Welcome to the Heartland! 2 nights on a 6000 acre working cattle ranch; 2 nights reliving Close Encounters of the Third Kind; two stops in the Black Hills of South Dakota, including a night in Sturgis, home of the largest motorcycle rally in the world (more than 500,000 bikers roll into this town every August) and a restful stay in Keystone, South Dakota, home of Mount Rushmore and the National Presidential Wax Museum. Talk about an eclectic week!
Our Wyoming Life-A working cattle ranch and so much more!
Mike and Erin have carved out a very special life here in Wyoming. Funny how life can take you places you never dreamed of going. Mike and Erin had a life in corporate America (he in the radio business and she in marketing) and now they not only live on and manage this beautiful ranch but they also deliver content 7 days a week across multiple social media platforms, sharing what life on the farm is all about and highlighting what it takes to bring food to your table. Their mission is to not only talk about where your food comes from, but also the families and businesses behind getting food to your table. They take this mission very seriously and have developed a variety of ways to share their message. Obviously, their YouTube channels (with over 250,000 subscribers) are a big part of this, they also offer school field trips to the farm, as well as inviting people (like us) to stay on the farm and participate in their awesome and educational farm tour. The tour ends with a stop at their Farm Store where you can purchase fresh meat, produce and a variety of other products from the farm. We purchased ground beef, pork and a Tomahawk steak that was to die for! Just ask Charlie who savored the bone for two days! Such an amazing and educational stay-the perfect way to transition our trip to what is called the Heartland of America! Mike, Erin and their ranch epitomize all that is associated with this part of the county! Check out their YouTube Channel: Our Wyoming Life if you want to learn more about life on the ranch-and be sure to stop by if you are ever in Gillette, Wyoming!
Hot Tip #1: When staying at Harvest Hosts, partake in all that they offer!
One of the best parts about the Harvest Host program is the variety of the places that participate. Everything from breweries, wineries, museums, farms, etc…Most of these places not only provide you an inexpensive place to stay for the night, but more importantly, they all have a story! Take the time to hear their story and appreciate what they have to offer. Each stop is an opportunity to celebrate the many great things about this country!
Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Devil’s Tower
What an iconic site! Devil’s Tower just presents itself out of nowhere. All of a sudden you look up and there it is-and you can’t help but ask yourself how did this get here!
We stayed right at the entrance to the park and had the best view of the monument from our campsite. Did you know that Devil’s Tower was actually the first natural formation to be declared a National Monument in 1906! Who knew? It really is a site to see! We made sure to watch Close Encounters before we arrived just to refresh our memory. In case you haven’t seen this Stephen Spielberg movie about a man’s (Richard Dryfus) encounter with an extraterrestrial phenomenon and his obsession with visions of a mountain and the strong pull for him to travel to that mountain (Devil’s Tower). The film’s climactic ending takes place on location of Devil’s Tower where the extraterrestrial mothership lands and well….you’ll have to watch the movie to find out what happens.
As it turned out…we didn’t need to watch the movie before we arrived as our campground plays the movie every night at 8:00 in their outdoor theater with Devil’s Tower in the background-So Cool!!
Peder and I had our own “Close Encounter” when out walking Charlie one night-there was an incredible lightning storm in the far distance and we imagined it could have been aliens finding their way back to Devil’s Tower!!
Hot Tip #2
Keep your imagination alive! You are never too old to imagine what might be-and it only adds to the fun! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this very magical place and the mystique of aliens landing here made it even more fun!
Sturgis, South Dakota-Motorcycle Momma!
I’m going to date myself, but when I was growing up, there was this song by the one hit wonder group, Sailcat titled Motorcycle Mama. I loved that song! The song was about a young man inviting his 18 year old girlfriend to be “the queen of my highway, my motorcycle momma, and we’ll see the world from my Harley!” Maybe I always secretly wanted to be a Harley Girl!
