Wildwest Hero - Electric Light Orchestra

Ride the range all the day, 'till the first fading light
Be with my Western girl by the fire o' so bright
I'd be the Indian's friend let them live to be free
Riding into the sunset I wish I could be
A wild west hero

Tuesday 14th September 2010

Continuing from the short note of Wednesday, the afore mentioned Terry took care of my bag, while I boarded the tour bus which continued to collect other visitors from various hotels. Having picked up the last of these (3 very loud women) the tour, along with the commentary, started in earnest but despite this the 3 females continued to 'cackle'. In my very best English accent and as politely as possible I informed them that I had paid 'top dollar' for this trip and would much rather listen to the driver than them. This met with almost a ;standing ovation' and while I was met with many 'black looks' for the rest of the day (which really bothered me - yeah alright) we hardly heard another peep! Our commentator advised that a number of wild creatures could be encountered during the course of the day, and if we should spot anything we should call out to allow him to stop.

It was only a matter of minutes before the first 'call' rang out directing our attentions to a group of

Wild Turkey right alongside the road, the first of several groups.

It will be appreciated that some of these shots were taken through the bus window, the others are simply poor photography!

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States. Sculpted by Gutzon Borglum and later by his son Lincoln Borglum, Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of 4 former United States presidents, with the entire memorial covering 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km2) and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.

South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with conceiving the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills region of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the region. Robinson's initial idea was to sculpt the Needles; however, Gutzon Borglum rejected the Needles site and chose the larger Mount Rushmore. Borglum also decided the sculpture should have a more national focus, and chose the four presidents whose likenesses would be carved into the mountain. After securing federal funding, construction on the memorial began in 1927, and the presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. Upon Gutzon Borglum's death in March 1941, his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction and although the initial concept called for each president to be depicted from head to waist, lack of funding forced construction to end in October 1941.

The U.S. National Park Service took control of the memorial in 1933, while it was still under construction, and manages the memorial to the present day. It attracts approximately two million people annually.

The approach colonnade, sporting the 50 flags of each individual State.

(in order from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

(from left to right) me and a large lady.

A closer view and in detail

George Washington 22/02/1732 - 14/12/1799 the 'first' President of the United States from 1789 to 1797.

Thomas Jefferson 13/04/1743 - 04/07/1826 the 'third' President of the United States from 1801 to 1809

Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt 27/10/1858 - 06/01/1919 the 'twenty sixth' President of the United States from 1901 to 1908.

Abraham Lincoln 12/02.1809 - 15/04/1865 the 'sixteenth' President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.

It may be of interest to know that Mount Rushmore National Monument is only the colloquial name given to the sculpture, the correct title being the 'Shrine of Democracy'.

(John) Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum 25/03/1867 to 06/03/1941

Chipping Sparrow juvenile

Yellow-rumped Warbler male

Constructors 'Roll of Honour'.

From here we ate in a typically decorated 'wild west' restaurant on Buffalo stew and freshly baked bread, before continuing to the (mandatory) gift shop.

Crazy Horse (Lakota: Tȟašúŋke Witkó), literally "His-Horse-Is-Spirited" (ca. 1840 -September 5, 1877) was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S. Federal government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876. After surrendering to U.S. troops under General Crook in 1877, Crazy Horse was fatally wounded by a military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment at Camp Robinson in present-day Nebraska. He ranks among the most notable and iconic of Native American tribal members and has been honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a 13¢ Great Americans series postage stamp.

Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear ( who's life spanned the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the Wounded Knee Massacre, and the Indian Reorganization Act) officially started Crazy Horse Memorial June 3, 1948. The Memorial mission is to honour the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians.

“My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man had great heroes too.” Those words, written by Chief Henry Standing Bear, rang true to sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.

More than sixty years of work in removing more than nine million tons of stone have helped the red man’s hero emerge from Thunderhead Mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota, now hosts over one million visitors a year. By comparison there were just 500,000 tons of stone blasted from the Rushmore sit, while the 4 Presidents would fit easily into just the head of Crazy Horse.

