By Keith C. Milne
I was nervous and didn’t really know why. I had traveled plenty in the past. I have been to Europe twice, several Canadian Provinces, Mexico, and many of the United States of America. I thought back to my last trip, a Mediterranean extravaganza, and couldn’t believe that it was over four years ago! I never thought I’d see that much time go by in between trips.
As I’ve grown older, I enjoy being at home more than ever before in my life. It’s where I yearn to be most days. But at least once or twice a year, I love to wander to somewhere never traveled before, and let all of the unexpected, exciting, surprising, and beautiful things that arise while exploring tickle my senses again.
There were no more excuses to be made or offered up as a reason to continue denying going somewhere. Covid-19 and variants are largely in our rear view mirror, both my wife and I are retired and have all the time in the world now to do what we want.
The trip was advertised by our local senior center as mainly a trip to Mt. Rushmore, a place that was still on our bucket list. The trip included most meals, all accommodations, and had an amazingly low price. So low, I was very skeptical at first, but after making a phone call to the trip coordinator, who answered my questions satisfactorily. I was assured about what was included in the price, and that the advertised price was, in fact, real. Now I was excited! To make the possibility of taking the trip even easier, my wonderful sister-in-law was kind enough to house and pet sit for us, and even dropped us off to meet our bus!
As we boarded our bus to begin our trip, I knew instantly that we were late! Everyone was already on board and seated and all the seats appeared to be taken. As I shuffled all the way to the back of the bus carrying more than I cared to, I received a barrage of mixed looks, some with a slight emotional charge attached as they looked down at their watches. We thought the starting time was a full 1/2 hour later than the actual starting time. OOPS!
Uh-oh, how the heck was I ever going to be able to sit in the equivalent of an airline seat for all the miles across the country to Wyoming and back?! We quickly stowed our gear overhead, got into our seats, and the bus pulled away beginning our journey through the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
The highlights of the trip were going to be Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, The Badlands, Custer State Park, and Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, with many other interesting sights and places to visit along the way. I couldn’t wait to see them!
As the bus accelerated onto I-91 South to Connecticut, I started to finally relax. I realized that neither the trip or the drive were in my control, nor my individual responsibility and I liked it. I didn’t have to worry about anything. I didn’t have to monitor traffic, my fuel level, or other drivers! I didn’t have to be conscious of anything to do with directions, or driving, or anything outside of reading, snoozing, talking with my wife, talking with the people around us on the bus, and watching television on my phone.
The Diamond Tours bus was nice. A 2024 model with tinted glass, excellent air conditioning, comfortable seats, plenty of storage overhead, and an outlet and USB port for every seat on the bus. The bathroom in the rear was somewhat cramped, but had the essentials, and on more than one occasion, for both of us, it came in handy. The bus also sported a PA system for our group leader and the driver to use in order to give us messages, or to announce bingo numbers so everyone would be able to hear the numbers being called. The bus also had monitors mounted from the ceiling every six seats or so on both sides for viewing movies on, which we did twice on our trip.
Our Bus for the entire trip
Going through the Allegheny mountains in New York stunned me with the raw beauty of mountain peaks and the deep valleys of greenery below, and I wasn’t the only one. Even though the trip had only just started, many of us were already “oohing and awing.” So much rain this year translated to lots of green trees with only splashes of color. Sad the way too much water at the wrong time of year can totally interfere with how the landscape looks when people are expecting technicolor in the Northeast every year.
I take both perfect, and imperfect conditions now with a grain of salt, realizing that nature gives both spectacular fall colors, and less spectacular fall colors in any fall with equal vigor, and does so completely independent of anyone else’s opinions or preferences. Most folks have no idea about how rain, or lack thereof, impacts the fall foliage from year to year, but many find it interesting if you share this information with them.
Before I knew it, we were at the first of many stops, that were on average about one every 2.5 hours, for a leg stretch, restroom break, and not always, but mostly a chance to grab some food, snacks, and beverages. Normally, I do not drink any soft drinks/soda, nor do I eat processed foods anymore.
On this trip, I wanted the least amount of friction between me and just about everyone and everything, and decided to go with the flow and ended up partaking in all types of naughty culinary indulgences, including fast food, lots of fatty, processed foods, crackers and cheese, candy, pastries like Cinnabon, and soft drinks. Coca Cola is my first choice, but when I need some caffeine on the road and there is no coffee or Coca Cola available, Mountain Dew works great! In a pinch, I’ll even take a No Dose caffeine pill, 200 mg each. Hey, a 12 day walk down dietary hell avenue won’t kill me, especially when I eat so good 99% or more the rest of the time. At least that was my adopted mode for the duration of this trip.
