Wednesday July 16, 2025 Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial & Indigenous Dance

Custer State Park Bison

Custer State Park Burros

Custer State Park

Sylvan Lake in the Clouds

Sylvan Lake Lodge Exterior

Sylvan Lake Lodge Lobby

Custer City Storefronts

Crazy Horse Museum Paper Doll

Cray Horse Museum Apple Face Doll

Stephen Yellowhawk and his Two Sons

Breakfast each morning was served in a hexagon shaped room called the gazebo. The breakfast buffet was very extensive featuring coffee, juice, fresh fruit, pancakes, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs with cheese and green chilies, tortillas, salsa, bacon or sausage, pastries and muffins, cereal, bagels, toast and more.

The weather on this day was extremely different from any day we had experienced thus far. The temperature all day ranged between 49 and 55 degrees with a near constant drizzle and low clouds or fog. It was cold, dreary and a bit depressing.

After breakfast in the lodge, we headed out to Custer State Park and Wildlife Preserve in the Black Hills. The park was named after Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer who was an Army officer and Calvary commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. On June 25, 1876, Custer, while leading the Army’s 7th Calvary Regiment at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against a coalition of Western Native American tribes, was killed. Along with Custer, every soldier of the five companies he led was also killed. This event became known as “Custer’s Last Stand.”

We took an 18-mile driving tour around Wildlife Loop Road which is just a small portion of the park. The park covers more than 70,000 acres of local terrain ranging from rolling prairie grasslands to rugged mountains. The park is home to a herd of 1,500 bison, elk, coyotes, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, river otters, pronghorn, cougars and feral burros. We were able to see a cluster of the burros, some deer, elk and many bison.

We enjoyed lunch at a popular lodge in Custer State Park called the Sylvan Lake Lodge. The lodge dates back to 1891 when Theodore Reder built a dam to create the lake, and his wife Elizabeth, designed the original Sylvan Lake Lodge which opened in 1893. The lodge was a popular attraction but the original structure was destroyed by fire in 1935. The current lodge was built on the site in 1937 and is beautiful.

Lunch was served in a lovely restaurant added to the hotel in 1991. Kent, Sandy and I all enjoyed a fresh salad with crispy chicken. For dessert we had a variety of lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies and date bars.

After lunch, we headed to the site of the Crazy Horse Memorial where we were greeted with fog and low clouds that completely hid any signs of the memorial. Our tour guide suggested we not visit today, but wait for better weather tomorrow.
The memorial depicts the Native American Chief Crazy Horse. This enormous sculpture, when completed, will measure 641 feet long and 563 feet high. The head of Crazy Horse, which was completed in 1998, measures 87 feet high while the president’s heads on Mount Rushmore measure 60 feet in height. Crazy Horse’s outstretched arm, which they are working on now, measures 263 feet in length with an index finger of nearly 30 feet in length. It was begun in 1948 by Polish American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who worked on it until his death in 1982. His family continues the work today with only private funding and no tax dollars. Because of its size, it could take many more years to complete.

We visited the Crazy Horse Visitor Center and five Museums where we learned about the campus repository for Native American artifacts, arts and crafts, and the Native American Educational & Cultural Center. The visitor center is comprised of many buildings and features a wide variety of things as well as dance performances, visiting artists and events.

After a pot roast dinner in the lodge, we were joined by a local expert who shared with us stories and dances that are representative of the local Indigenous peoples. Stephen Yellowhawk along with his two sons shared with us their life stories, native dress and dances.

We had hoped to make it back to Mount Rushmore this evening for the light show, however, the poor weather conditions required us to cancel once again.

Tuesday July 15, 2025 Mount Rushmore, Journey Museum and Rapid City, South Dakota

Mark, Sandy and Kent at Mount Rushmore in the Bright Sun

Scale Model in the Artist’s Workshop

Map of the Tour Stops and the Stories to Hear on the Voice Wand

Mount Rushmore

Bust of the Sculptor of Mount Rushmore

Exhibit at the Journey Museum

TeePee or Tipi at the Journey Museum

Beaded Dress Display at the Journey Museum

Bird Exhibit at the Journey Museum

After breakfast at the lodge, we boarded a motorcoach for a field trip to explore the United States’ Shrine of Democracy: Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It is a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, named it the Shrine of Democracy, and oversaw the execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. The sculpture features four, 60’ tall heads of four U.S. Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, respectively chosen to represent the nation’s foundation, expansion, development and preservation. Furthermore, Washington led the United States to win independence from Great Britain, Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence, Roosevelt the “trust buster” ensured the rights of working people and was instrumental in building the Panama Canal, and Lincoln led the country through the Civil War. Mount Rushmore attracts more than two million visitors annually to the memorial park which covers 1,278 acres. The elevation is approximately 5,725 feet above sea level.