Distant view of the Crazy Horse Memorial only part finished.

After the death of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, 7 of his 10 children, still today, strive to complete the monument.

Despite continued hard work some say it will never be finished.

A model outside of the Indian museum shows how the finished article should look, by comparison to the original in the distance.

In front of his captors, Crazy Horse raised his arm and pointed whilst uttering these words.

Some of the artifacts inside the museum.

Black Buffalo Woman

Korczak Ziolkowski's motorbike.

Tribal headdresses and

other clothing
Ceremonial weapons presented to

Henry Standing Bear.

Nature Gates

in close up.

Korczak Ziolkowski's plaque.

A final look back at Washington on the downward raod.

Black Hills Central Railroad

locomotive approaching.

Carriage interior.

1880 Train outside museum.

On the drive back were saw, what they in the know thought was, a 'wildfire' too much smoke and billowing for a 'controlled burn. I though I was back home and it ws Radipole Nature Reserve?

Back at the Greyhound depot, Terry had, true to her word, looked after my belongings and issued the ticket for the next leg of the journey. There I also met Sarah Little Cloud of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who made me a small Indian bead Terrapin stuffed with sage, giving it to me for 'good luck' as we ended our conversation. Alan, who had driven the last leg was again on the bus, and afforded me the front seat as we started out for Denver, Colorado.

Birds added to the lists:- Wild Turkey, Mallard and Mountain Bluebird (lifer).

Trip Total - 30 World Lifers - 4


Wednesday 15th September 2010 cont.

Arriving at Colorado Springs we followed the line of the

Rocky Mountain foothills.

While this was just an interesting rocky outcrop - yawn!

Yet another grasshopper / Cricket.

Killdeer perched by a stagnant pool.

The same bird in flight.

I was told, by one of the biggest black guys I have ever seen, that this is a Water Mochasin

one of the most venomous snakes on the continent.

There was never any intent to stay in Colorado and just before crossing the border into Texas and in the small town of Campo, there was a brown road sign depicting a pair of binnoculars with the words Prairie Chicken and pointing down a small track. With no chance of stopping this was my signal to get those bins to my eyes and scan. There was also a good chance of Greater Roadrunner, but in the event neither materialised.

Less that a mile inside the State the Nodding Donkeys started to appear (not surprisingly) which were the first to be seen this trip.

Mourning Dove

and as a footnote:- Having stopped at Amarillo and Oklahoma City today, I have now visited all the places named in the lyric of the classic song Route 66.

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route 66.

It winds from Chicago to LA,
More than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

Now you go through Saint Louis
Joplin, Missouri,
and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.
You see Amarillo,
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on route 66.

Take Me Back To The Black Hills, The Black Hills Of Dakota

This is in fact still Tuesday 14th September, hence the quick note

Unfortunately, no time to post a full account today, Terry the lady at the Greyhound office here in Rapid City, South Dakota has allowed me just to enter this note, and anyway my coach leaves in just 15 minutes for Denver, Colorado so hope to talk again later in your day UK time.

Breakfast In America - Supertramp

Just in time to catch the Monday deadline for today's post, I am in the home of Jeff & Doreen Vance along with their 3 lovely children Taylor, Rya and Kyle, but more of that later. It'd 16-30 here in Miles City, Montana which is 7 hours behind the UK so I only had 3/4 of an hour before Jeff stepped in to save the day.

To catch up with yesterday, we arrived Minnesota, St Paul's just a little behind schedule, but with still sufficient daylight to view a bird or two. I had guessed, as usual, that the first species to be seen would be Feral Pigeon, but that was beaten to the notebook by Purple Martin. A cloud of hundreds were easy to identify at distance as the only 'all dark' hirundine on the sub-continent, and similarly the American Crow is the only corvid hereabouts. So, with the daylight rapidly fading there were just 2 choices, either move on, if a Greyhound was available, or a motel. As luck would have it there was just a one hour wait for a service to Bismarck, North Dakota which not only progressed my journey but saved paying a hotel as well.