The first of many bingo games began after our lunch break. We played 4 games at a time, with lots of variations. Just the four corners, the capital letter M, or H, or Y. Just the middle rows both vertical and horizontal, or the first to cover their entire card. I have never played so many different bingo games. We would all chip in a dollar a game and the winner of each game would get a cash prize. Each game would increase the prize amount by a few dollars, with the amount of each prize being determined by the total cash available, divided by the number of games to be played. It was a lot of fun, and made the long stretches of highway a lot more tolerable.
Another game we all played to pass the time during the longer driving stretches during this trip was “Two Truths, One Lie.” We all wrote down two truths and one lie on a piece of paper. When the group leader assistant would pull a few out randomly and let everyone know who it belonged to. Then we all voted on the three items to see if we could guess which one was the lie. That was pretty fun at times. I was surprised at the wide range of collective experience and knowledge on board with me. Authors, mountain climbers, artists, teachers, PhD’s, former business executives, and current business owners.
Eventually, the mountains became hills, then rolling hills, and eventually the scene was as flat as flat can be. The mid-west is so flat that all other flats are calibrated against the flatness that is inherently America’s heartland. Seriously. No wonder tornadoes can form and come and go at will there. Nothing to prevent it from happening whatsoever. Easy as hell for differing air masses to move across the land, colliding and driving all of that latent heat energy upwards forming the towering, complex cloud systems that wreak havoc across our country nearly every single day, especially in the warm months of March through November.
Just as I was expecting more of the same, I was surprised by what started showing up in my view as we crossed southern Pennsylvania, through Indiana and into Iowa: Wind Power and Solar Arrays. Wind driven turbines dotting the land for as far as the eye can see, taking advantage of the consistent winds blowing nearly all of the time creating a lot of power for the middle of our country.
Wind Power has become a viable source of electrical power to the supply source pie in the Midwest
It warmed my heart to see this simply because we all need to collectively be doing projects like this to slow down and eventually reverse global warming.
On the way to Mt. Rushmore, the main attraction, we stopped at a waterfall park and took a nice walk along the water in North Elyria, Ohio, visited the famous Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota, and the equally famous Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota.
Cascade Park in North Elyria, Ohio
Cascade park was a wonderful example of community residents agreeing to make something better out of something marginal. It was a flood prone area along the West Branch Black River where residents used to gather despite the lack of any amenities until they decided to spend the money to make the whole area into a nice park for families to be able to go recreate and relax, and spend time together without having to drive too far out of their way. The park really does include an actual waterfall with the water coming from Lake Eerie. I just love that kind of stuff.
Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota, 2023
The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota exceeded any thoughts about how corn can be used as decorative building material that when affixed to, or onto various interior and exterior buildings, poles, walls, ceilings, and other surfaces, transformed them into functional art.
Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota, 2023
Really spectacular and eye catching art work that tells native American stories, highlights local culture and customs, and transforms everyday structures into exceptional, thoughtful structures. The structures need nearly constant maintenance in order to keep them looking in tip-top shape, but the tourism generated by the spectacle that has been created there is more than enough to pay the salaries of the workers keeping it all looking good. The attraction has truly been a win-win economically for the residents of the greater Mitchell, South Dakota area.
Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota, 2023
I had only heard of Wall Drug once or twice in my life prior to this trip, and I didn’t “get it” at the time, so I just kept my mouth shut.
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota 2023
Well, it’s an actual drug store that almost went out of business when they first got started because everyone during the depression was broke and often just kept right on driving when they came by the original store. The store put a billboard or sign up near the highway that offered motorists free ice water. That was the trick.
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota 2023
Lots of folks started stopping for the free water, but ended up buying fuel, and snacks, and the store just kept expanding their options.
Currently, “the store” is a whole small town now, Wall, South Dakota, and you can buy a new pair of cowboy boots, get a prescription filled at Wall Drug store, enjoy cups of 5 cent coffee along with a piece of delicious pie, but only after first having one of their mouth watering sandwich’s in their restaurant, buy some jewelry, or stroll through one of many amazing historical exhibits or one of the funny displays that seem to be everywhere.
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota 2023
It was fairly crowded, even though it was the Fall and kids were back in school. I was grateful that we weren’t there at the height of the summer tourist season.
