Journey to the Great NorthWest
Northwest United States
I recently had the good fortune to experience a two week road trip through the Northwest United States. This part of my country was one of two to which I had never been (New England being the other).
The journey proved to be far more interesting and pleasurable than I had anticipated. I shot many rolls of film during the excursion. I would like to share what I saw if you will come along with me.
Corn Palace
The Corn Palace is a folk art icon in Mitchell, South Dakota, which receives more than a half a million visitors each year. Mitchell is home to 15,000 people, among them George McGovern.
The Corn Palace was built in 1892 to showcase the local harvest—on the building itself. The current Corn Palace was constructed in 1921.
Each year since, a local artist has completely remade the facade with murals made of corn, framed by native grasses. 12 different colors of corn were used in this year's mural, which was created by the art teacher of nearby Dakota Wesleyan University, Cherie Ramsdell.
The Corn Palace is used for basketball, concerts, exhibits, community events, and Ultimate Fighting bouts.
The Badlands
The Badlands of South Dakota is a National Park designated as a wilderness area. The Lakota Indians named this place The Badlands. I could hardly believe how deserted it was—and how beautiful.
The Badlands features a stunningly unusual and colorful landscape, filled with bizarre natural land forms. It is an eerie, spooky place. The few hours I was there I only saw a handful of people. The Badlands was used as a bombing range during World War II. It is today considered one of the world's most fabulous fossil beds.
On my way out I encountered a strange little hamlet called Scenic. I thought it was an abandoned movie set at first, but then spotted a few people at a gas station around the corner. It was about then that I decided to find my way back to civilization.
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota, surprised me. I didn't know what to expect, but Rapid City impressed me deeply. It is the kind of city I could see myself living in.
The "Gateway to the Black Hills" has about 120,000 residents in the metropolitan area, 10% of them Native Americans. There is the danger of floods—250 people died in the 1972 flood—and wild fires (due to the dry air). The downtown is thriving commercially and artistically.
Tourists buy Black Hills Gold in Rapid City, and enjoy incredible sculptures of the American Presidents scattered around the city center.
From the 1960s to the 1990s the area was home to over 150 missile silos. Rapid City holds two remarkable weather records: fastest temperature rise of 49 °F in 2 minutes on January 22, 1943; and fastest temperature drop of 47 °F in 5 minutes on January 10, 1911. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally brings nearly as many visitors to the area each August as South Dakota has population.
The Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, and Deadwood
Mount Rushmore draws two million visitors annually to see the six-story high faces of four American Presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt—carved into the granite mountainside. The massive sculptures took 15 years to complete.
The nearest town to Mount Rushmore is Keystone, which itself is a pleasure to visit.
Also nearby is the city of Lead. Lead was founded around the Homestake Mine—the largest, deepest, most productive gold mine in the Western Hemisphere for 100 years before it closed in 2002.
The twin city with Lead is Deadwood, which inspired the eponymous television series. Deadwood is famous as the town where Wild Bill Hickok was murdered. Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried there. Back in the day, Deadwood was full of miners, gamblers, prostitutes, gunslingers, and outlaws.
On my way out of the Black Hills, I drove alongside Spearfish Creek, which is unusual in that it freezes from the bottom up.
Devils Tower
We drove through the northeast corner of Wyoming on my way from South Dakota to Montana. we stopped in the town of Sundance, famous for its film festival, but there isn't much to see there. So we drove on to see Devils Tower, which was featured prominently in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
American Indian tribes had many names for Devils Tower (including its present name), most commonly Bear Lodge.
President Theodore Roosevelt named it the first American national monument in 1906. 4,000 people actually climb the thing each year. There is also a very cool Prairie Dog village nearby.
Moving to Montana Soon, Going to be a Dental Floss Tycoon
My first stop in Montana was the Little Big Horn National Monument where General George Custer made his last stand. Several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors joined forces here under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse in 1876 to kill—and ritually mutilate the bodies of—all of the 210 American soldiers under Custer's command.
Next, I visited the very nice city of Bozeman, which sits 75 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Bozeman is the fastest growing city in Montana. The popular movies A River Runs Through It and The Horse Whisperer were both filmed there.