Borglum chose Mount Rushmore because of its southeast exposure for maximum sun exposure. South Dakota Senator, Peter Norbeck, sponsored the project and secured federal funding for it. Construction began in 1927 and the faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. After Gutzon Borglum died in March of 1941, his son Lincoln took over as leader of the construction project. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to end on October 31, 1941, and only Washington’s sculpture includes any detail below chin level.

Gutzon Borglum and some 400 workers sculpted the colossal 60-foot-high carvings to represent the first 150 years of American history. The chief carver of the mountain was Luigi Del Bianco, an artisan and stonemason who immigrated to the U.S. from Friuli in Italy. Luigi was chosen for his understanding of sculptural language and his ability to imbue emotion in the carved portraits. The carving involved the use of dynamite, followed by the process of “honeycombing,” where workers drill holes close together allowing small pieces to be removed by hand. In total more than 410 tons of rock were blasted off the mountainside. The image of Jefferson was originally intended to appear to the right of Washington, but after the work began the rock was found to be unstable, so the work on Jefferson was dynamited and a new figure was sculpted to Washington’s left. In total, the project cost $989,992.32, the equivalent of about $21 million today. Nick Clifford, the last remaining carver died in 2019 at the age of 98.

While at Mount Rushmore, Sandy and Mark chose to walk on the Presidential Trail with interpretive signage along the way illuminating more about the monument, its construction and the artist whose vision produced America’s most iconic symbol. The trail took us to two of the artist studios where a one-inch to one-foot scale model is kept. Kent chose to stay on the main observation platform where he could listen to all of the trail marker information from the comfort of a bench.

The entire memorial is beautifully maintained, immaculately cared for and easily navigable. The facility includes a gift shop, a restaurant, observation deck, amphitheater, museum hall and more. All of these spaces spread the visitors out making it not seem too crowded.

After our visit to Mount Rushmore, we headed to Rapid City, chosen as the “Most Patriotic City” by USA Today readers. There we had time on our own to visit the 20-square-block section of the historic downtown with life-sized bronze statues of all of the past presidents along its streets and sidewalks. This was started in 2000 to honor the legacy of the American presidency. We had been here several days ago so we spent our time having lunch at an Irish Pub and exploring a large antique mall.

After lunch we set out for a field trip to the Journey Museum where we learned more about the Black Hills and surrounding area. The Journey Museum brings into focus the story of billions of years of eruption, exploration, evolution, conflict and change. A tectonic shift deep inside the earth 2.5 billion years ago violently thrust up the land now known as the Black Hills into being. One of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, they have been worn down by the ravages of time from a height that was greater than 15,000 feet, thereby exposing the fine granite suitable for carving images into rock. Once on the edge of a great inland sea, this part of what is now the Great Plains was home to ancient dinosaurs. Prehistoric people came here when ice still held sway over most of North America and it would be another 10,000 years before the arrival of current Native Americans. The museum explores the geology, paleontology, archaeology as well as stories of the pioneers, Native American culture and the history of the Black Hills.

Dinner this evening was served at the lodge and included turkey, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and gravy as well as a green salad. For dessert we had an apple crisp.

We were scheduled for a ride back to the Mount Rushmore amphitheater to see an inspirational 45-minute program focused on the presidents, patriotism and the nation’s history. Unfortunately, due to fog, rain and possible thunderstorms we had to cancel. They said that we would try again the following day.