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota 2023
It was a good thing we packed the way we did, bringing summer, fall, and winter cloths with us. The whole first part of the trip it was nearly 90 degrees during the day. I was glad to have some shorts to wear with one of my sunburn protection hats.
Keith Milne with a new friend he made while at Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota 2023
Many miles of highway, some in Pennsylvania, a large amount in Illinois, and some in part of South Dakota, were really beat up and in dire need of repair. These sections made the bus ride extremely bumpy at times, and a real adventure for anyone needing to use the bathroom on the bus while going over them.
The good news is that it also appeared as if the money from President Biden’s “Build Back Better” infrastructure plan is kicking in, and all the areas that needed repair were getting it. Miles and miles of highway repaving and widening all across the northern tier of the United States. It was impressive to see, and some of the stretches were already completed and were whisper quiet when we were driving on them.
One of the stops on our way to Mt. Rushmore was to go to the University of Iowa, in Iowa City. Unfortunately, it was closed for some unknown reason on the day we were visiting.
Our trip group leader took most of our group to another location to visit a park instead, but a few of us stayed back near the University and walked around for awhile.
Keith cruising downtown Iowa City, Iowa 2023
I was amazed at the cleanliness of the entire area. The campus area that I walked, the town streets near it, were spotless. The only other place that I’ve visited in the past that was so clean that you actually notice it, was the neighborhoods around Cornwall Canada, and the greater Ottawa, Canada area as well.
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa: very nice, and very modern, yet eclectic, and a little funky. Reminded me of Charlottesville, VA with a mid-western twist. Had a great vibe to it.
Once the Iowa State Capital building, it is now the Iowa State University Administration Building
Amazing Roadway Art in Iowa
We ate lunch at the Coral River Mall, in Coralville, Iowa. Ultra clean, ultra modern. Unbelievable amount of shops and merchandise at exceptional prices. Another standout from this location was the multiculturalism that I witnessed throughout the mall. Lots of mothers with babies in strollers. Lots of minorities, including Muslims, Hispanics, Asians, and a fair amount of LGBTQ+ couples all smiling and shopping and feeding their babies fully integrated with young and old white folks, some wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Seeing that acceptance and tolerance in such a large public venue in Iowa, it was hard to imagine this same state recently passing such a restrictive abortion bill.
Mt. Rushmore delivered a fantastic experience. The night before, a small front passed through and now the air was dryer and cooler. It was a perfect sunny day. As we neared the monument, we came around a corner and there it was off in the distance. The sight of it gave me goose bumps. The reality of my experience was starting to set in, and I grew more wide-eyed as we got closer and closer, finally parking at the base, very close to the visitor center.
Approaching Mt. Rushmore. Picture taken through the window from my seat on the bus.
Mt. Rushmore National Monument, October 2023
Starting our hike up to the base of Mt. Rushmore. We got lucky again, and had another perfect weather day.
Keith and Connie Milne at Mt. Rushmore (FINALLY!) October2023
We hiked up to the base of the monument, and enjoyed the hugeness and grandiosity of it. We spent time just taking it in. The light wind whistling through the needles of the ponderosa pines all around us, their scent wafting through the air smelled fresh, and invigorating.
Mt. Rushmore National Monument, October 2023
One of the most amazing sites I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m so grateful to have been able to finally make the trip to stand here and take this picture in person!
Keith and Connie Milne at Mt. Rushmore October2023
After a couple of hours exploring the grounds all around the monument, we had a nice lunch in the visitor center, and then watched a movie about how the whole monument came to be and the painstaking, extremely dangerous work for the lifetime of Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor.
Our entire bus trip group! What a great day this was for everyone!
Of all the places we visited on this trip, the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills National Forest, Black Hills, South Dakota, probably surprised us the most.
Crazy Horse Memorial, Black Hills Forest, Black Hills, South Dakota, October 2023
Learning about, and seeing the Crazy Horse Memorial was incredible. This is another painstaking endeavor to carve the memorial of the legendary Indian Chief, Crazy Horse.
Keith Milne at the Crazy Horse Memorial Visitor Center October 2023. The huge memorial can be seen in the background nicely from the visitor center deck.
The memorial will take another lifetime to complete, and the sculpting is being done by a team of sculptors, utilizing advanced technology to help them not make any of the mistakes made during the carving of the Mt. Rushmore monument.
