My Wordless Sunday in Iowa

South Dakota - Minnesota - Iowa

The landscape changed drastically from mountains to farmland - pretty and green grass was greeting us on the side of the road

The farmers did already some of their hard work in the fields

For me it was something new to see these styles of farm houses and red barns with their big, round silos - so very different than I have seen in my homeland

Crossing over the Big Sioux River - and it was NOT the Missouri :)
(people mix up sometimes some river names, right?

More pretty farm scenes, seen out from my window

We had to cross the border to Minnesota - to get to Iowa

Minnesota ( /mɪnɨˈsoʊtə/)

is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state on May 11, 1858. Known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the state's name comes from a Dakota word for "sky-tinted water". Those waters, together with forests, parks, and wilderness areas, offer residents and tourists a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.

Nearly sixty percent of Minnesota's residents live in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities, the center of transportation, business, and industry, and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; eastern deciduous forests, also heavily farmed and settled; and the less populated North Woods. The large majority of residents are of Nordic or German descent, but ethnic diversity has increased in recent decades. Substantial influxes of African, Asian, and Latin American immigrants have joined the descendants of European immigrants and of the original Native American inhabitants.

The state is known for its moderate to progressive politics and social policies, civic involvement, and high voter turnout. Minnesota ranks among the healthiest states and has a well-educated and literate population.

After just some miles Iowa welcomes you

Iowa ( /ˈaɪəwə/ (help·info))
is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New France. After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers laid the foundation for an agriculture-based economy in the heart of the Corn Belt. Iowa is often known as the "Food Capital of the World,” but Iowa’s economy, culture, and landscape are diverse. In the mid and late 20th century, Iowa’s agricultural economy transitioned to a diversified economy of advanced manufacturing, processing, financial services, biotechnology, and green energy production. Iowa is one of the safest states in which to live and its population is among the most literate and best-educated. Recent immigration from other states and countries has increased Iowa's population and diversity. Des Moines is Iowa's capital and largest city.

We arrived on our goal, in Orange City Iowa - a pretty, clean and very neat town - it feels to be here almost like to be in "Pleasant Ville". And you really can not miss the Dutch background of this little town, it is visible by every step you do - and you don't need to wear wooden shoes for that...LOL...:)

The real Dutch windmill is the seat of the Chamber of Commerce and of the yearly Tulip Festival Organization - who knows the song: "Tulips of Amsterdam" :)

Orange City
is a city in and the county seat of Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,582 at the 2000 census. Named after William of Orange, it is best known for its Dutch background, which it celebrates by having an annual Tulip Festival for 3 days of every May and facing many of the city's buildings with Dutch architectural fronts. Orange City is home of the headquarters of Diamond Vogel Paints.

Hi my friends,

We'll stay for some days here in this pretty town with so much Dutch traditions and culture - we are visiting family members - and yes, they are Dutch too, and my Hubby is it too...LOL...it's nice to see them all again and to discover with them the town and surroundings and the good food.

Our next goal is to find some Amish Colonies, they are here in Iowa also to find... I will post about for sure :)

Thanks for all your wonderful comments, I appreciate your visits to my blog!
Susanne and David

A lot to see on the way from Wyoming to South Dakota

Sundance - Kid sculpture in Sundance, Wyoming

Harry A. Longabaugh
made a huge mistake: he got caught stealing a horse in Sundance, Wyoming and was thrown in jail. He might have lost his innocence, but he gained a name and a place in history. He became known as 'The Sundance Kid'.

We have seen the "Devil's Tower" in the Black Hills of Wyoming

Devils Tower
(Lakota: Mato Tipila, which means “Bear Tower”)
is a monolithic igneous intrusion or volcanic neck located in the Black Hills near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River. It rises dramatically 1,267 feet (386 m) above the surrounding terrain and the summit is 5,112 feet (1,558 m) above sea level.

Devils Tower was the first declared United States National Monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. The Monument's boundary encloses an area of 1,347 acres (5.45 km2).

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore National Memorial,
near Keystone, South Dakota, is a monumental granite sculpture by Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941), located within the United States Presidential Memorial that represents the first 150 years of the history of the United States of America with 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents (left to right): George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km²) and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level. It is managed by the National Park Service, a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior. The memorial attracts approximately two million people annually.

It's laundry day today - don't disturb me :)
We had a special encounter with Grizzly bears!

Bear Country USA
is home to 20 species of North American mammals which live in large natural exhibits. While captive born, every effort is made to imitate a wild environment for our animal residents. Larger species roam freely throughout 250 acres of the drive-trough park. Smaller animals, as well as those younger than one year, are exhibited in the Babyland area. Visitors can observe these animals while strolling on foot.

