LDS Monument - Martins Cove, Wyoming

I have always wanted to make it to Martins' Cove. It has great religious significance to me. A great place to contemplate the trials and struggles of the early pioneers of the Mormon Church. Today the Mormon Handcart Visitors’ Center, near Martin’s Cove, is a reminder of not only the ill-fated handcart companies but also a tribute to the many pioneers who traveled with handcarts across the plains.









The Martin Handcart Company, however, was forced by a storm to stop in a small valley on the side of a mountain with very little shelter. After wading through deep snow up to this point, the pioneers stopped in a cove, formed by rock outcroppings. Trees provided protection and fuel. There they waited for help and supplies from Salt Lake City. In just five days, 56 of the 145 total who died in the crossing perished. But thanks to heroic rescue efforts of Church members sent by Brigham Young, the majority, 431 of the Martin handcart pioneers, survived the trip.








Visitor Center Home

Ellsworth AFB - Air Museum, South Dakota

A great desire of my husbands was to go to the Air Museum, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. I even found the visit to be really interesting. This Air Force Base is where the Titan Missle was managed. There are many old silos where the Titan Missles were located throughout North and South Dakota. Part of the defense of our country during the cold war with Russia.

Rapid City, SD - "Vintage Car" Graveyard

On an exploration trip around Rapid City I came upon this car graveyard. Great place to take vintage photos.



You've got to love this!

Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota

Fun Trip to Mt. Rushmore!




Roger and I ventured out to Mt. Rushmore. We made it just in time for the evening program.

Rapid City, South Dakota Trip

Roger attended a training meeting for Indian Health Services in Rapid City, South Dakota. I was invited to tag along, and I am so glad

The trip to Rapid City took three and a half hours, not bad at all. As you can see, I love pictures of Old buildings and caught a few on the drive to Rapid City.
We passed a lot of very small towns along the way.




I love downtown Rapid City. The community has maintained a beautiful downtown area, and it has been restored and vibrant. Some of my favorite shops in Rapid City were: Prairie Sage - Indian Traders Shop, Tandy Leather shop, Boutiques, and awesome restaurants.


Graffiti Alley - This Alley has been set aside for the budding tag artist of Rapid City. As you can see it is a very wide alley, that in the early stages of building the downtown Rapid City Area. It is where all the major electrical lines are placed between the buildings. It is an oversized alley way.

I located a beading shop and took a private class for two days learning to make Cabochons - A style of beading using a large stone in the center with seed beads all around. It is similar to Indian Beading

Here are some photos of my finished beading projects.

Medora, North Dakota - Theodore Roosevelts favorite place to visit.

Over the Memorial Weekend Break, Roger and I traveled West towards Medora, North Dakota for an overnight stay. Medora is a small tourist town celebrating Theodore Roosevelt and other explorers and settlers to the western part of North Dakota. The town of Medora was founded in April 1883 by a 24 year old French nobleman, the Marquis de Mores. He named the town for his bride, the former Medora von Hoffman, daughter of a wealthy New York City banker. The town fell into disrepair after a few decades then in 1962 and entrepreneur, Harold Schafer and his Gold Seal Company began a restoration and modernization of the old western town, developing many additonal attractions.



Medora Musical
While there we were entertained at the Medora Musical. This is a professionally produced musical that is dedicated to the legacy of our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt. It is held at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre. The setting reminds me a lot of the Tuacahn stage in Ivins, Utah. The performance was informational about the history of North Dakota, and also very entertaining.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park


The following day we traveled through the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park covers 110 Square miles. There is a 36 Mile scenic loop through the park. They call this area also "The Badlands". It reminds me a lot of Southern Utah. This area is what inspired Pres. Roosevelt to pass the 1906 Antiquities Act to preserve National Monuments throughout the United States. By the end of his presidency he had preserved 230,000,000 acres of public land.






We saw wild horses, Prairie dogs galore, and bison. We went on a hike to check out coal deposits that had caught on fire and burned for years through out the park. Most likely lightening struck a coal vein and once it started burning it did not stop until there was no longer a natural connection for the coal to continue burning. This burning caused the oxides in the surrounding dirt to turn red.

Burned Coal Veins

There are a lot of nice hotels amd motels to stay in while visiting Medora. There is also a few campgrounds for those who love camping. The small town of Medora has historical buildings, museums, shops, and we even witnessed a gun fight. I would recommend a trip to Medora, North Dakota.


On the drive back to Fort Yates, we viewed a huge brick church from the freeway. Due to the explorers that we have become, we exited the freeway in Richardton, ND. Here we found this large Catholic Church. I love architecture and this building was magnificent.