The Kuhrs’ 2017 Western Trip
Sherry and I left on our trip on May 12 accompanied by my brother John (aka Buddy) and his wife Linda. We drove 4,276 miles through 12 states, some of them for a very brief time (Idaho and Indiana).
Our first stop was in Lanesboro, Minnesota. There we stayed at The Cottage House Inn, a quaint 15-room hotel in a small town off the beaten track. The next day we made a stop at the Mystery Caves where Sherry slipped on the wet iron grating and fell on her tailbone. Ouch! But she was a real trooper and kept on going, although with a good deal of pain. That day we also toured the Spam Museum in Austin, MN. It sounds hokey, but our tour guide told us the story how our armed services spread the use of Spam through Europe, Asia, and Australia. We then ate lunch at the Piggy Blues Restaurant across the street from the museum. I think you could describe Austin as pig hell.
Our next stop was in Mitchel, South Dakota. We checked out the Corn Palace there, but we could not go inside, since it was closed the one evening we were there. However, the exterior view was impressive. Then on our way to Rapid City, we drove through the Badlands National Park. This was one of the highlights of our trip and definitely worth seeing. Just north of there is the city of Wall, where we visited the famous Wall Drugs. My impression of Wall Drugs is that it is just an oversized souvenir shop. But it may be worth the stop being so close to the Badlands. After arriving in Rapid City, we visited Mount Rushmore to view one of the most iconic sites in the nation. It’s amazing what skilled people can do with tons of dynamite. The next day, we went on a bus tour of the Black Hills. One of this areas claim to fame is the filming of Dancing With Wolves. As we left Rapid City, we stopped at Bear Country, a drive thru animal park. Sounds corny, but it was enjoyable. We especially enjoyed seeing the bear cubs frolicking about and playing with one another. This was a favorite of my bear-loving brother.
When we arrived in Cody, Wyoming we were told that it was snowing in Yellowstone and the park would be closed for that day and the next. While it snowed in Yellowstone, it just rained in Cody. So we spent the better part of two days touring the six museums that are part of the Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West Museums. By now we saw that my brother read even more of the exhibits than I do. Finally we were able to drive through Yellowstone. It was impressive how well they had plowed as we drove on clear roads banked high with snow. Of course we saw Old Faithful erupt and the paint pots, but one of the roads was closed due to damage preventing us from getting to all the sites we wanted to see. After passing through Yellowstone, we stayed in Jackson. From Jackson we toured the Grand Teton National Park. Although it was somewhat cloudy, we still enjoyed the beauty of those majestic mountains. Just south of the park, we visited the National Animal Museum. Here we enjoyed some great artwork of the west.
In Moab, Utah we went on a three-hour cruise on the Colorado River a very small part of which went through Canyon Land National Park. Fortunately our boat was not named the Minnow. Our guide told us that many films and commercials were shot in this area, some of them claiming to be shot in the Grand Canyon where it is very difficult to get a permit to film. The most interesting story he told was about the filming of the scene from Thelma and Louise where they drove off a cliff. The following day we drove through Arches National Park. Guess what, we saw some impressive looking arches.
In the southwest corner of Colorado we stopped at Mesa Verde National Park. There we saw the ruins of the cliff dwellings occupied by the local Indians in the 13th century. The last major stop on our trip was Manitou Springs, Colorado just outside Colorado Springs. Here we visited The Garden of the Gods, a park containing some spectacular rock formations. We even saw a number of people scaling to the tops of these natural skyscrapers. On our way from Manitou Springs, we stopped at the Air Force Academy. At the visitor center we viewed a film illustrating the life of the cadets at the academy, which was very interesting. We also visited the chapel there. It was impressive.
Then we started the long drive home through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Upon arriving home, we all agreed that we had a great trip. I also noted that I spent more time with my brother in the last two weeks than I had in the last 50 years. Sherry and I agreed that Buddy and Linda are good traveling companions.
* Indicates member who owns a marble board