July 14, 2025 High Plains Western Heritage Center, Homestake Mine, Natural Resources

Beautiful Countrysides

First Site of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Clarence Hoel and Wife Carved in Wood

Sturgis Lush Green Hillside

Heritage Center Exhibit

Sandy, Kent and Mark at the Heritage Center

Performer Joyce Jefferson at the Heritage Center

Statuary at the Heritage Center

Deadwood Storefronts

Mark and Sandy in Deadwood

After breakfast in the lodge, we boarded a motorcoach to the High Plains Western Heritage Center in Spearfish. S. D. Along the way we drove through Sturgis which hosts an annual motorbike rally. Attendance at these events can reach nearly 700,000 people over 10 days and generates some $800 million in annual revenue. Typically, Sturgis only has a population of about 7,000 residents. The first rally was held by Indian Brand Motorcycle riders in 1938. The founder was Clarence Hoel who purchased an Indian motorcycle in 1936. All sorts of entertainers are known to perform at the rally and it’s not unheard of to hear about naked women in body paint, prostitution, drunken fights, stolen motorbikes and many accidents and even fatalities.

The Heritage Center is a five-state regional museum to honor the Old West pioneers of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. The 20,000 square foot museum included exhibits on the stagecoach, a turn of the century kitchen, saddle shop and blacksmith shop, forestry, mining, ranching and rodeo displays along with a furnished log cabin, rural schoolhouse and antique farming equipment. In the center’s theater we saw a one-woman performance by Joyce Jefferson, on three of South Dakota’s early pioneer black women: Sarah Campbell, Lucretia Marchbanks and Mary Kercherval. These black women were the first to file a gold claim in the Black Hills, to own a local hotel and property.

At the Heritage Center, a buffet chuckwagon lunch was catered by a local restaurant. The lunch included a green salad, pasta with a beef ragu, vegetable medley and dessert.

After lunch we visited the historic town of Deadwood where our guide taught us about Deadwood. Named after its dead trees found in the gulch this city had its heyday from 1876 to 1879 after gold deposits were discovered there. At its height, the town had a population of about 25,000, attracting the likes of Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock and Wild Bill Hickok. Deadwood was known for its lawlessness, murders and brothels as prostitution was in high demand.

The town is a National Historic Landmark District today for its well-preserved Gold Rush era architecture. The town includes five unique history museums and a population of 1,350 or so residents.

After visiting the town of Deadwood, we headed a short distance to the town of Lead, pronounced “Leed.” Lead was founded in 1876 after the discovery of gold and named Lead for the leads or lodes of the deposits of valuable ores. It is the site of the Homestake Mine, the largest, deepest (8,240 feet) and the most productive mine in the Western Hemisphere before closing in January of 2002. By 1910, it was the second largest town in South Dakota with 8,382 residents.

Since the mine closed it has been used as a laboratory 4,850 feet underground. We were joined by staff of the Education and Outreach Program for the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) who presented information on the history of the mine, its significance and how an historic mine has become one of the leading state-of-the-art scientific neutrino labs in the world. A neutrino is a subatomic particle that has very little mass and no electrical charge. It plays a significant role in nuclear reactions within stars and contribute to the formation of elements. Researchers from around the world come to this lab to work on a variety of experiments and conduct research.

We enjoyed a salad bar dinner at the lodge with chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

After dinner we were joined by a local expert for a look into the management and health of the forests of the Black Hills. He discussed historical photos of the forests compared to the forests of today. He spoke about the pine beetles and the extensive damage they have done to the forest.

Sunday July 13, 2025 Rapid City to Keystone, South Dakota

Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota

Mark, Kent and Sandy at the Dinosaur Park Visitor Center

80 foot long Dinosaur

Mark and Sandy Exploring the Dinosaurs

Sandy and Kent at Dinosaur Park Visitor Center

Another of the Dinosaurs

K Bar S Lodge in Keystone, South Dakota

Yellow Bellied Marmot

This morning after breakfast we ventured out to Dinosaur Park. In the 1920’s and 30’s, Rapid City was looking to capitalize on the growing tourist traffic into the Black Hills, primarily at Mount Rushmore. It was the depression and Rapid City was experiencing a population boom due to the establishment of Ellsworth Airforce Base. The city began this park as a Works Progress Administration project, initiated after dinosaur bones and footprints were discovered in the vicinity. Emmett Sullivan, among others who worked on carving Mount Rushmore, were hired to construct the five massive dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were constructed using metal pipe frames, wire, concrete and painted gray. In the 1950’s the dinosaurs were given the cartoonish color scheme you see today – green and white. The largest of the dinosaurs (80 feet long) stands high on the hill and can be seen from all over the town of Rapid City. While at the Park, Mark and Sandy walked the 90 steps to the top of the hill to see the dinosaur up close. Since the dinosaurs were built of concrete, they are sturdy enough that children have climbed on them for nearly 100 years.