I love you sooooooo much, my little brother :)
After seeing the big bears, we had the fun to observe the kindergarten - also called "Babyland" - of the park
(click in the photo to see them (all) bigger)

Black bear cubs
are usually born in January. The 11 cubs at Bear Country are all 3 to 4 months old and weigh about 8 pounds. Cubs usually weigh about 12 ounces when they are born. Most full-grown sows weigh about 200 pounds. Boars usually weigh closer to 400 pounds, but Stoffel said the record weight for a boar black bear is 900 pounds.
The cubs do not seem bothered by the whole process and adapt quickly to life without their mothers.

And today we are arrived in Mitchell, SD and have visited the only one and main attraction in this town: The Corn Palace


The needle of the corn compass points to Mitchell, a prairie town that is corn crazy and proud of it. Mitchell's high school sports teams are the Kernels. Its local radio station's call letters are KORN. And it's home to the "agricultural showplace of the world," the Mitchell Corn Palace.

The Palace, with its mad mix of onion domes and minarets, looks like it was drop-kicked out of czarist Russia. It was originally built to show off the fertility of South Dakota soil - and it's remained on the job, standing in downtown Mitchell for over 75 years. A rival "grain palace" in Plankinton, 22 miles to the west, succumbed to the rigors of prairie weather decades ago. The Corn Palace, shrine to a superior foodstuff, has survived.

Hi my friends,

the last two days I had no connections, we were close to the "Bad Lands" in South Dakota - by this "bad" name it's no wonder that AT&T didn't let me connect to the net....LOL..
I wanted to show you much more pictures, but I have decided to reduce my post to this 6 photos, as a summary of the main attractions and places we have visited . Click in the links and you can read and learn more about all those great places.

I hope you'll enjoy! Stay tuned....
Susanne and David

Buffalo Bill and the wild, wild West

On the way to Cody, WY we had to cross the Buffalo Bill Dam. Already there I have learned how strong the influence of this man was back then - and still it is today. His name is still good for all kind of commercials.

Buffalo Bill Dam
is a concrete arch-gravity dam^[1] on the Shoshone River in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The dam is named after the famous old West figure William "Buffalo Bill" Cody who founded the nearby town of Cody and who owned much of the land now covered by the reservoir formed by the dam, which also bears his name. The dam was part of the Shoshone Project, one of the first projects overseen by the Bureau of Reclamation. The dam was built from 1905 and 1910. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest dam in the world at 325 feet.^[2] The land around the reservoir is maintained as Buffalo Bill State Park. The dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was also named a National Civil Engineering Landmark.

The entrance to the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody.
Bill was indeed also a good looking man!

Buffalo Bill
One of the most colorful figures of the Old West became the best known spokesman for the New West. He was born William Frederick Cody in Iowa in 1846. At 22, in Kansas, he was rechristened "Buffalo Bill". He had been a trapper, a bull whacker, a Colorado "Fifty-Niner", Pony Express rider (1860), wagon master, stagecoach driver, Civil War soldier, and even hotel manager. He earned his nickname for his skill while supplying Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. He was about to embark on a career as one of the most illustrious prairie scouts of the Indian Wars.

The Buffalo Bill Museum
at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, presents an interesting and authentic look at the life and times of William F. Cody. It contains displays of his early scouting, family life and, of course, the famous Wild West Show.

In the garden is this pretty sculpture of the Indian women "Sacagawea", made by Harry Jackson

Sacagawea (also Sakakawea, Sacajawea; ([sɑ.kaː.ʒə.wiː.ə] see below) (c. 1788 – December 20, 1812; see below for other theories about her death) was a Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, in their exploration of the Western United States. She traveled thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean between 1804 and 1806. She was nicknamed Janey by Clark.

Reliable historical information about Sacagawea is extremely limited, but she has become an important part of the Lewis and Clark mythology in the American public imagination. The National American Woman Suffrage Association of the early twentieth century adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence, erecting several statues and plaques in her memory, and doing much to spread the story of her accomplishments.

Another beautiful bronze sculpture is called " The Unknown"

For the most I was fascinated from this excellent painting
about life of the Natives in America - it's a wonderful piece of art!

Hi my friends,

thank you so much for your wonderful comments to my "Wordless Sunday" post. Your compliments are very touching to me.

Finally I can show you the promised photos from the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody,WY. I hope you'll enjoy like I did and if you have the chance, go there and see it yourself!

