from the south.  

The American Bison (mistakenly called Buffalo - it has since been proven that they are genetically unrelated to Buffalo and should be called Bison) were numerous and, unlike their ancestors, unafraid of humans.  They were grazing next to the parking lot and ambled within a few feet of the interested tourists.

Because we were with a tour group, we only were able to see what could be observed from the main road and the observation points.  This is the Upper falls of the Yellowstone river.  The observation point was immediately adjacent to the parking lot where the Bison were grazing.

This is the Lower falls of the Yellowstone river just a few miles north and east of the previous observation point.

These are mud pots.  The signs indicate that the Native Americans would build their winter hogans close to the mud pots to utilize the thermal energy.

This is only one example of the sulphur caldrons.  There were barriers to keep tourists protected and signs indicating that if one fell in, the heat and the sulphuric acid would kill a person within a few seconds.

Even though it was late June and the roads had been cleared, the snow at the higher elevations was still evident.  The road appears in the lower right portion of this picture.  The head of an average person standing next to the would come just above the striations in the lower portion.

We were able to view "Old Faithful" in all of its glory.  

Bear!!  We were able to see a bear up-close.  We saw Bison, Deer, Elk, Eagles, and Condors.

As we left the park by the East entrance, we followed Yellowstone Lake for several miles.


The park is so immense that one could spend an entire life in the park and not see it all.  We spent two nights at Grant village and drove most of the approximately 100 miles of roadways within the park.  

Grand Teton National Park

It is said that when French explorers or trappers first saw the Grand Tetons they thought the three highest peaks looked similar to certain parts of the female anatomy, hence the name.  Whatever the origins of the name, the mountains are massive.  There are no foothills to obscure the majesty of the peaks.  

We visited in late June (the 23rd) and there was still snow even to the lower elevations.  Locals indicated that the snow would remain for another week or two at the lower elevations but that it rarely disappears totally from the highest peaks.








The Grand Tetons extend north from Jackson Hole Wyoming and run north into Yellowstone National Park.  The official address is Moose Wyoming, but the range extends many miles north and south of the settlement.  Actually, "Grand Teton" is the name of the highest peak.  There are also "South Teton" and "Middle Teton" as well as "Teewinot."  

The John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway runs parallel to the range at a distance of several miles which provides a marvelous view of the mountain range, the park, and the surrounding area.

The mountain on the right is Teewinot.

There are forests of lodge pole pines and the prettiest little lake, Lake Jenny.  Recreational activities include hiking, climbing (only with a back country permit, camping, boating, and fishing.  


One could spend an entire month here and never see it all.  There are multitudes of animals which include otters, moose, trout, bear, as well as elk and deer.  This positively is a must return to place.