The Middle of Nowhere

We left Crazy Horse in South Dakota and drove down into Denver. There were a lot of storms in that area, but none directly over us. We were very grateful! 

Got to Denver in the early evening and just spent that night relaxing in the hotel. This was a nice sized room, and the hotel had an indoor pool. We definitely took advantage of that!

Beth and I hadn't seen Chuck's sister in a few years. She had a major stroke 25 years ago, and another one two years ago. She's been in rehab ever since that last stroke and she's not sure she'll ever be able to go home again.

We'd bring her lunch every day and sit out in the lounge for a few hours talking and reminiscing. It was really good to see her again.

After a few days we continued south to the bustling metropolis of Walsenburg, Colorado. Population 3,000. The Aspen Acres fire was burning in that area of the state and we could see it as we drove.

We were getting alerts on our phones about evacuations. Thankfully the town of Walsenburg never needed to evacuate, neither did my brother-in-law. But we certainly kept an eye on the fire and the alerts.

 

On July 3rd, we checked into the motel, then headed out to Ken's. He and my sister Kathy bought 40 acres and were building a house when she suddenly and unexpectedly passed away.

We were out there in October of 2020, and it was the last time I ever saw her. These two pics are from that visit -  

Ken's in his 70's and lives in the 5th-wheel on the property but he keeps working on the house. And it's 22 miles from Walsenburg, in the middle of nowhere. Yep, this is the road to his house. 

Still going - 

There it is! He's done so much work on it since Kathy died.

We sat out on the porch to catch up and talk about life.

My niece and her boyfriend were there as well, staying a week to help her dad with the house. As we started back to the motel that afternoon the fire really picked up.

We went back out to the house on the 4th and right around dusk the wind really picked up so he didn't shoot off fireworks this year. We were okay with that, Beth and I were still festive! He barbecued some amazing steaks, and we had salad, and cookies for dessert.

Then we sat outside 'til it got dark, talking and watching the storms roll by in the distance.

My niece took this one - 

It was kind of cute, Beth had a little crush on my niece's boyfriend. Here she is teasing him, then getting embarrassed and hiding behind her phone. He was sweet, and they teased each other the entire time we were there. It was fun to watch them!

I know these posts are long, but there's so much I want to remember about this trip. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! Just a couple more post I think. Well, maybe three. 😊

We Met Bruno on This Leg of the Trip

We left the 'New Orleans Hotel' and headed for the Black Hills. Out of Montana, skimmed through a corner of Wyoming, and went into South Dakota. Can I just say, the landscapes of this nation are breathtaking.

We spent the night in Blackhawk South Dakota, then headed to the mountains.

Someone recommended we take Needles Highway, a scenic road that goes through the mountains. Sometimes literally.

The mountains were beautiful. We stopped a few times so I could get out to take pictures, then we headed on to the Crazy Horse Monument.

We saw a short movie of Crazy Horse, who was a great Lakota warrior and fought for the Lakota and their land. After he died, Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear created the image and he asked Korczak Ziolkowski to sculpt it. When Korczak passed away, his wife kept the project going and now his kids and grandkids are overseeing the work. They want to preserve the great history of the Native Americans and their traditions.

We loved the museum, there was so much to see.

And we got to meet Bruno. Not sure we'd be very good friends though.

'The buffalo meant everything to traditional Native life - meat for food, hides for clothing, horns for utensils.'

Then we headed out to the observation deck.

This is what it will look like when it's finished.

'A cavalry soldier mockingly asked Crazy Horse, "Where are your lands now?" And he replied, "My lands are where my dead lie buried." The gesture points to those ancestral burial grounds.' 

Chuck suggested we go see this, I had no desire to visit. But now that I've been there I would highly recommend it. I would like to go back and see the areas we weren't able to get to on this visit. It's a remarkable place, honoring a remarkable people.

They had a restaurant there so we got a bite to eat before heading off to our next adventure.