07/04/22

Happy 4th of July everyone! Took the dogs with us today. We went to the Badlands along 40 miles of gravel roads. Saw hundreds of prairie dogs. No buffalo today. Stopped at a prairie sod house from 1909 that Mr & Mrs Brown homesteaded. One of the few original in existence today. What humble beginnings. Cost $80.00 for 160 acres after living there 5 years and cultivating 5 acres. Turns out that in this area 160 acres can only support grazing for 8 cows. Can’t imagine the struggles. When you drive through the Badlands the landscape looks like another world. Stopped at the visitor’s center for lunch. Lingered for a bit to enjoy the sunshine. Just a nice leisurely ride. Went back to Mt. Rushmore for the night time closing. Was busy but not overly crowded as we had expected. The ceremony was not (to us) as awe inspiring as it used to be. Wish they sang our national anthem the way it was meant to be sung. No enhancements please. It was nice to see our veterans brought on stage. All of you who know me know how I feel about the military. i. e. the Army brat I am.