Home to Montana State University, Bozeman is the city from which hailed the actor Gary Cooper.
Butte is an interesting place to visit. I was surprised by the number of oil derricks right in the city. Butte was once among the most prosperous cities in America due to copper mining. Between the two world wars it was the largest city for hundreds of miles in all directions.
Butte was well known for labor unions and socialism, as well as its hundreds of saloons and brothels. Some of the whorehouses continued to operate until the 1980s. The daredevil Evel Knievel was from Butte.
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Comments
AUTHORAllan McGregor— I have no idea what that dinosaur was doing out in that field. Thank you for visiting and commenting.
Where has the time gon? I've been so busy lately, I've been missing some great hubs. I was impressed by the blue dinosaur. Now THAT's clod.
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50 Caliber— Correction noted, my friend. That is amazing.
James that's not correct, it was supposed to be but 20, even two finger punching I got it wrong. Maybe I should reread. 50
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50 Caliber— Hello my friend 50! 30 years of Sturgis! Wow man. You've been there. And you've gotten there. :D
Thank you for this fascinating story. I enjoyed your tales. And you are welcome anytime.
Nice ride James, I have to say on my cycle trips the Bad Lands tripped my trigger the biggest on my first years of 30 making that ride to Sturgis, It wasn't about being there after 10 it was about getting there, as we rode old rat trap hogs with plenty of bailing wire. We used to get stoned and or drunk and sit around doing intelligent stuff like counting hose clamps and bailing wire, oh and duct tape repairs to see who had the rattiest rat bike of all. On the road to sobriety which I have to admit maybe highly over rated since I have found Peyote growing wild, a hog that makes the trip with out 2 or 3 gallons of oil and 6 hours of repairs is more desired, it may have to do with an odometer on my ass getting to be quite high in mileage as well. I made the 50th anniversary and called it my last but carried on to make an even 20th year run, If I can find a human to watch the dogs I may try and make the 70th anniversary this year on my '54 Rat-trap Jock shift Hydra-Glide parts bucket bastardized Muther F_cked big inch Pan Head, another time, and include the Bad Land trip as well. Back when I started going it was still a "true Biker" event and 1976 my first was a colorful year for the run. It has since eroded into a disappointing truck and trailer commercial event with much family oriented content that has disrupted the true meaning of we socially unacceptable dirt bags. Oh, I've rambled off topic but It was your fault for presenting such a memorable journey of your own. Thanks, James, it is one thing lost to my life style, no neighbors to watch my junk while I go away for a few weeks. 50
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DeBorrah K. Ogans— Thank you! And you're welcome. The landscapes out west are absolutely gorgeous. I did have a grand old time. God Bless You, Sister.
James A. Watkins, Wonderful hub! Thank you for sharing your travels of the Great North West! Beautiful natural landscape photography! Mount Rushmore looks quite remarkable... So glad you had a great time!
Peace & Blessings!
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liswilliams— You're welcome. I hope you do come. Thank you for visiting and commenting.
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donotfear— Thank you! Thank you very much. :-)
Thanks for this mini travel guide, James. I've always wanted to go to the States and these places are beautiful. I will get there someday!
Very good!
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gusripper— I've been following the story on the news. I wish you the best, brother. That's a great song, by the way.
Things are not very well in Greece,because of the economy. For 30 yrs everything was built on the sand.And now only one song can describe the situation.....Dust in the wind....
I hope that stops next months.
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Ictodd1947— You are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read about my trip and some of the places I visited.
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sweetie1— Thank you! Thank you very much. And you're welcome. :)
Very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
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gusripper— Thank you, brother. I'm glad you liked the photos. I know that you are a connoisseur of photos. I hope things are OK for you over there in Greece. I've heard there's been some troubles.
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Peggy W— Thank you, my dear, for the congrats and the Thumbs Up. I do appreciate it. Next time I hope Cosmos is open. :D
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jandee— A little loving? I'm a whole lotta love! I don't know what you mean by hate, my dear. I don't hate anybody. I love everybody. :-)
James
Very nice hub thanks for lovely pics u have put here
Amazing James,photos are perfect.So i think is North West
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boba020682— You're welcome. I'm happy to oblige. Anytime for you my friend. Thanks for coming back.