After returning to the hotel, we took a Lyft car to our accommodations for the next six nights at the K Bar S Lodge in Keystone, SD. The hotel is located in the heart of the Black Hills and is just 5 minutes from Mt. Rushmore National Memorial.
Keystone is a very small town with less than 250 residents. It had its origins in 1883 as a mining town and has since transformed itself into a resort town.

Sandy and Mark walked about 15 minutes into Keystone for a pizza and brought it back to the hotel since there was no food available in the hotel. Along the way they saw yellow bellied Marmots. Keystone is about two blocks long and features mostly hotels, eating establishments and shops selling T-shirts and cheap souvenirs.

At 4:30pm we met up with our fellow travelers and tour leader for an orientation of the week ahead. There were 36 people on the tour from all across the nation who each shared what their occupation was and why they chose this tour of the Black Hills of South Dakota. From military service to postal worker and nurses to educators, folks came from all walks of life. Some were still working while most of the travelers were retired.

After the orientation we enjoyed a dinner of chicken masala, roasted broccoli with feta and a green salad. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with a cherry jubilee sauce.

Saturday July 12, 2025 San Diego to Rapid City, South Dakota

Mark, Kent and Sandy at the Firehouse Brewing Company
Main Street Square – Downtown Rapid City, South Dakota
President John Adams
Hotel Alex Johnson Lobby
Hotel Alex Johnson Exterior
Native American Art
The Donald’s Statue

Sandy Bolger, Kent and I departed our homes for the airport at 4:30am for our 6:45am flights from San Diego to Denver, Colorado where we changed planes. Our second flights departed Denver at 11:32 bound for Rapid City, South Dakota in West Central, South Dakota. We arrived about 12:45pm. We headed to the Residence Inn hotel for the night with our dear friend Sandy (Miss P.), who is traveling with us.

The discovery of gold in 1874 by the Black Hills Expedition, led by George Armstrong Custer, brought a mass influx of European-American miners and settlers to the area. A group of unsuccessful miners founded Rapid City in 1876 and was originally known as Hay Camp. Rapid City is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills and today, has a population of about 85,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area includes about 155,000 residents. Today, Rapid City is known as the Gateway to the Black Hills and the City of Presidents for its life-size bronze statues of presidents in its historic downtown area.

The city’s location on the edge of the plains and hills, along with its large river valley, made it a natural hub for the railroads constructed in the late 1880’s. By 1900 the town had survived a boom and a bust and was developing as a regional trade center for the Upper Midwest. Locals began promoting the local sights and improved roadways after World War I. This led to many more tourists, including President Calvin Coolidge and the First Lady in the summer of 1927.

In the 1940’s Rapid City benefited greatly from the opening of Rapid City Army Air Base, later Ellsworth Air Force Base. The population nearly doubled between 1940 and 1948, from about 14,000 residents to 27,000. During the cold war,
the government constructed missile installations in the area. In the early 1960’s three Titan missile launch sites were constructed containing nine Titan I missiles. Over time, the area would be dotted with 150 Minuteman missile silos and 15 launch command centers, of which all were deactivated in the early 1990’s.

On June 9, 1972, heavy rains (15” in six hours) caused massive flooding along Rapid Creek killing 238 people and injuring 3,057. More than $100 million in property damage, including 1,335 homes and 5,000 automobiles were lost. This disaster generated new construction of a flood plain public park, new homes and businesses. The Rushmore Plaza Civic Center and a new Central High School were also built.

In 1980, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the federal government had not justly compensated the Sioux people for the Black Hills when it unilaterally broke a treaty guaranteeing the Black Hills to them. The government offered a financial settlement which was rejected by the Sioux and to this day the dispute has not been settled.

After checking in at the hotel we headed out to historic downtown Rapid City where we dined at the Firehouse Brewing Company. This restaurant is located in a hundred-year-old fire station with tons of firehouse memorabilia. They feature local and in-house beers along with burgers and sandwiches.

