WalMart, Great Falls, MT

Why talk about WalMart? If you are driving a camper on a road trip, stay at WalMart.

We are driving a 1977 Chevy van with a mattress in the back. We had trouble starting the engine at the two stops we made that day. About 9:30 PM, about 30 miles from Great Falls the headlights suddenly went dim. The problem became apparent. The alternator was failing... at this point it had failed. We had 30 minutes of driving to get to Great Falls. Could we make it? Could we find the WalMart where we planned to stay, before the battery died?

We did. We arrived at WalMart and entered the store just before 10:30. The greeter was wonderful. She offered several suggestions as options for getting the van repaired. Figuring that it would be better to buy a battery we could keep rather than to pay for a tow, we headed to the automotive department. The battery was quickly installed, we had a good night's sleep and by 7:15 AM we were on our way to find a repair shop in Great Falls.

This recent trip was our first experience staying at WalMart. It worked out well. In addition to getting the things we needed to keep the old van running, we picked up fresh fruit for the day and, of course, some sweets for breakfast. My wife even found some blouses on sale that she wanted.

Planning on traveling around the U.S. in a 1977 van... or maybe a newer camper. Walmart is the place to stay. Not all Walmarts are able to allow overnight parking (it is illegal in some cities) so check ahead. There are a number of online resources available.

Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota

The Crazy Horse Memorial is located close to Mt. Rushmore. While Mt. Rushmore is the more popular attraction, the Crazy Horse Memorial is the more interesting to visit.

The Crazy Horse sculpture is still being worked on. Currently a crew of ten works on it daily and at times you can see them working. You might even be there on a day when blasting is scheduled. The face has been completed enough such that Crazy Horse can be clearly identified.

While Mt. Rushmore has a very sanitized and bland feel, the Crazy Horse Memorial has character and the excitement of a BIG dream that is slowly coming true. You can even take home a piece of the mountain - free. Actually we took five pieces - our bus driver said they were trying to get rid of the stuff.

Speaking of the bus, pay the extra $4.00 to take the bus ride closer to the base of the mountain. It gives you a spectacular view and the bus drivers are filled with information and trivia about the mountain, the Ziolkowski family and the history.

The Crazy Horse Memorial includes a large museum divided into several sections. The majority of the area is devoted to Native American history and artifacts. There is a small, but very interesting section that is a part of the sculpture's original home (his wife still lives in part of it). Another section shows the sculpture's studio. A separate building houses additional exhibits on the lower floor and you can purchase Indian crafts, handwork and materials direct from the artists and craft people on the upper floor.

In the center area of the buildings is a large plaza that provides an excellent view of the mountain.

The food appeared to be as expensive as Mt. Rushmore so we only had a couple of root beers and then made tuna sandwiches in our van.

One of the employees in the gift shop recommend that we watch the light show from our car in the upper parking lot. He said that the people watching it from the plaza would be taking flash pictures and causing a distraction. Plus the seats in the plaza are hard and a car would be more comfortable. I think he was right about the flash pictures. The people in the cars around us continually were taking flash pictures of the laser light show - although using a flash to take a picture of laser light projected on a mountain that was at least a half mile away makes no sense. I did try using my video camera. It didn't have a tripod so I set it on the roof of our van. The resulting video came out pretty good.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is located close to Mt. Rushmore so you can see both in one day.

Mt. Rushmore (Rapid City, South Dakota)

Mount Rushmore has been on our list of places to visit for a long time. The kids are grown and have moved out, so now was the time.

Take I-90 to Rapid City and get off at the I-190 south exit. It is well marked as the Mt. Rushmore exit. This takes you onto a nice four lane highway that in a short time dumps you onto the traffic jammed streets of Rapid City. But don't worry. Stay on Rt. 16 (watch for the left turn shortly after leaving the four lane) and you'll soon be out of the city and then Mt. Rushmore is only about 30 minutes away.

There is no entrance fee at Mt. Rushmore, but it does cost $11 to park your car.

Mt. Rushmore is impressive and beautiful. If you have 30 minutes, hike the short loop trail that starts on both the right and left side of the viewing terrace. It brings you closer to the base of Mt. Rushmore as well as bringing you to the artist's studio.

