SD scholars

We drove from Wyoming to South Dakota via Yellowstone Park. What an adventure! We had close up and personal encounters with buffalo, elk, and a momma Grizzly Bear and her two cubs. A visit to Cody, Wyoming and the Buffalo Bill Museum capped off an awesome day that reminded us how wonderful all our national parks are and that we have the privilege in this country to tour them freely.....

Next stop was the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is an enormous undertaking (all private, no government support spanning more than a half century) to create a vast monument to North America's Indians. The girls are standing beside one of the small models for the giant monument. Twenty miles down the road we toured Mount Rushmore and stood there for a long moment totally in awe of the likenesses of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. We think we should add more facts about all of these great presidents in Treasure Hunt III.

At the end of the day we met with two South Dakota scholars. The first one was Nadine Taylor (and her mom, Sandra) who successfully completed her academic work last year with a 4.0 gpa. She received a ThanksUSA scholarship this year, as well. Second, was a hometown friend of Nadine's named Autmn Stocking. Her dad is an active duty Air Force officer. She is studying to be a special education teacher. What two delightful young ladies who are already making a big difference in their own communities and beyond.

Cowboy Country

Our western swing from Utah to Wyoming signals our initial turn back towards home. Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a taste of the old, wild west. The wagon trains crossed the Plains over Teton Pass into Jackson Hole. We rode in a covered wagon, witnessed a good 'ol frontier gun battle right on main street in Jackson Hole, all followed by a hearty chuck wagon dinner. Our covered wagon taking us to dinner came under attack from Indians on horseback though we all survived. In the center of Jackson's town center is the antler arch and the veterans' war memorial.

We all are looking forward to seeing Mount Rushmore up close and personal.

Utah's Awesome Beauty

The drive from Las Vegas to the majesty of Utah's Zion and Bryce National Parks dropped our temperature by 40 degrees. Just the day before we were incredulous about how Las Vegas emerged from the Nevada desert decades ago, but we were even more amazed by the natural rock formations in Utah's national parks. We slept, hiked and ate among the buffalo, deer, antelope, hawks and rock formations, which have stood as sentries....for many centuries.

A visit further north in Utah to Park City with GE's Tom Cooper and his lovely wife Helen included a hike around Mirror Lake, an out of this world hamburger and shake at Dick's in Camus, and a visit to the trout filled streams below the dam. Then a brief hello to early on ThanksUSA supporter, Sen Orrin Hatch, the senior Senator from Utah. The Coopers prepared a lovely dinner with friends and neighbors and we had a chance to spread the ThanksUSA mission to others who want to help thank the troops.

Next stop, a taste of the wild west in Jackson Hole, Wyoming....

USO Goes Mobile

Finally had a chance to download the photos of the impressive Mobile USO Center we visited in Las Vegas, Nevada. This mobile center, with its enthusiastic director, Pam Fairbanks, takes the services of the USO directly to the troops and their families in the western states.

Thanks for letting us take a tour and for the bumper sticker which we proudly display on our car.

When we stop in Chicago next week, senior executive Lynly Boor of USO's worldwide office in Washington, DC, has arranged for us to visit the Chicago USO Center. We are excited to share the ThanksUSA story in the great state of Illinois.

Sedona Magic

August 13th: We left Truth or Consequences via a lovely blue highway that took us by several sites not seen from the interstate:

The Very Large Array (VLA) -- one of the world's premier radio observatories. As the girls observed, it looks like a scene from Star Wars to see these Very Large satellite dishes popping out of the landscape.

Pie Town -- A very small town, but great pie and hospitality greets all travelers. They encourage you to write in their log, which has been kept for 20 years.

Route 66 -- You travel along a small portion of the classic highway, including passing by a site the girls recognized from the movie, "Cars" -- the wigwam motel.

Then it was the scenic drive down Oak Creek Canyon that opens up to the magical red rocks of Sedona.

We hiked on two beautiful trails just moments from Grandma's condo in Sedona. Another highlight was going to Slide Rock, in Oak Creek Canyon, where you go down natural "slides" in the creek. There are also fun places to cliff jump into the refreshing creek.

Then it was time to pack our bags again and head toward Las Vegas. We stopped to marvel at the Hoover Dam, but not for long as the temperature was 111 degrees!