James
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Harlan Colt— I will be writing about Idaho soon. I did visit a few places there—Coeur D'Alene, Kellogg, Sandpointe, Bonners Ferry. I loved Idaho. I would consider living there. I liked it that much. I have a friend in Idaho Falls but I didn't make it there. Yet. :D
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robie2— You are quite welcome. I could spend a week in the Black Hills. It is unusual and beautiful. Thanks for coming. It's nice to see you here.
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blue parrot— You're welcome. I'm happy to oblige. Well, there was no gunfight the day I was there. :D
It would seem that you will be attracting a great many people who may wish to visit this wonderfully scenic part of our country with what you have written in this hub. Congrats! Thumbs up!
James ! Where does all your hate come from ! Please be a little loving......jandee
Mr. Watkins!
Thank you for the quick reply.
That creek would be a real trip to see after a week or so of freezing.
And Yes, waiting for October is for the leaves. New England is beautiful year round but spectacular in mid October.
Bob
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raisingme— Thank you! Thank you very much. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
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jill of alltrades— You are truly welcome. It was an amazing drive. And it's big country. Montana was 669 miles across!
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carolina muscle— Man, it was a hoot and a holler. I'm glad you like the pics. Thanks for swinging in.
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FGual— You are surely welcome! Thank you for taking the time to peruse my gallery and article. I appreciate your comments.
James, as a resident of Idaho and the Northwest, certainly, I have deep respect for our neighboring states, however, it is my honest opinion, until you've seen and experienced Idaho, you're only experiencing second best.
But again, I am a 4th generation Idahoan, and loyalty runs deep.
- Harlan
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hypnodude— You are surely welcome, my friend. Thank you for your kind compliments. I hope you come over and see the Great Northwest with your own eyes someday. Nice to hear from you.
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nancy_30— I'm glad you appreciated the pictures and enjoyed the Hub. Thank you for visiting and commenting. It was a great trip.
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boba020682— Hello, brother man! Thank you! I may take you up on your advice to hold off on New England (which I was thinking about trying to visit this summer) until October. To see the turning of the leaves, right?
The unusual phenomenon at Spearfish Creek occurs due to the very fast rate at which the creek flows. This speed prevents ice from forming except along the bottom of the creek bed where friction and turbulence allow the water to slow down long enough to freeze. Since the creek continues to flow atop this ice, the water level of the creek gradually rises as more ice accumulates on the bottom.
A part of the country I have never visited-- but you make it sound very tempting. .... especially the Black Hills. Well, I've had a lovely armchair trip anyway. Thanks:-)
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jvhirniak— Bridal Veil Falls is off the beaten path, on US 14A, which is a back road up and down mountains from Lead to Spearfish. It is a beautiful drive. Thank you for adding mention of this in your Hub. I will visit your Waterfalls, USA Hub today!
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Juliette Morgan— Thank you, Juliette, for your thoughful compliments. You're surely welcome.
James
Thanks for Gutzon Borglum's name. Now I'll look him up. And also the way to pronounce Lead. I'm glad there was no gunfight at that saloon in Scenic.
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sheila b.— I do plan to make New England my next target to visit. Thanks for the fine tips. I would like to take at least a week and see as much of New England as I can. I appreciate your compliments and visitation. :-)
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v_kahleranderson— You're welcome, VKA. I hope you and hubby do make this trip. It is glorious. Thank you for your compliments. God Bless You.
James
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partisan patriot— You are quite welcome. Thank you for your kind compliments. I appreciate you!
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Pamela99— I am well pleased that you loved the pictures. Thank you for visiting my Hub and for your warm words.
Just reading your hub was like taking a mini virtual vacation. I look forward to reading about the rest of your trip!
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romper20— Thank you so much for your lavish laudations. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community! I am coming over to check out your work right now . . .
Wow! What a fascinating place! Your pictures and write up made me wish I could visit too!
