My Husband at the age of 32 had his first heart attack. His Doctor’s recommended that he rest for awhile so he took a week off of work for a little R & R. A couple of days after that, which was a Friday my Mother called, and asked if my Husband and I would like to go on a road trip. I kept thinking to myself ‘He can’t do a road trip, he just had a heart attack!,” and of all places South Dakota!
When my Husband and I started this road trip we just quit smoking 6 days before. It was hard in the beginning, because we are so used to smoking in the car. With our smoking addiction and My Husbands health we were ready for this relaxing trip.
The first day was just driving, when you do not have kids in the car it makes it peaceful. We left Colorado around noon. I do have to say we live in a beautiful country, and I have to admit I have never seen that much wildlife before. Every time a Buffalo, a wild turkey, or even Moose would come around my Husband and my Mother would yell with excitement.
The second day we went to Mount Rushmore. It was a little bit of a walk to get up to the top, but the exercise was good for my Husband. The view was unbelievable. It makes you wonder and think how could Sculptor Gutzon Borglum construct such an enormous and beautiful thing out of a mountain. There are trails that you are able to walk down and get a closer look at ‘The Presidents.’ There is one spot where you can stand almost directly under George Washington’s head. I just kept thinking to myself that his face was going to fall on me.
The third day of our very restful vacation was a drive up to Deadwood South Dakota, which took maybe about an hour and a half to get there. At first we did not know if we could go, Deadwood received 24 inches of snow a few days earlier. This is a very old Gambling town in the foothills. I just love the old towns they give me the feeling that I am back in the early 1900’s.
On the forth day we ventured to Crazy Horse Memorial. The memorial is still being built by family members of Ziolkowski family and volunteers. The Ziolkowski family will not accept any Government funds at all. They have been working on this project for 59 years. I do hope one day I will be able to see it finished, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. There are bus trips to get a better look at the memorial for Crazy Horse. All of the money earned from merchandise, private tours, entrance fees, and donations are put right back into the project. The Ziolkowski family lives on the land. My Mother and I were able to get our picture taken with Ruth Ziolkowski.
On the 5th day of our trip we decided that we were not ready to come home yet. We headed to Southern Montana to see Custer’s last Stand at Little Big Horn. On our way there we stopped at an Indian Reservation, and gambled a little bit. It was really nice there. Everyone was very pleasant, and it was not nearly as loud as a regular casino. You can go on the tour by either walking or driving. This is about a five-mile memorial. They buried all of the bodies together to keep gravediggers from vandalizing. There are markers every where that show were someone had died. Are you afraid of snakes? This area is very popular for them.
The 6th Day we decided to head to Yellowstone National Park. Our vacation was at the end of April, when we got to the Park Entrance on the Northeast side we found out that Yellowstone does not open until May 20th. It was Midnight and pitch black all around. The nearest Hotel/Motel was an hour away so we went to the Hotel and spent the night.
The last day was spent driving 8 hours from Yellowstone back to Colorado. This was one of the most relaxing trips I have ever been on. My Husband was feeling good, and we were ready to go home and hold our kids.