Crazy Horse Memorial October 2023
The funding is being done by a combination of private donations and the funds brought in from tourists like us. There are no government funds involved, something that was, and still is very important to the the Lakota Sioux who are overseeing the entire project. There is a community there at the memorial, complete with a grade school all the way through university, and one of the most amazing museums of early American artifacts that I’ve ever been through anywhere.
Homestake Mine/Sanford Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, October 2023
On the way to the Devil’s Tower Monument in Wyoming, we stopped and spent time at the Homestake Gold Mine, now being used as the Sanford Underground Research Facility. From 1876 to 2001, the Homestake Gold Mine mined more than 40 million ounces of gold, making it the deepest and most productive gold mine in the Western Hemisphere before closing in 2002, now it houses the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
Homestake Mine/Sanford Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, October 2023
Dr. Raymond Davis Jr. was one of the first scientists to understand the value of conducting research deep underground. His pioneering solar neutrino experiment influenced future neutrino and astrophysics research and set the stage for a deep underground laboratory in Lead, South Dakota. Dr. Davis’s experiment won him a share of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Great restaurant in Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood, South Dakota
After exploring the Sanford Facility, we spent time exploring and having lunch in famous Deadwood, South Dakota, the town made famous by Wild Bill Hickok and his friend, the manly Calamity Jane. Both of them are buried in a small grave site on a hill in Deadwood. A local taxi will take a small group to the grave for $4 per person.
Deadwood, South Dakota, October 2023
I distinctly remember saying to myself in silence after seeing the movie “Close Encounters of The Third Kind,” directed by Steven Spielberg in 1977 that, someday, I would go and see that tower up close and personal.
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming October 2023
Well, I was starting to wonder if I was ever really going to see it in person. But then when we read the flyer for the trip before signing up for it, my jaw dropped open in shock when I saw that Devil’s Tower Monument in Wyoming was on the list of places that we were going to see, and the Badlands too!!
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming October 2023
Devil’s Tower Monument, Wyoming looks just like it did in the movie
Keith Milne at Devil’s Tower Wyoming holding his “Sunday Today with Willie Geist Mug,” October 2023
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming October 2023
It is a SURREAL geologic formation that is still rising upward today from the subtle, yet continuous underground volcanic activity.
We hiked up to the base and walked around about 25% of it. I had to pinch my self more than once as I couldn’t believe I was actually standing there looking at this magnificent monument from the Earth that the Sioux Indians have a whole cosmology around, and made famous to the masses by a, popular movie. I love geology and hiking, and this area really stood out as an exceptional example of many geologic phenomenon.
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming October 2023
There were rock climbers climbing the face of Devil’s Tower when we were there, October 2023.
There were two climbers climbing the face of Devil’s Tower the day we were there. Anyone wanting to go past the rocks piled up below the tower must see the park ranger for a permit, sign waivers, etc., before they are allowed in those areas or to climb the monument.
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming October 2023
The Valley below Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, October 2023 Connie Milne in the red jacket near a pair of hikers.
Driving through Custer State Park we saw Antelope and some Bison off in the distance. The landscape throughout the entire area is stunning.
Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota, October 2023
High contrast color and light, rigid lines, hard rocks, tall trees, timber rattle snakes, thousands of acres of grasslands.
Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota, October 2023
The mountainous Black Hills area of South Dakota and Eastern Wyoming are simply magical, even spiritual places that neither my wife and I will ever forget.
Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota, October 2023
The Badlands are surreal. Just being there almost forces self-contemplative behavior.
The Badlands National Park, South Dakota, October 2023
You just want to stand there, with the breeze blowing through your hair, starring out into the abyss of a surreal looking geologic time machine.
In actuality, the day we visited, I could barely stand still while taking these pictures with the non-stop blast of wind buffeting me. It was likely blowing a good 20-30 mph steady, with much higher gusts at times.
The Badlands National Park, South Dakota, October 2023
Stratified history making up bands of multi-colored rock material that came from various geologic events at different times in the Earth’s history.
The Badlands National Park, South Dakota, October 2023
A half day stop at the Art Center in Des Moines, Iowa was surprising, housing art from several famous sculptors and painters and one of the most beautiful rose gardens I’ve ever had the pleasure of walking through.