We had a blast in Sturgis! They are prepping for the 83rd Annual Motorcycle Rally which begins August 4. Over a half of million bikers will descend upon this tiny town and the party of all parties will be had by all. It was great to see all of the campgrounds, including ours, and the entire downtown getting ready to host this party. Even though the rally doesn’t officially begin for a couple of weeks, the pre-rally was in full swing. Lots of bikers from all over, we even saw a couple with their leather riders club jackets on from Great Britain!
You should have seen Peder and me cruising down Mainstreet, Sturgis on our e-Bkes! We got some pretty strange looks and some interesting comments, but we didn't care, we rode "our bikes" with pride! As I think back, I bet we looked pretty foolish cruising down Main Street, Sturgis on our e-Bikes! But that may be as close as I will ever get to being a Motorcycle Momma!
Mount Rushmore and The National Presidential Wax Museum
Incredible, Amazing, Wow and whatever other superlatives you can think of. Mount Rushmore is really quite the sight! It’s funny, you see something in pictures and films all your life, and then to see it up close and in person is indescribable! Many say that it is smaller than they expected, I didn’t have this feeling, I just had this deep sense of awe and pride. The imagination and skill that it took to create this “rock carving” is not to be underestimated. The dedication of so many people to make this dream a reality for all of us to enjoy for years and years to come is awe inspiring. The visitors center here is top notch and enlightens all to how this monument came to be and is so honoring to those who made it happen. The museum is filled with pictures, artifacts and stories that bring to life the creation of this beautiful piece of art and American history. I am so glad that we made this stop a priority for us.
Yes, the monument of our four presidents is something to see, but one must also visit the National Presidential Wax Museum in Keystone, South Dakota right at the base of the mountain that you go up to see Mount Rushmore. This museum boasts that it has “over 100 lifelike wax figures, including ALL 46 U.S. presidents, and all depicted in stunning visual recreations of iconic moments in U.S. presidential history. So fascinating and so well done! I could have spent hours in the museum, the audio tour is full of rich history and clips from various important moments in history. Do not miss this museum! You can even step up to the Presidential Podium and address the press. So fun!
Lesson Learned:
Just have fun! Be silly; Be weird; Be you! Don’t worry what others will think! You are making memories and you don’t want to miss a thing because you care what other people might think! Ride your eBike on Main Street in Sturgis, imagine that UFO’s are landing at your campsite and nerd out on wax museums! It’s all part of the story-all part of the adventure!
Bummer of the Week:
Having to find a new campground in Devil’s Tower because our booked site had their water turned off because of , yikes, e.Coli in their water! Yeah, I don’t think we’ll be stayin' here. But as usual, we “worked the problem” and within 5 minutes found a site that was 100 times better than where we were supposed to be! Trust that you are where you are supposed to be, even if it’s not what you planned!
Highlight of the Week:
Meeting Mike, on the cattle ranch in Wyoming and hearing their story! We were so inspired by their story, their mission and the family/life that they have built on their ranch. You talk about not knowing the direction that God has in store for you, but trusting it when it happens. Mike and Erin are not living the life they once dreamed of, but they are living their best life and sharing their story with so many others. Their sense of community and giving back to those less fortunate is what this country is all about. We continue to be amazed at the goodness in people as we travel from state to state. We can get caught up in the far left, the far right, extremes and the US that the media depicts…but my experience is that the vast majority of Americans are just living their best lives, working hard and counting their blessings! Amen to that!
Next week we will finally make it to Minnesota! We are excited to visit our friends Craig and Valerie and to see all that makes Minnesota such a wonderful place to spend summers. Can’t wait to get on the lake and maybe even do some fishing-I’ve been wanting to do that on this trip! It would be great to catch something and then maybe even fry it up! Now that would be an adventure!
Week 21! Of course, I love your highlight of the week! So like you, Julie, inspiring all of us with your positive view of ALL that is around you, all that you are experiencing, while celebrating those you meet along the way! I, too, have heard that folks find Mt. Rushmore smaller in stature than they expected. Not you; you allowed the grandeur of those who created this National Monument to speak to you...Amen to all that you and Peder are sharing!