On the way, we stopped in Deadwood, SD. The town is pretty much known for their true, western town identity. Deadly poker games and whiskey seemed to be general themes here. They even do a re-enactment of Wild Bill Hikok's poker game, ending in some gunslinging each day (yes, this is the town the HBO series is named after). We continued on to the mountains and an American wonder.
Jeanette was great, she showed us some cool vantage points and we heard her give a talk about the Presidents represented. Unfortunately she had bad ranger luck and ran into a mountain goat during her talk. No...not because it is dangerous, but because it sapped all the attention away from the other tourists, wah wah.
Anyyywho, she offered us a place to stay instead of camping (yes, it is still cold here). This worked out nicely because we had a chance to see the Badlands National Park as well. This place is pretty amazing. The mix of wild mountainous terrain and prairie leaves nothing short of a wonderful view. We hit the park at a great time, the sun was moving low and it was a great time to see the park.
We returned to Rushmore to see the faces under the bright, but beautiful lights and then to crash at Jeanette's. We left early the next morning to meet the rest of the crew with Richard and Ramon at Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
Devil's Tower was pretty awesome (for most of us). We did a leisure hike around the base which had some pretty views. The story of the tower says that a long, long time ago seven children were being chased by a large bear. They were told to say a prayer for themselves and they would be saved. The children did so and at once the ground erupted from underneath them and raised them up high enough out of the bears reach and into the heavens. The children are now represented in the sky as the seven stars in the big dipper, which is part of the constellation Ursa Major, or the bear. The bear's claw marks can still be seen on the tower.
After we had a nice lunch and more fun story-telling, we traveled back to South Dakota to see Bear Butte- the most sacred place in Cheyenne history. It is believed that spirits travel back to this place after they pass on from this life. Many people come out there to fast for four days to pray for their families. It was a special place to share with Richard and Ramon, and we are all very glad they could have come out with us.
On our way out of town, night was sweeping quickly, and just as I had said how I LOVE South Dakota sunsets, we had one presented to us! A wonderful way to start a long drive home.
This week we've been preparing and anticipating for the 125th anniversary of St Labre! Val, Time, John and I are in the telling of the St. Labre story. Each of us have a neat role in the story, which tells the highlights of the schools history.
The weekend plans for cultural events, feats, fireworks, and lots of nice weather (fingers crossed)! We're very excited and lucky to be apart of this event, it should be a blast.
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