After eating we explored the historic downtown shops and statues of past presidents on each of the street corners. The most recently completed statue is currently being shown in the visitor center is of Donald Trump from his first term in office. We then checked out the Hotel Alex Johnson, built in 1927 and is a Hilton Curio Collection hotel. Alex Johnson was a railroad executive at the time and wanted to create a showplace to represent the beauty and culture of the area. The hotel combines historic architecture with handcrafted Native American art in tribute to the area’s Lakota and Sioux culture.

Thursday September 21, 2023 New Orleans to San Diego

St. Louis Cathedral
St. Louis Cathedral Interior
Stained Glass Window in the St. Louis Cathedral
Lovely Building on Royal Street with Wrought Iron Railings and Hanging Baskets

This morning we headed out on foot in the heat of the morning sun to explore Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral.

Jackson Square, formerly the Place d’Armes in French or Plaza de Armas in Spanish, is an historic park in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Declared a national historic site in 1960 for its central role in the city’s history as the site where in 1803 Louisiana was made United States territory pursuant to the Louisiana Purchase. In the center of the square is an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans and seventh U.S. president.

St. Louis Cathedral is one of New Orleans’ most notable landmarks and was dedicated to Saint Louis, also known as King Louis IX of France. Since 1718, residents have worshipped in churches on this site. A fire in 1788 started when a candle ignited the lace draperies of an altar nearby the church and the original church was burned to the ground. The current Cathedral was first completed in the 1850’s although many modifications and additions have been made to the Cathedral over the years. It was designated as a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and Pope John Paul visited the Cathedral in September of 1987. During hurricane Katrina the roof was torn open and extensive damage was done to the organ which has since been restored.

We then headed over to Royal Street for brunch at The Court of Two Sisters where they feature jazz music on the patio. The property had once been home to a notions shop owned by two sisters of an aristocratic Creole family and this is where the restaurant name comes from. In 1963, an established local restauranteur acquired the property and began preserving it. For the past 60 years the several generations of the same family have been operating the restaurant.

We dined on the rear brick courtyard with trellises covered in wisteria vines, a fountain and balconies of wrought iron railings. The buffet they serve includes a variety of 80 different items from salads to Creole and New Orleans’ favorite entrees. The food and service were excellent and the jazz music was quiet not to overwhelm the dining experience.

By mid-afternoon we headed to the airport for our flight home to San Diego. We changed planes in Dallas prior to arriving home in San Diego about 10:30pm.

Wednesday September 20, 2023 New Orleans, Louisiana

Mardi Gras World
Mardi Gras World
Mardi Gras World
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Confederate Memorial Hall
Chalmette Battleground Monument
Creole Queen Paddlewheel
Domino Sugar Refinery Produces More Than Seven Million Pounds of Sugar Daily

After breakfast at our hotel, we visited Mardi Gras World, a 300,000 square foot working warehouse where floats are made for more than 40 Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans each year. A man by the name of Blaine Kern, Sr. founded this family of float builders back in 1946 and in 1984 began allowing visitors a behind the scenes look at the float building process. Mr. Kern traveled to Europe to learn his float building techniques and gained an international reputation in float building. He has also created floats beyond New Orleans for Las Vegas, Mobile, Galveston, Montreal, Universal Studios Mardi Gras parade and for many corporate events.

Our next stop was at the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum containing artifacts related to the Confederate States of America and the American Civil War. It houses the second-largest number of Confederate Civil War items in the world, behind the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia. It was established in 1891 by New Orleans philanthropist Frank T. Howard to house the historical collections of the Louisiana Historical Association. The museum is a beautiful reddish stone building built in the Romanesque style as it was designed by the architectural firm of Sully and Toledano of New Orleans. The interior main hall is constructed of rich Louisiana Cypress wood and features seven main trusses that transverse the room overhead.

The museum quickly grew a vast collection of Civil War items, mostly from personal donations. Today the museum contains more than 5,000 historical artifacts and continues to receive donations to its collection, mostly from families of those who served.

Next door to the Confederate Memorial Hall is the Ogden Museum of Southern Art dedicated to art by artists from 15 southern States and was established in 1999. The museum has been located in the Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans since 2003.