Stay tuned with me for my coming posts - see you soon!
Susanne and David

My Wordless Sunday in Wyoming

I met Will Farrell - a successful professional Rodeo Rider

I met this morning per chance this nice guy in Thermopolis,WY. His name is Will Farrell and he is a well known, successful Bull Rider in Rodeos all over the U.S. and soon he will be riding also in some European countries. We had a nice chat together about his interesting and sometimes also pretty dangerous job.

Thank you Will for the opportunity to talk with you and to shoot some photos with you - it was very nice experience for me to meet you!
Finally I got a REAL Rodeo Rider in front of my camera :)

Successful riders have great sponsors!

To the end of our talking he gave me his autograph on a photograph that shows him in action in different rodeos. Thanks again for that, Will!

Bull riding
is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted for at least 8 seconds while the animal attempts to buck off the rider. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope. It is a risky sport and has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports.


Thermopolis native Will Farrell
had reached the 8-second buzzer on two of three bulls entering the short go, but the Chadron (Neb.) State College freshman still needed a qualified ride to have any hope of winning the title.

Farrell drew a good one: Harry Vold's Copenhagen 7. The animal busted from the chute, covered little ground and descended into a tight, thunderous spin. The fans rose to their feet, cheering louder with each turn of the bull.

About two-thirds of the way into the ride, trouble ensued. Copenhagen 7 jerked the rope from Farrell's hand, but the cowboy managed to catch the tail of the slack and frantically hold on. He spent the remaining 2 seconds dangling from the side of the bull before being tossed.

"It was a lot of try and perseverance just to get to the whistle," Farrell said this week. "... It was just a really exciting time in my life because it was a hometown deal and I went into it expecting to win it, and I did win it. Most things in life don't happen that way."

Farrell's national championship solidified Casper's adoption of the CNFR. Nine years later, Farrell still experiences chills while talking about the audience's reaction.

"I don't hear them when I'm riding but I remember how loud they were afterwards, and when I took my victory lap around the arena," he said. "That's just a memory that's stamped in forever. I don't think if I got Alzheimer's that I'd ever forget that."

Farrell won again in 2001 but the moment almost seemed anti-climatic. He entered the short go first in the overall standings after having ridden all three of his bulls. When the first 11 contestants failed to reach 8 seconds in the short go, Farrell was crowned champion even before nodding his head. He got bucked off in the finale.
http://WWW.WILLFARRELL.COM

Hi my friends,

That was quiet a great experience and an excitment for me this morning, to meet this nice guy. Even he is a famous guy, he was talking so nicely and friendly to us - it's not that "normal" anymore if it comes to talk with celebrities! :)

We are heading tomorrow towards Casper in Wyoming and later on to Buffalo,WY.
Stay tuned with me - and I'll show you later in the next days the promised pictures from the Buffalo-Bill-Museum in Cody.... don't worry...LOL... :)

Have a nice long weekend, y'all!
Susanne and David

Fascination Yellowstone NP

We left yesterday morning Jacksonhole and the Grand Tetons NP to see the famous Yellowstone NP. This photo is the last view back to those magnificent mountain chain of the Grand Tetons, captured by the Jackson Lake Dam.

After hours of driving, finally we entered Yellowstone National Park - it was still deepest winter and very COLD - winter wonderland in May?

Yellowstone NP
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

After a long drive over steep hills up and down - finally we arrived here, where people from all over the world are heading to: to see the "Old Faithful" Geyser in Yellowstone. Unfortunately, the Geyser was just finished spitting up the hot steam in the air. The next "show" will happen in 80 or 90 minutes, told us a Ranger. But we were late in time and didn't wanted wait that long. I took some photos around that place - and then we left towards the East Entrance of the park, another 4 hours drive in front of us.

Old Faithful, how he looks in real action
(it's NOT my photo!)
is a cone geyser located in Wyoming, in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Old Faithful was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name. The geyser, as well as the nearby Old Faithful Inn, is part of the Old Faithful Historic District.
Photo source

Beside the Old Faithful were also some other smaller Geysers steaming, it was a very impressive sight!

It looks like a big open outdoor kitchen :)

Another steaming geyser

We left the Geyser spot and were driving by on many fantastic landscapes like this here: the still frozen and covered with ice Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake

is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park, The lake is 7,732 feet (2,376 m) above sea level and covers 136 square miles (352 km²) with 110 miles (177 km) of shoreline. While the average depth of the lake is 139 feet (42 m) its deepest spot is at least 390 feet (118 m). Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet (2,133 m) in North America.

