My son, Jackson took a job in North Dakota in the oil fields...he got the call on Tues of last week to go and by Friday of last week, we were driving him to North Dakota. We went up through Idaho then on to Montana...The next three pictures are of Big Sky Montana...Appropriately named because the sky is enormous....
Driving through Montana, the evidence of huge wild fires were everywhere...
You could see all this fallen timber everywhere...however, I did not take any pictures of the fallen trees.
Most of the roads on this journey were two lane highways with frequent traffic stops due to road construction...This picture is one of those times...
After getting to North Dakota and dropping our boy off, we headed south to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota...you can't go clear out to the Dakotas and not stop off to see this national landmark...
Our GPS told us we should be there approximately 3:00 pm, but due to a stop at an antique store and road construction stops, we got there between 6:30 and 7:00 pm...It was nightfall and for the 45 minutes we spent there it went dark quickly...My first reaction to Mount Rushmore was "it looks fake." When you see this monument in the movies such as North by Northwest or National Treasure, it appears so massive...It was much smaller in real life, but overall, I loved being able to see this and cross it off my bucket list...
We drove from South Dakota to Wyoming and ran into Independence Rock, a historical landmark for all pioneer trails that went through this area...The Mormon Migration, the Donner Party, The California Trail, The Oregon Trail...If the pioneers did not reach this rock by early July, they would be in serious trouble due to early winter weather...
Independence Rock...Curtis and I walked around this landmark. There were names carved into the massive rock -- from the pioneers, cavalry and other groups from the mid 1800's.
A couple miles down the road from Independence Rock was Devil's Gate...A historical landmark...the trail was to the side of Devil's Gate.
Right by Devil's Gate is a Mormon Visitor Center at Martin's Cove. Members of our church do "Trek" where they wear pioneer clothing and pull handcarts. This picture is an example of the handcarts that were used by really poor immigrants who could not afford ox and wagon to make the journey...
This photo represents what one person would be allowed to take on the handcart...they were limited to 17 pounds total per person...If I had to make a journey this way, I would definitely have to leave behind my beloved fabric scraps....
The area of Martin's Cove where the pioneers crossed was bought by a gentleman with the last name of Sun. He had a ranch there. His wife had a large rock collection from which this fireplace was made...It was fascinating to see this in person...a very beautiful and interesting piece. The mantle was made up of Indian grinding stones...
A close up of some of the rocks...
Another close up of the rocks...
Driving back into Northern Utah...This is Bear Lake, a very welcome sight after being in a car for 3 days...Fun Trip with many historical memories...
and the picture below is of one of the meals we ate. 
