American Highlights

Mount Rushmore S. Dakota

American President’s in stone: These figures symbolize the birth and trials of the first 150 years of the United States. Individually they represent the ideals of the Nation.
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Signifies the struggle for Independence and the birth of the Republic.
THOMAS JEFFERSON: The idea of representative government.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT:  The 20th Century role of the United States in world affairs.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN:  The permanent union of the United States and equality for all citizens.

Rushmore Links
Rushmore

Crazy Horse
South Dakota

This 500ft high sculpture is the American Indians answer to Mount Rushmore.
Crazy Horse was born on Rapid Creek in the Black Hills of South Dakota about 1842.
Whilst at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, under a flag of truce, he was stabbed in the back by an American soldier and died Sept.6th 1877.
Crazy Horse's head is 87.5ft high, the horse's head is 219ft high, the pointing finger is 37.5ft long by 8ft in diameter, the feather which will be added later will be 44ft high.
Funded by donations & admission fee's. For more info or to join the Grass Roots Club

Crazy Horse

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The Mammoth Site

Hot Springs, South Dakota.
More than 26,000 years ago as many as 100 Colombian Mammoths were trapped and died in a spring fed pond near what is now Hot Springs.
It wasn't until 1974, during excavations for a housing project, that earth leveling equipment revealed the bones and tusks of these large animals.

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Deadwood S.D.

Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer discovered gold in the Black Hills in 1874. At first Deadwood was a city of tents and log cabins populated by prospectors and gunmen. By 1876 it had exploded into a gold rush boom town with characters like
Sheriff Seth Bullock
Colorado Charlie Utter
Poker Alice
Preacher Smith
Potato Creek Johnny
Wild Bill Hickok was the most famous character murdered here and is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, next to Calamity Jane. Rumour has it she liked the idea more than he would have.
It has now returned to it's gambling past to try and revive it's fortunes.

Deadwood

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Yellowstone National Park

The early history of Yellowstone indicates that pre-historic hunters probably hunted here 11,000 years ago. Other stone articles and campsite found in the park, as well as the mountains and valleys surrounding it, suggest that people have lived here for most of the 8,500 years since the last Ice Age.
The written history of Yellowstone dates back to a vague and superstitious warning in William Clark's journal nearly 200 years ago.

"There is frequently heard a loud noise like thunder, which makes the earth tremble. The Indians state that they seldom go there because their children cannot sleep-and conceive it possessed of spirits who were adverse that men should be near them"

John Coltor, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition from 1804 to 1806, spent a full winter probably during 1807-1808 trapping and traipsing through what is now the park, looking for native American customers.
Three years later he related his discoveries in St. Louis, but his stories of seeing "Demonic Firepots" and "Monstrous Blowholes" spewing 100ft into the air were mocked and called mad hallucinations.
Recounting tales of wonder became a Mountain Mans game. Jim Bridger was hired to guide a party of Government Mapmakers into the region, but the expedition was stalled by deep snow. The party had to settle for Bridger's campfire fables.
"A fellow can catch a fish in an icy river, pull it into a boiling pool, and cook it, without ever taking it off the hook"
Bridger's explanation of the origin of petrified forests.
"A medicine man cursed the whole region with instant death and turned the tree's to stone"
Nathaniel P. Longford, who was to become the first Park Superintendent, recalling Bridger's tales, set out in 1870, with a group of local leaders including the Surveyor General of Montana, to sort fable from fact. Camping where the Firehole and Gibbons Rivers join to form the Madison, this stunned and excited delegation plotted out the campaign that would save this magical place from private ownership and exploitation.
On March 1st 1872, Congress voted to set aside 2.2 million acres as

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Information

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Bodie

Situated at the rear of Yosemite National Park
north of Lee Vining on Highway 395 onto 270

The Ghost town of Bodie.
No hot dog stalls & no souvenir shops.
Only 5% of the buildings it contained during it's heyday remain. By 1879 Bodie boasted a population of 10.000 and was second to non for wickedness, badmen and the worst climate out of doors. With snow as much as 20ft deep, winds up to 100mph and temperatures down to 30 or 40deg. below freezing. Many of Bodie's newly arrived residents over the winter of 1878/79 died of exposure, disease or violence.
The miner's union Local 61 was one of the first organized unions in California.
One little girl whose family were taking her to the remote and infamous town wrote in her diary
"Goodbye God, I'm going to Bodie"

Bodie State Historic Park

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The Air-force Cadet Academy
    Between Denver & Colorado Springs

Situated 12mls north of Colorado Springs and set in 18.000 acres, the Airforce Academy is one of the most popular attractions in the area and has over a million visitors annually.
Every year, 4.500 cadets begin 4 years of rigorous training to become Air-force Officers.
The Cadet Chapel is the centre piece with 17 gleaming aluminium spires soaring 150 feet skyward.

US Space Camp

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Pike's Peak
Colorado springs

The first passenger train climbed Pike's Peak on June 30th 1891, it took 75 minutes to travel the 9 miles to the top, over 14.000 ft.Or you can travel by car the 19 miles and 156 bend "Pike's Peak Highway".

The annual "Pike's Peak Auto Hillclimb" is the second oldest car race in America, after the Indianapolis 500 and takes place on the 4th July. Their is also a marathon footrace in August and the New Years Eve climb and fireworks display.
Catherine Lee Bates wrote the words to "America the Beautiful" after seeing the view from the top in 1893.

Pikes Peak

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Durango & Silverton Railroad.

Colorado's most famous train has traveled the 45 miles between Durango and Silverton along the Animas River since 1881. The engines are 100% coal fired, steam operated locomotives built between 1923/1925. Many of the carriages were built in the 1880's, open gondola's are also used.

The trip takes three and a quarter hours each way, with a 2hr stop in Silverton, and travels through the remote wilderness area of the 2.000.000 acre San Juan National Forest.
If you want a few day's seclusion their is the Railcamp Car, a boxcar refurbished as a recreational vehicle and left on a siding in Cascade Canyon every Monday, and picked up and returned to Durango on a Friday.

Durango & Silverton Railways

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Montezuma’s Castle
Near Mcguireville on Interstate 17

Anasazi cliff dwellings.
Twenty miles Southwest of Sedona is Montezuma's Castle, a 20 room adobe dwelling built high in the cliff.

Slide Rock State Park
Between Flagstaff & Sedona on Alt.89
is a very popular recreation area during the summer months.

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Car Museum  in the Imperial Palace Hotel Las Vegas.

The car museum has over a 100 cars on show, including Hitler's Staff car, Al Capone's Limousine and over 20 Dusenburghs.

45 minutes
VHS PAL Format £8.50 + £1.50 P&P in England
  All four video's £35.00 inc. P&P in England

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Blackpool Ac.tion The unofficial  guide

28/10/2004