Another Journey completed

The sun has set on another MacGregor Adventure (well, this photo is actually sunrise in Great Falls, but who would know?) We have returned safe and sound, except for some dints in the truck, and a big divot in the trailer, thanks to our "run in" with the deer.

Our amazing driver has taken us another 10, 273 km, through three provinces and eight states, six of which we had never been through.

We had a great time with family and friends, and once again, saw many wonderful and monumental sights.

It may be a while before we take on another adventure like this, maybe we will just try camping in one spot for a week or so....

If you have been following us along our journey, thanks for reading! Janie, as always, you are our number one follower!!!

We hope you have enjoyed our photos and stories, and remember to always stop along the way to see the sights and learn something new.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

Augustine (354 - 430 BC)

The large and the small

Billings KOA in Montana was the very first Kampground of America, opening in 1962, trying to entice campers to stay on their way to the World's Fair, being held in Seattle. Most KOAs are a great place to stay; clean, safe and with lots of activities to do. We have seen many different types of campers, but this is a good example of the two extremes! These two were parked on either side of us in Billings.

Oreo's favourite spot

This is where Oreo chose to spend much of her travelling time! The console between the front seats of the truck is just the right size for a dog, or two!

Hershey prefers to sleep under the back seat, or to sit on my lap looking out the window.

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

As the legend goes, seven native girls were picking berries in the forest when they came across a bear. As the bear chased them, the girls ran up onto a rock. They prayed to the spirits to save them, and their pleas were heard. The spirits made the rock grow higher and higher. The bear was angry at losing his prey and tried to climb up the rock, digging his claws into the sides and making grooves, but he could not reach the girls. The girls, now safe from the bear, had another problem, as they could not get down from the rock. The spirits took them into the sky where they became the cluster of stars known as the seven sisters.

As geologists tell it, this formation is all that remains of a volcano after millions of years of erosion.

Which explanation do you like better?

Or, you could just go with the movie version where it was the landing spot for the alien ship in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

An amazing sight, regardless of your version of history!

Crazy Horse Memorial

The second American attempt to leave a lasting impression for eternity by carving a mountain, lies about 10 minutes from our campground, in the opposite direction of Mt. Rushmore. Crazy Horse will be a magnificent sculpture honouring the Native American warrior. In 1948 this sculpture was started by a single man, working on his own, with blasting powder and a jack hammer. Over time, he started to involve his wife, and his 10 children. The entire project is funded by private donations, and the park entrance fees. They do not accept any government support, mostly due to philosophical reasons.

The plan is to sculpt the entire mountain, and this will take many years to finish, probably generations. The sculptor’s family has taken on this project and are proceeding as fast as money and time will allow.

When it is finished, it will be truly amazing!

There was also a laser light show on the side of the mountain at night, with music, stories, coloured lights that lit up the whole mountain, and lasers to rival any rock concert or planetarium show!!

The bottom photo shows a model of the finished sculpture from inside the visitor centre, superimposed over the existing project.

Mt. Rushmore

Does Rianna look like she could fit in as the 5th President on the Mountain? Maybe not, but she is way cuter than those grumpy old men!!

It is quite an impressive sight, but at night, it is even more amazing. Unfortunately, the night photos did not work very well, too far up for my camera.During the evening presentation a ranger gave a great talk on why they chose these particular men and

how their contributions to US history were most significant.

It definitely makes us want to watch the 2nd National Treasure movie again!

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

"I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride, I’m wanted, wanted, dead or alive!”

This could be the theme song for Sturgis, South Dakota this week, during the 71^st Annual Motorcycle Rally. Every year, motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the world, ride or bring their bikes to the Sturgis area for a week of Hog Heaven! Approximately 650,000 bikers come to this event (the population of SD is only about 750,000 in total). Many of these bikers camp for the time they are here. We saw a ton of huge motor homes pulling utility trailers with their motorbikes inside. There are bikes on the highways everywhere: Harleys, crotch rockets, bikes with sidecars, with mini trailers, CanAm spyders, choppers, and custom made machines. We saw one that was a motorbike in the front and a Volkswagen beetle in the back.

This photo is the main street in Deadwood, famous hangout of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Every space on the street and parking lots were full of bikes, so we could not even stop to look around.

The towns in this area cater to the riders with tons of T-shirts and riding paraphenalia. There are beer gardens and pubs full of bikers everywhere. There was some fairly big name entertainment, too. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Toby, Keith, Ted Nugent, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, Gregg Allman, Styx, Bachmann Turner, Poison, George Thorogood, Leon Russell, Edgar Winter…. I am sure some people just come for the entertainment. You could even get your bike washed by bikini babes in leather outfits! Sean was disappointed that he missed the midget bowling!