Day Seven Wrap Up

Drive drive drive. 396 miles. I fear I'm at the point where if I ever have to get in a car again, I will scream.

Until, of course, 8AM tomorrow morning.

So today we got an early start. The sun was hardly up. Went back to St. Joe's to say goodbye to the Memorial Brick. Then onto I-90 and east to Wall which got its name from being at the "wall" to the Badlands. After our homemade donuts and 5 cent coffee (which Mom said tasted like 5 cent coffee), we wandered around the fifty stores, or so it seems, until we finally located the Wounded Knee Museum.

It's very small but packs a wallop. I was quite moved by the stories and detail depicted therein.

It sealed the deal on my desire to drive to Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The drive is a story in itself (through the Badlands and Buffalo Grassland and with a stop to coo over the prairie dogs) but we finally arrived around 4:00 and walked up the hill to the mass grave site and monument. It is still an active cemetery. We were met at the top by a "docent" named Daniel Blue Bird who told us everything we had just learned at the Museum. I was so moved at the monument that I even donated to Daniel for a Dream Catcher he had made.

After a few quiet moments reflecting on the graves, back in the car for the two plus hours on to Rapid City and our Howard Johnson. We did see another herd of Pronghorn antelope but still no more bison.

Pizza picnic in our room and now it's time for some much-needed rest.