MT. RUSHMORE, Gillette, & YETI

This morning we were up bright and early: 4:30 AM, and on our way to Mt. Rushmore National Park~South Dakota.

Trying something new; BITTER. We downed one of these before drinking our coffees.

Even though the Park is open 24-hours/7/365, and you can drive through the Park at any time - it is not open for business. But we did find out that in order to actually see the Park attractions, you must leave your vehicle in the parking lot and take a shuttle tour … also, pets are not allowed in the Park :-(

So, we didn't hang around; we were not prepared to leave the pickup, or Bleu, in the parking lot while being ferried around by a yapping tour guide and hundreds of yapping tourists: we wanted to be able to enjoy the Park at our leisure - quietly and peacefully.

As the sky lightened, we could also see that the outer edges of the Park were very touristy in layout - cheap looking, and cramped by restaurants, shops, and other ge-gaws. Also, the roadway is very, very steep: both ways.

Flamingo Pink Sunrise coming into the Mount Rushmore National Park 4:30 AM

Brilliant Orange & Yellow Sunrise in the Mount Rushmore National Park; very steep incline and decline!

Seen after crossing from South Dakota into Wyoming.

Where we set camp this morning … about 9:30 AM; Holland spotted the billboard from the highway and called for a site. We paid for 3 days - long enough to see the sights in the surrounding area ;-)

Entrance to the RV Park - I LIKE!

We had been up early, and on the road non-stop; so after getting set up, we took a short nap until a little after noon. When we woke, Holland suggested we see if we could find a restaurant that would deliver our Supper - we didn't have any luck with that … but we did find a Chinese restaurant a block up the road, so we drove that way and ordered a nice meal to bring home and enjoy ;-)

Passing through a place Holland frequented in his Past - and talks about a lot.

We let someone else do the cooking tonight … this restaurant is a first for Holland, in Gillette-WY; the restaurant and the town are definitely a first for me here :-)

Entrance; a little worn - but clean, and inviting.

Dining area; we didn't sit in here because we were there for takeout, pick-up.

Foyer seating is more comfortable than it looks.

The Mt. Rushmore National Park roadway was VERY steep - coming, and going.

Supper was shoved under my feet up front in the pickup; to keep Bleu out of it, on the way home. Maybe later, we will get to try foods from the Sherpa Indian Restaurant, Gillette-WY. Authentic Indian and Nepalese food.

I joke about the Abominable Snowman/Yeti; but some cultures (specifically the Tibetan culture) believe Yeti to be a real creature.

Sherpa People: The Sherpa are one of the ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Himalayas. The term sherpa or sherwa derives from the Sherpa-language words ཤར shar and པ pa, which refer to their geographical origin in eastern Tibet.

A yeti is a mythical creature that's said to live in the Himalayan mountains. Another name for a yeti is "abominable snowman." While most people consider the yeti to be a legend, there are those who believe it's a real human-like creature that lives in Nepal and Tibet.

While we ate - Holland and I talked.

Supper. YUMMY!

We are going to visit some sights around the area over the next few days ... and I'm going to try to talk Holland into revisiting Mt. Rushmore again; I could sit in the parking lot with Bleu and play around online with my Tablet, while he takes the shuttle tour to view the Presidential Monument. This would be a new experience for both of us: but I don't like heights - or fast motion, and they don't bother Holland.

Mt. Rushmore President Heads: https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/historyculture/why-these-four-presidents.htm

We are also going to seek Elohim on walking in the steps He has planned for our Life together. We know we are called to ministry, and we know what type of ministry - we just don't know how to dove-tail that with life on the road, full-time.

And He is refining us by using each of us to rub each other's rough edge's smooth (not always an enjoyable process!)

But Elohim knows where He wants us to be; and He has everything under control.

We remind ourselves of that frequently, when the world crowds in on us, and tensions run high between us.

But life is good - and we are glad we found each other; and confirmed to each other what Elohim revealed to each of us separately years ago :-)