Relaxation, Rest, and Rushmore

Today was a quiet day - little driving and lots of talking.

Across the street from our hotel is the Flintstones' Bedrock Campground. The buildings look like they are from the cartoon and there is a little park full of Flintstone things to play on. We went to the Bedrock City gift shop and looked around and then to the Snack Shop for.....you guessed it...Diet Coke. While at the Snack Shop, we talked with the people running it. They are RVers and have been for the past 12 years. They travel around to different RV parks and work at some of them. They are working the snack shop this year for the season (May-second week in September). Then, they will be off again. They wintered last year in Texas, but don't know where they are going to be this year. It was very interesting to talk with them.

We then went and walked through downtown Custer. We went in several little shops and talked to many interesting people. There is a great used bookstore in Custer called Second Hand Roost. We all agreed we could have stayed there for a long time.

We went to a a Rustic Pine Store. The woman running the store told us that her husband makes everything they are selling. We talked about the beauty of the pieces and how they create them.

We ate lunch at the Purple Pie Place. We each had the Purple Pie Special: sandwich, side, and piece of pie. We decided that is what Dad would have ordered if he were here with us. We talked with the owner. His home is in San Clemente, CA. He brought this place last year and they are living up here during the season, running the pie shop, and then in San Clemente during the winter. He said they brought the place with the furniture, recipes, and all and this winter he is going to create an online site and sell the recipes there.

After lunch, we decided we were tired. (Probably from all that talking.) Also, Elizabeth is fighting a cold. We went back to the hotel and all took naps. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

About three o'clock we drove up to Mt. Rushmore. We enjoyed walking through the museum and around the grounds, but our favorite thing was the evening lighting ceremony. It is unbelievable to see those faces on the mountain. Even though she has seen it before, Lorie is still in awe that those faces could be carved out of stone. It is awe inspiring and it does make you think about our country.

To complete our day of talking to people, we talked to a woman in the bookstore who is there for the summer. She and her husband spent their first six years after retirement traveling around the United States, looking for the perfect place to live. They found the perfect place in Colorado, but could not afford it, so they ended up in Prescott, Arizona. However, it is too hot in the summertime, so they go other places in the summer. This year, they are at Mount Rushmore working for the season.

The last people we met this evening were an older couple from England. They are here for a square dance convention in Kentucky. I didn't even know that people in England square danced. They said they love it and have been involved since 2002. They are now on an extended tour of the United States and will end up in Las Vegas before going home.

We ended our day, sitting out behind the hotel by the waterfall watching the fire pit. It was beautiful and calm. It is amazing to see the stars in the sky. We could see the Big Dipper just like it was a picture.

Now, it is Thursday and we are getting ready to leave the hotel. Elizabeth said, "It is hard to find a hotel you like so much and then have to leave it."