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ROCKY MOUNTAINS  In 1993 we flew to Denver, Colorado. We rented a car and drove through the Rocky Mountains. We passed through South-Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. Did see some famous landmarks like Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone and Bryce Canyon. But also the less known places like Custer State Park, Bighorn Mountains and the Airforce Academy.   In Colorado you will find the Rocky Mountain National Park. There is a great road through the park, but there are also many possibilities to hike. In the park live many animals. 
The entire state of Colorado is mountains. Pikes Peak is a high mountain on which you can reach the top by car. Pikes Peak is 14110 ft (= 4301 m). The road starts near Colorado Springs at about 4500 ft (1500 m) and in 19 miles (= 28 km) one climbs about 9500ft (3000 m). The road is a so called 'dirtroad', no asphalt. 
The road is maintained well and constantly flattened with huge machines.  Also close to Colorado Springs is the Airforce Academy. That is where the officers of the Airforce are trained. 
One can have a look at the premisses (in 1993 we could), it is nice to do so. Donīt forget to see the church, a modern and colorful building. 
 In Colorado you can easily go back in time. Take a steamtrain from Durango to Silverton and it looks like time stood still for 100 years. The train winds through mountains along streams and passes old mines, over narrow bridges and along ravines. And when you choose to ride in the open wagon donīt be surprised when you are all black from the coal!   You can also discover old goldmines here. In the Mollie Kathleen goldmine a lift takes you 1000ft under ground. And for a souvenir of the tour one gets a piece of goldore. It looks like a piece of rock, but if you melt it (how?) there is a little bit of real gold in it. 
 Mesa Verde is an old Anasazi settling. The houses are built into the rocks. They date back to about 1400. They had 'skyscrapers' then, or better they built their houses with several levels. 
In Cortez, Colorado the Tallbird family did a show at the village square at 19:00. It was nice and lovely to look at. SOUTH DAKOTA  In the south west of South Dakota there are many tourist attractions. You can find here the monument of the USA: Mt Rushmore. In de rock they carved the heads of presidents: Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  But it are not only presidents , a bit further they are cutting a statue of the indianleader Crazy Horse out of a rock. Work here began in 1947 by Korczak Ziolkowski. A lack of money was the reason it was not progressing very fast. The artist has passed away but his family carried on the work. The foundation Crazy Horse is going to built an indian education center next to the statue. Today you can enjoy an exhibition on the life of Crazy Horse and his times. Crazy Horse is born in 1842 in South Dakota. At a peace conference in fort Robinson in 1877 he was stabbed in his back by a soldier and died. The statue is not an exact copy of the man but a scene from a story. Crazy Horse answers at a question about where his land is by a white man: "My land is where my deaths are burried."  The Black Hills is a lovely hilly area, some people will recognise it from the Lucky Luke comics.  In the Black Hills you will also find Custer State Park.
In this park they shot the film Dances with Wolves. You could imagine to be back
in time there. The wild west is coming to life as bisons roam the green grassy
meadows At the southwest entrance of the park you will find the windcave. A cave with very strange formed limestone. Because of the wind in the cave the limestone forms are different from other caves, no stalagtites and stalagmites but more like crystals.  In this corner of South Dakota is also much wildwest history. In Deadwood you will find the graves of : Wild Bill Hickcock, Doc Holiday en Calamity Jane. Visit part 2 of the travelstory. |