The More Things Change…
A lot has happened since I last posted. Most significantly, my mother passed away in March, and I admit I’m still touchy about her loss. Still, I’m very grateful we had the last chances we got to spend time together, including the drive through North Carolina to see the Outer Banks last July. As for the plans I mentioned in my last blog message, they are still on, just a little condensed. I’m set to spend Memorial Day weekend in the Black Hills of South Dakota with a brief crossing into Wyoming to visit Devil’s Tower, but I expect the trip to be shorter in duration than I’d originally planned. I’m under deadline to finish a book I’m writing by the publisher’s due date, and any thoughts that I’ll do much writing while on that trip would only serve as an effort to fool myself. A colleague suggested I add…
Black Hills Revisit
It's hard to believe that next summer marks the ten year anniversary of : //www.randyejones.com/GoinWest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my first big trip since I moved to Iowa "four score and seven years ago." So, instead of making the Utah national parks trip I missed last summer, I've decided to retrace most of the route one of my nieces and I took to the Black Hills of South Dakota.
My hope is not only once again to see Mt. Rushmore, which I'd finally been able to strike off my bucket list, and Crazy Horse--and find out how much closer it is to being finished, but to take RB into the Badlands National Park and to see what we can see at Devil's Tower. Plus, there's now a new site, a sculpture entitled, "Dignity," that I'm looking forward to seeing. Besides, who can drive through South Dakota and resist a stop by Wall Drug? I'm always on the lookout for a great cowboy hat. Since I only have a week, I'm not adding more until I actually know how much time I have to take it in. For now, all I know is that I want to return using a route different than I've taken before.This is route as it currently stands:
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BTW, this still allows me another week later in 2018 to visit Utah. Crossing my fingers!