From Here To There

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2015 trip so far: elk, mule, mule deer, llama, prairie dog, donkey, bison, coyote, pronghorn, Uinta ground squirrel, black bear, moose, bighorn sheep, yellow-bellied marmot, wolf, least chipmunk, fox, bull snake, mountain goat, camel, grizzly bear

*Birds we’ve seen on our 2015 trip so far: California condor, Brewer’s blackbird, American kestrel, spotted towhee, magpie, wild turkey, mountain bluebird, bald eagle, Canada goose, Clark’s nutcracker, sandhill crane, osprey, red-tailed hawk, mountain chickadee, Northern flicker, great horned owl, Peregrine falcon, brown-headed cowbird, cliff swallow, Cassin’s finch, western tanager, cedar waxwing, Lazuli bunting, blue heron, common merganser, red-breasted nuthatch

*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2015 trip so far: 6

 

This post is a little different in that we thought you might find it interesting to see some of the things we pass as we travel down the roadways of America.  It was time to start making our way east and that meant spending a few nights in parking lots with the first one being Cabela’s in Billings, MT. Just look at the gorgeous sunset we got to enjoy!

 

Our path took us through the Crow Indian Reservation and past the Absalooke Veterans Park which honors the contributions of nearly 3,000 Crow veterans who have served in the U.S. armed forces since 1851.  Apsaalooke was the original name of the tribe meaning “children of the large-beaked bird”

   but was misinterpreted by the white man as the word “crow”.  The trees were finally starting to change colors, and even though not as brilliant as in years past, they were still beautiful to see.

 

Previously we’ve driven past the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument when we made the turn off I-90 onto the back road of Hwy. 212, but this time we took a new route by staying on I-90 through WY.  The day before we left Yellowstone while checking air pressure in the RV’s tires, we discovered a problem with the valve stem and were concerned that if something happened we might not have cell phone coverage so staying on the interstate seemed like

the best option.  Besides, it gave us a chance to pass some new stuff like the Bruce Hoffman Golden Dome that is located at Sheridan College.  Built in 1983 it’s named for their legendary basketball coach and is used for various sporting events.

 

  We also passed by the Vore Buffalo Jump (www.vorebuffalojump.org), “one of the most important archaeological sites of the late-prehistoric Plains Indians”.  Discovered in the early 1970s when I-90 was being constructed, it’s a natural sinkhole that was used as a bison trap by at least 5 different

tribes from about 1500 - 1800 A.D.  It’s estimated that during that time at least 10,000 bison were trapped there having been driven over the edge either to their death or making it easier for the tribes to kill them and then get the meat and hides for their families.  It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

 

The next day, having now entered SD, we were back on familiar ground having traveled this part of I-90 several times before.  In Murdo, SD, not far from “1880 Town” (www.1880town.com), there’s a huge metal sculpture of a human skeleton walking a T-Rex skeleton on a leash…now that’s something you don’t see everyday!

 

About 2-1/2 hours further down the highway, it’s hard to miss the Porter Sculpture Park (http://portersculpturepark.com) in Montrose, SD, with its 25 ton, 60 ft. tall Egyptian style bull’s head!  There are over 50 larger than life sculptures, and the guy who creates them has never taken an art class…amazing!  One of these days we may just have to make a stop there.

 

Later that afternoon we made the turn off I-90 onto I-29 south, and located in Sioux City, IA are two monuments.  Chief War Eagle was originally a member of the Santee tribe who later became chief of the Yankton Sioux and was known to many as “Friend of the White Man”.  Erected in 1976, this 13 ft. tall likeness sits atop a high bluff near the confluence of the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers, and it’s said that the chief is buried there.

 

About 8 miles further down the highway is the Sgt. Floyd Monument which honors Charles Floyd, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who died during the trip in 1804 and was buried there.  The white sandstone monument was completed in 1901 standing 100 ft. tall and in 1960 was recognized as the first National Historic Landmark.

 

Council Bluffs, IA, has some interesting sculptures atop an overpass which serves as the entry bridge from Nebraska to Iowa that crosses I-80.  Each of the four individual sculptures range in size from 46 to 61 feet high and weigh 46,000 to 70,000 pounds, made of bronze, weathering steel, and stainless steel piles of cones,

cylinders, spears, and discs.  Collectively the sculptures are known as “Odyssey”, created by NY artist Albert Payley.  According to the artist, they “are seen as the gateway of Iowa. The whole thing is about an act of passage, or creating a sense of place and an identity. When you’re driving, especially on the interstate, it becomes fairly monotonous, but the magnitude of these sculptures really define Council Bluffs image.”

 

We continued south on I-29 finally crossing into Missouri and onto I-70 where we passed by the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City.  The Complex consists of Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and behind it, Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs football team.  Kauffman Stadium

is closest to the highway and originally opened as Royals Stadium in 1973 but was renamed in 1993 in honor of the team’s founder, Ewing M. Kauffman.  Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972.  I can never get a decent shot of the two together as we’re speeding down the interstate but have managed to get at least part of them separately.

 

Our destination was Columbia, MO, home of our University of Missouri Tigers, and that's where this post ends so stay tuned!