In winter, ice nearly 3 feet (1 m) thick covers much of the lake, except where shallow water covers hot springs. The lake freezes over by early December and can remain frozen until late May or early June.

Pretty scenes at the Lake

Cold looking landscape

There were many of these steam holes all around the Lake, very spooky looking and as a result of a swarm of recent earthquakes, do they are bringing up the idea of an outbreak of the Super-Volcano again?

Another steam hole - and a majestic view on the horizon

Steam holes and icy water - a spectacular view!

In one of my last posts I've wrote that I have seen a Bison - in Yellowstone Park suddenly came a herd of ten to cross the road. For a second I thought, they come towards me, because look at the first one: the leader, he saw ME and I felt like I had to run back to the RV...LOL... but this time, I've clicked my camera and then: I started to run :)

Later, we saw a group standing in the forest beside the road

After leaving the East entrance, there were a group sitting peaceful in the grass and enjoying the warm sunshine of the valley

And this was a special one! He was walking alone by himself on the side of the road. As he heard my camera clicking several times, he stopped, turned his head and looked back. I'm not sure if that was a friendly look...LOL.... :)

Bison
Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the lower 48 states to have a continuously free-ranging bison population since prehistoric times. Because of their sheer physical size, their numbes increase each year in Yellowstone Park. There are over 4,000 bison residing in Yellowstone and are the #1 cause of summer jams in the park. Traffic can be at a standstill for hours but still we love them. Bison mate in July and August and the mature bulls begin their head butting during this mating period. Bison can exceed over 2,000 lbs and cause more human injuries than any other wildlife combined in Yellowstone Park. Given their docile nature (except when in rut) visitors loose precaution when approaching bison and that's when they become gore victims. Bison can exceed speeds of 30 mph - how fast can the average Yellowstone tourist run. The smart money would be on the Bison. Bison calves are born in late April and May and again, due to the sheer size of their parents. rarely do the calves become victims of predation. Like elk, bison are everywhere throughout Yellowstone so there is no need to stop your vehicle in the middle of the road the take a quick digital snapshot unless the bison are in the road then please slowly give them the right of way.

Hi my friends,

Yellowstone is pretty and very fascinating - and scary too! I'm scared about those proved messages from scientists who say, that the earthquakes are rising (in swarms!) recently and the possibility of an eruption of the Super-Volcano becomes more and more reality for the near future. Read please the link in my post 6 photos above.

Today we have visited The "Buffalo Bill" Museum in Cody, it was very interesting! I'll show you some photos about that maybe tomorrow - so stay tuned. We will be heading toward South Dakota to see the presidents heads carved in stone. Do you know where that place is...? :)

Thanks for all your wonderful comments, my loyal friends :)
Susanne and David

From Utah to Wyoming

We missed the church of the Mormons in Salt Lake City because of to much traffic on this Monday morning. We decided to take I-189 and going towards Yellowstone NP and to see the Grand Tetons.

On the way to Jackson WY we have seen a lot of wildlife beside the road

Sheep, sheep, sheep... as far you can see

And this little cute fellow too - yes, it's a prairie dog :)

A sheep herder on his horse and a dog was rounding up his hundreds of sheep

Pretty pastel landscape
(btw, all the photos are click able to see it bigger)

Beautiful colors and sand banks at the Spanish River, WY

We have seen hundreds of white pelicans (!) sitting on the sand banks of the Green River

The sign to the history of the Spanish River or Rio Verde or Green River

And then we got this spectacular view to the snow covered Rocky's

Big cow ranches on our way - but I still have not seen a real cowboy :)

Coming closer to Jackson....but still many miles away

Still miles to go... America is BIG!!! :)

And here they are: The majestic Grand Tetons mountains in the Grand Tetons NP

Today Tuesday we were touring around in the NP, shooting pictures and looking out for wildlife like: Bears, Elks, Mountain Lions...the only one wild animal we have seen was ONE Buffalo - and he was VERY impressive and VERY big :)
and I forgot to click my camera...LOL... :)

Hi my friends,

thank you so much for all the nice compliments to my last post! I'm happy that you liked that photo so much :)

Today we were touring around in the Grand Tetons NP and tomorrow we will visit Yellowstone and the Geysers of course - if the weather Gods are friendly with us. Today we had a short rain and for tomorrow they're talking about rain again.... well, we will see. Otherwise we will heading towards Cody and try to visit the Buffalo Bill Museum :)
I'm still looking for a REAL Cowboy...LOL... if you know one, please contact me :)

Stay tuned... see ya'...
Susanne and David