I suggest you visit the artist's studio and stay to hear the ranger talk that is given in the studio. You'll learn some interesting information about Mt. Rushmore, including learning about the most serious accident that took place during the sculpting. There were no fatalities, but it is a very interesting story. Plus you'll learn about the hidden hall of records.

The artist's studio also includes the 1/12 scale model used to create Mt. Rushmore (shown to the right). The model shows what the finished sculpture was supposed to look like.

You can see everything at Mt. Rushmore in about 2 to 3 hours, depending on how much time you like to spend in gift shops.

I do recommend staying away from the restaurant Mt. Rushmore. The food is pre-cooked, dried out and expensive. The ice cream in the snack shop is okay, but the lines can be long.

Visit the Mt. Rushmore web site for more information.

Glendive Dinosaur & Fossil Museum

If you are on the interstate in eastern Monanta, you should stop at the Glendive Dinosaur And Fossil Museum. It is a quality dinosaur museum that is worth taking a few hours (or more) to visit.

The Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil museum is a Bible-based museum. That doesn't mean it ignores science. What it means is that it shows that the scientific facts and the Bible are in agreement.

The first floor has a marvelous collection of reproductions of dinosaur fossils and skeletons. The museum is a working dinosaur fossil site and they dig real dinosaur fossils out of the Montana ground (and you can participate in a fossil dig), but to show complete, full-size dinosaur skeletons reproductions (casts made from actual skeletons) are used. So what you see are the facts, not somebody's guess at what a dinosaur might look like.

The second floor includes additional dinosaur skeletons, such as a stegosaurus. But it also includes evidence that shows people and dinosaurs did live together. Don't just brush it off. Go see for yourself. The actual evidence is compelling.

This dinosaur museum is very professional and the exhibits well presented. It is first class in its quality and presentation. It can easily take two hours to go through the complete museum, and several additional hours to watch the videos available in the theater.

The admission price is a very reasonable $9.00 per person, with discounts for seniors (over 60) and children. Parking is free.

The Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum is located at exit 215 on interstate 94 in Glendive, Montana. It is located right at the exit, so you can easily hop of the interstate and quickly be in the museum parking lot.

Second Baptist Church, South Hadley, MA

Sunday service at the Second Baptist Church in South Hadley was a unique pleasure this morning. Pastor Don was on vacation, and that was a disappointment. His messages are excellent. But this morning his son was filling in and doing an outstanding job.

What was unique was that the worship band was a bluegrass group. I love the old traditional bluegrass gospel songs and it was great to sing some of them this morning. Normally Second Baptist has a traditional early service (hymns and a choir) and a contemporary second service with a praise band.

If you are looking for a church in the South Hadley area, visit Second Baptist Church (on Route 202 near the Granby line).

Primo Pizza, Hadley, MA

Whenever I'm close to Hadley, Massachusetts I try to stop by Primo Pizza and get a tuna grinder with everything.

I love tuna grinders, or subs as they are called in the rest of the U.S. Sometimes I will get a meatball grinder sometimes I'll even get a vegetarian sub at Subway, but nothing tops the tuna grinder at Primo Pizza.

I'll also give them a top rating for consistency. I've been going to Primo Pizza for at least six years, and the quality has never changed. The grinders are always great.

What makes a great tuna grinder is the quality of the tuna. Some places make their tuna chunky, some add relish, and others mix in other ingredients. But whatever it is that Primo Pizza does, I hope they keep doing it. If you are on Route 9 in Hadley, stop in and try their hot tuna grinder.

Primo Pizzeria 103 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035-9519

East Longmeadow, MA - Fourth of July Parade

For a big July 4th parade, that is entertaining, and that has a friendly home-town feel, I love the East Longmeadow, MA July 4th parade. It starts at 10AM on July Fourth and although reports say from 20,000 to 60,000 watched this year's parade, there's always a spot to get a good view.

This year the gunshots from the Civil War reenactors announced the parade was coming. It included veterans from WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and others. It also included hardware and reenactors from several wars including WWII.

I'd give the outstanding band award to the Polish Marching Band (I'm not sure that's their official name) and their brilliant costumes (see photo). And the Shriners put on their usual crowd-pleasing display at the end of the parade.

There are stores near the mid-point of the parade, where you can buy water, soda and snacks. But usually it's a good idea to remember to bring water, because the day typically will be hot. Most of the parade goes through residential areas, so come early to get a good parking spot.

To enjoy a great Fourth Of July Parade, come to East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.