Stanton Macdonald-Wright American, 1890-1973
ABSTRACTION ON SPECTRUM (ORGANIZATION 5) ca. 1914
Oil on canvas
Des Moines Art Museum, October 2023
Alexei von Jawlensky Russian, active Germany, 1864-1941
ABSTRAKTER KOPF: INNERES SCHAUEN-GRAU-BLAU-ROSA (ABSTRACT HEAD: INNER VISION-GRAY-BLUE-PINK) 1927
Oil on board
Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of Jacqueline and Myron Blank, 2003.271
De Moines Art Museum, October 2023
Tom Friedman, “Untitled (A Curse),” 1992
Des Moines Art Museum, October 2023
Des Moines Art Museum, October 2023 Depicted: “Jerry Garcia” variety of Rosa-Ragosa
Stopping and spending a little time at the National Museum of The Great Lakes on the way home was another winner.
National Museum of the Great Lakes, October 2023
Not too big, very digestible and lots of interesting facts, information, and history housed inside, with a nice view of the bridge in East Toledo, Ohio.
The history is really relevant and revealing regarding the importance of the shipping industry in delivering the supplies that built the United States of America as we know it today.
National Museum of the Great Lakes, October 2023
Bridge over the Maumee River as seen from the National Museum of the Great Lakes Ship Dock, October 2023
National Museum of the Great Lakes, October 2023
Paintings on the towers inside an abandoned factory just before the National Museum of the Great Lakes, October 2023.
Overall, this trip was a home run. The bus services were provided by Diamond Tours. Our driver was amazing, and managed to always get us where we needed to be and on time. The trip leader/coordinator, with assistance from her husband, and the assistant trip leader did a fantastic job overall, and were fairly quick on their feet for alternatives when things didn’t go perfectly as planned.
The trip accommodations were somewhat lacking, with a couple of the motels we stayed in needing obvious repairs with plumbing, air conditioning, WiFi, and one place we stayed at in Illinois didn’t have a working elevator. Of course my wife and I were assigned rooms on the second floor and had to haul all of our luggage up and down those stairs. That was the worst.
The breakfasts offered by all of the motels were actually better than I expected, despite the rooms being so marginal. The accommodations were obviously one way that Diamond Tours manages to keep their trips on the more affordable side.
The group we were with consisted of 44 seniors mostly from the greater Northampton, MA area, with exception of one couple from the east coast at Rockport, MA. Most everyone got along well, and were very polite and kind, and very conversational and sharing. That social aspect really added another positive dimension to the trip. Having a chance to talk with people face to face for extended periods without interruption was something that was most welcome, and somewhat unexpected due to today’s divided everything.
Despite the small annoyances and, at times, inconveniences, it was all worth what we saw and experienced along the way. The major monuments far exceeded our fantasies. They are even bigger than we imagined. Against the surrounding landscape, they seemed surreal.
Both the mid-west and northern tier also surprised us with extraordinary, simplistic, beauty and complex geologic and anthropological features and history. Driving through the Badlands of South Dakota was like driving on another planet. Also surprising was how multi-cultural the Midwest seemed, that, and more art than expected, and more modern than expected as well.
We scratched a couple of monuments and states to see off of our bucket list, had a great time on this 5065 mile trip, and loved traveling domestically for a change. Making a couple of new friends that live close by was the cherry on top. Seeing the parts of the country we’ve never been to before has both of us definitely thinking about taking another trip next year!
Connie and Keith Milne on the tour bus for the Northern Tier Trip October 2023
One other observation on this trip was the cell service for the entire trip from Massachusetts, all the way to Wyoming, and back, had either 5G or 5G Ultra Capacity service. I have an older iPhone 12 pro max, and I was able to watch television on my phone at will with T-mobile as my carrier on an unlimited plan. I was shocked that I was getting 5G out in the middle of nowhere in Iowa, South Dakota, and Wyoming, and a better signal there then many places here in New England where I live. The only place I barely had any signal was in the lowest points of Custer State Park. 5G or better everywhere else. Surprising, and amazing. Thanks, T-mobile!
We had perfect sunny weather from Massachusetts all the way out to Devil’s Tower, Wyoming and back over ten days in September/October 2023. Unheard of!!
Finally, for a trip across the northern tier of the United States in late September into the first two weeks of October is a very changeable time of year weather wise. We experienced temps near 90 during the first part of the trip, then a frontal boundary came through while we slept one night and it was cooler and very dry, but comfortable. We were blessed. It was as if our group just kept parting the Red Sea of sunny weather all the way out to Wyoming and back. It was sunny and gorgeous 95% of the time! Can’t get better than that!