Thanks for sharing James!
wow; looks like a really fun trip, and you captured some great pics, James!!!!
America the beautiful. Great road trip like I long to take. Have never been to that side of the country. Thanks for sharing great information and striking photos of each stop.
Great hub as usual James, and wonderful pictures. USA are so full of beauty, who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to see some of it with my own eyes. But for now your hub has done the job. Thanks. :)
This was a really great hub. I enjoyed reading about your trip. It sounds like you had a really great time. I really enjoyed all the wonderful pictures.
Hi James!
Very nice travel log!
Love the pictures!
That is a very nice area of the country. I have been sent to Sioux Falls a handful of times. It is a neat old city and the falls are a great touristy thing to go see.
I hope you get to tour New England soon. Growing up on Long Island with relatives in Vermont I have seen quite a bit of New England and I am sure you will enjoy that also. If you can choose you should aim for the second to third week of October.
I would love to know the chemistry behind that creek that freezes from the bottom up.
Can't wait for the next installment!
Seriously....
James - I enjoyed reading this as I have been to many of the places, although many years ago. I did not know about Bridal Veil Falls in SD and added mention of it to my hub "Waterfalls, USA", which I invite you to visit sometime.
Lovely informative travel hub, thanks and the pics too are good. Juliette.
Oh, the pictures were so great, and your writing so informative. Enjoyed every bit of it. I'm a New Englander, and hope you make it here for a visit. In many ways it's the opposite of the West, no sense of wide open spaces. But there's lots to enjoy. When you're planning your trip here, let me know and I'll tell you about some wonderful sights. How about whale watching? Moose Alley in NH? The rocky coast of Maine?
Magnificent, Mr. Watkins...just beautiful! I only hop that someday I could take a trip like this one with my husband.
Great hub, and thank you for sharing.
God bless and keep you,
VKA
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Lily Rose— Thank you, my dear, for the laudatory remarks. It's always nice to see you. :-)
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lovemychris— Thank you! Thank you very much.
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prasetio30— Well, sir, I truly appreciate the accolades. Thank you for reading my Hub and for the Thumbs Up! :)
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Green Lotus— You are quite gracious, charming, and witty, my dear. I loved reading your comments. Thank you for this pleasure.
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cristina327— You are quite welcome, dear. Thank you for taking the time to view my Hub. I appreciate the compliments, too.
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always exploring— Thank you for the compliments. I sure appreciate them.
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secularist10— Yea, I was thinking about the weather out there myself. It ranged from high 30s to mid 60s during my trip. As I contemplated moving out west—maybe to South Dakota or Idaho—I decided I'd best visit again in January before making any sudden moves. But the people I talked to out there seem to love it.
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Saintatlarge— You're welcome, St.L. South Dakota is beautiful. I haven't been to the Grand Canyon either. I drove near it once but didn't have time to stop during a drive to California. Thank you for your comments and you're welcome.
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LDL— Thank you for saying so!
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satomko— Thank you! Thank you very much.
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H P Roychoudhury— Your comment is most rewarding to me. Thank you, my friend. You are quite eloquent.
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Wanderlust— Thank you for visiting and leaving your remarks. It was a great trip. I agree with you that I must do New England. Maybe I can do that this summer.
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Moonchild60— Hello my dear! You are welcome. I've never been to New England. I have spent much time in New York, both in the city and upstate. The Black Hills are gorgeous and Spearfish Creek is way up high in the mountains on a two-lane road. I tried to get off the interstate as much as possible and that makes the viewing far better. Thank you for coming!
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dreamreachout— You are welcome! I appreciate your applause. It was quite a journey.
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TinaMarieTad— Hello my fellow Michigander! Thank you kindly for the accolades. America is surely a beautiful country.
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ethel smith— This part of America has a very interesting history, alright. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
James
Another great hub; these were some amazing photos of country I had never seen before but read about. Some of the little towns nestled in or at the foothills of the mountains reminded me of Swiss Chalets. Thanks for sharing!
James, What a lovely hub with all the great information and I really loved the pictures. Great hub!