Before departing Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota there was a photo chance with Common Grackle, this one being of the 'bronze' variety and as the name suggests very common and gregarious. Also I had to activate my 15 days voucher for unlimited travel on the Greyhound coaches and all their connected operators.

Trip Ticks - 4 Lifers - 0

By 21-00 we were on our way to Bismarck capital city of North Dakota, which I was hoping to be the springboard for a southerly ride into South Dakota, but there was a change of coach at Fargo and a whole change of plan. It was there I met Jeff as he gave me a hand to change buses as he was the new driver for the rest of the trip. We seemed to hit it off immediately we got underway, and having told him my plan he was quick to tell me there might be some difficulty with a connection. Arriving Bismarck close to midnight, the clerk at the bus depot confirmed that although there was transport to Pierre it would cost me a further $40 as it was a shuttle not covered by my open ticket. There was another snag also as he checked that ticket, the young lady who had issued it had not entered an expiration date on the ticket making it impossible to issue another. This is where Jeff stepped in both suggesting I miss Pierre and a long delay and making several telephone calls to sort out the ticket problem. He also said that if I stayed on the coach with him I could do the change in Billings, Montana but while this was a longer distance it would take less time. I had a good sleep before waking just before we crossed the border into Montana

and this was the first photograph of the day as we continued through the grain growing belt.

Then followed the vast national Grassland, by which time Jeff had doubled as driver and personal tour guide, alerting me to much of interest on the way.

Then we drove through the Montana Badlands

and some of the wildlife included this American Bison which despite the fence this a truly 'wild' animal.

Until recently he was the alpha male but has now been ousted by a younger beast.

Swainson's Hawk

Through the Roosevelt NP where we found this

Ringed Turtle-dove at our first daylight stop.

Also on offer where several small groups of White-tailed & Mule Deer plus Prong-horn Antelope but both of the latter escaped the camera.

We had now arrived in Custer County, Montana and passed this stand of trees which is the area where General Custer's army camped for the last time before reaching the Little Big Horn some 100 miles to the south.

All of this time Jeff and I had been discussing the prospects of some birdwatching and had called his wife as she goes birding regularly in the area. He then suggested I use Mile City as a staging post and catch the ongoing coach to Billings this evening which in turn would meet up for the connection into South Dakota. Not only this. but once Jeff had handed over to his relief driver, he took me to

This Nature Reserve, collecting me 5 hours later.

The first thing I noticed were the number of Grasshoppers, Coneheads, Crickets etc, in what could be described as 'plague proportions'.

and I would say if this sort of thing continues there will be a lot more in the none to distant future.

Western Meadowlark

thought to be Nashville Warbler

House Wren

Red-breasted Nuthatch

What used to be my preference Myrtle (now Yellow-rumped) Warbler

Cedar Waxwings

juvenile Cedar Waxwing

young American Robin

adult American Robin

Dark-eyed Junco

The best shot I could achieve of a Brown Thrasher

After Doreen had driven back the 7 miles to pick me up, Jeff took me to the library to update this Blog. On the way he invited me to dinner with his family in their home, what a privileged! In the event the library doesn't open on a Monday so they allowed me to use their computer as well. At dinner we also had the pleasure of the company of Doreen's dad and mum who are 'rancher' further down state and in about an hour they plan to take me to the Bus Depot, ending a fantastic day.

Bon Apatite

From front left Doreen's father Roger, her mum Edith, Doreen, Jeff, Taylor, Rya and Kyle.

Additions, not already mentioned, to the trip list include:- Pheasant, Mourning Dove, Prairie Falcon* (3), Downy Woodpecker, Cliff Swallow, Northern Flicker (both Red-shafted and Guilded), White-crowned Sparrow, Blue Jay, Rufous-sided Towhee, Wilson's Warbler, Grey Catbird, Sage Thrasher*, Chipping Sparrow, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Ferruginous Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. * denote ''world lifer'.

Trip Ticks - 27 World Lifers - 3