Absolutely marvelous, great website structure, pictures were very appealing. Overall nice job man, I got some related content check me out :) RomperHubber
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Peggy W— You are most welcome, my dear. South Dakota far exceeded expectations. I didn't have space to write about every place I visited. I also was in Billings, Missoula, Lacrosse, Madison, Rockford, Sioux Falls, and several Indian reservations.
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jjmyles— You're welcome! Thank you for your warm words.
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Hxprof— Thank you! I'm glad you like the photos. I took most of the photos. I found folks along the way to take shots with me in them where I could. I saw plenty of birds but I'm not a birder per se.
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dark eyed gazelle— I'm glad you came. Yes, I'm an old 35MM man. My camera has been far afield with me. I couldn't bear to part with her. Thanks for the kind compliments. And you are quite welcome.
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drbj— You're welcome. Nice to see you. Thanks for the nice compliments. They are well received. Rushmore is truly spectacular.
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Wanda— Tis beautiful indeed. You're welcome. That OLD man would be me. :D Thanks for coming my friend.
Another great travel hub, James! I love learning about places I've never been to in my own country!
Wow....just beautiful.
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Austinstar— You are quite welcome. The Crazy Horse Memorial is not right at Mount Rushmore but it is about 15 miles away. I didn't have time to go see it.
The gold mine is closed but can be viewed from a neighboring mountaintop. I was driving my Cadillac CTS Sport. I am blessed to have an excellent camera, too. :D I suppose that car and that camera are what I have left. That's all I need—that car and this camera—this ashtray . . . and this chair.
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itakins— I've been blessed with quite a bit of travel, and a fair amount of it international. Of course, I traveled in my rock n' roll band in the old days. This is a big ole country alright. My next overseas trip will be to your country I hope. I've never been. But I know it is beautiful.
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GojiJuiceGoodness— You are welcome! Thank you for the laudations! uhh . . . the speed limit was 60 methinks. :D
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Tammy Lochmann— I am glad you enjoyed the Hub and liked my photography, Tammy. It's a pleasure to see you here. Thank you for coming. :)
Wow....I can't say anything, James. This was totally beautiful. I really enjoy all your information you gave to me. Good description with fascinating pictures. I'll go to there someday. Thumbs up and I rate this hub. Prasetio :)
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Tom Whitworth— You're welcome, Tom. I saw an Amtrak go by in Montana and I thought to myself I would like to make that trip by train someday. I am sure the train goes by different landscapes that many never see.
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Sarrah— Look who it is folks! My eldest child! I wish you had been with me, honey. Daddy loves you. :-)
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DiamondRN— It's nice to hear from you again! Yes, the trip was awesome. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank you for dropping by.
Lovely tour of some cool places James! I couldn't help thinking about Hitchcock's North By Northwest while humming Rocky Racoon! Great photos too. Glad you had a fab time.
Great hub. I hope I could visit those great places one day. Thank you for sharing it here at Hubpages. Remain blessed always.
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blue parrot— Gutzon Borglum created Mount Rushmore. I should have mentioned that. His son finished the job after Mr. Borglum died while the project was ongoing. Nothing earth-shattering happened at the Country Buffet. I simply ate too much and I can tell in the photo by that protruding gut! :D
Lead is pronounced "leed" and apparently refers to outcroppings of iron ore in the town. Great comments!
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IslandVoice— I am enjoying! :)
I am quite the poser all right. It's great to see you. Thanks for swinging in.
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Polly C— I sure appreciate your accolades. I am gratified to read the kind words you wrote to me. Thank you for coming. :-)
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Hello, hello,— You are welcome! I want to thank you for your ongoing affirmation and encouragement. I surely appreciate your graciousness.
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sord87— Yes, the carved granite presidents exist, alright. They sit atop a mountain one mile above sea level. It took 400 men 15 years to sculpt them! Thanks for your nice words and you're welcome.
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stars439— The trip was truly fantastic, my brother. Thank you for complimenting my photography. Yes, the lands where I was are lands where the Cowboys and Indians where; where the gunslingers and saloons proliferated. I appreciate you stopping by and you are most welcome, too.
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