This collection began with the donation of more than 600 works of art by New Orleans businessman Roger H. Ogden’s private collection. Since the original donation the museum’s collection has grown to more than 4,000 paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, wood and crafts. The current exhibits were remarkedly interesting by subject matter as well as media used.

In the afternoon we took a historic river cruise on the Creole Queen paddle wheeler. A local historian narrated the cruise offering 300 years of local history along the way. The cruise takes you downriver to the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and the Chalmette Battlefield. The narration included stories of the founding of the city by the Lemoyne brothers, the expansion of the city into the “French Quarter,” the Louisiana Purchase and the Battle of New Orleans. At the battlefield we had one hour to tour the park with a National Park Ranger and to check out the visitor center. In the visitor center they have many exhibits and films about the Chalmette Battlefield.

For dinner we ventured out to a local restaurant not far from our hotel called Creole House. They serve all types of food from traditional New Orleans Po’boys and gumbo to salads, shrimp, fish and more. The food was good although it was a very noisy restaurant.

Tuesday September 19, 2023 New Orleans, Louisiana

Cafe Du Monde
Mark Enjoying the Beignets
American Queen Table Mates Aggie and Jolene
Cemetery
Cemetery
American Queen Waiter Jayy
WWII Museum Exhibits
WWII Museum Exhibits
St. Charles Streetcar

After breakfast onboard the American Countess river boat, we disembarked in New Orleans where we embarked on a four-hour city tour through a city radiating an eccentric and unique atmosphere. On our New Orleans driving tour we had an Irish woman for our guide. She had come to the U.S. in 1975 as a young woman and got married. She had been living in New Orleans ever sense. We saw the city through her eyes and she sprinkled our tour with first hand experiences and with a lot of humor. Our motor coach took us past some of the most iconic attractions in the city, including Jackson Square, the French Quarter, the Garden District, and the Lakefront Area.

During our morning tour we stopped at the beautiful New Orleans City Park which dates back to 1854. The park encompasses 1,300 acres and is one of the largest urban parks in the country. The park is also home to the largest collection of mature live oak trees in the world, some over 800 years old. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, 95% of the park was sitting in floodwaters for weeks causing nearly $50 million in damages to the park. With government assistance and local donations, they have replanted all of the lost trees (some 2,000) and made extensive upgrades to the park. In the park we stopped at New Orleans’ famous Café Du Monde for their beignets. The beignets are squares of fried dough eaten hot with plenty of powdered sugar. They were delicious and messy as everyone left covered in white powdered sugar.

We stopped at one of the many local catholic cemeteries to explore some of the ornate family vaults. There are many Catholic cemeteries in New Orleans that had traditionally been owned and operated by individual parishes. In 2016 management of all of the cemeteries were combined under the Ministry of the New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries.

On our bus there were also travelers who were heading to the airport to fly home so we had to make a trip to the airport which took up about 90-minutes of our day. Very frustrating.

We finally arrived at our hotel for the next two nights, the Intercontinental Hotel near Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. After getting settled into our room we headed out to explore the city.

Our first stop was at The National WWII Museum, formerly known as the National D-Day Museum which is a military history museum. The museum focuses on the contribution made by the US to Allied victory in World War II. Founded in 2000, it was later designated by Congress as America’s official National World War II museum in 2004. The museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution outreach program.

When the museum opened, its main gallery focused on the invasion of Normandy. The Higgins boats, vital to the amphibious operations, were designed, built and tested in New Orleans by the Higgins Industries. Other galleries, built since its opening, consist of an aircraft pavilion with airplanes suspended from the ceiling, a theater, a Road to Tokyo exhibit which focused on the Pacific war, the Road to Berlin focused on the European theater, an Arsenal of Democracy focused on the experience on the home Front and room for temporary exhibits which rotate.

The museum is beautifully done and incorporates many personal stories of families across the nation who experienced the war personally through military service. It has extensive film footage shown throughout the museum, photos, weapons, exhibits, personal history recordings and more. It is so large that it takes up two city blocks and is connected with a bridge over the road. You can easily spend hours exploring the museum.

After the museum closed we got on one of the historic streetcars for a ride up and down St. Charles Road. This is one of the most beautiful streets in the city with oak tree lined sidewalks and gorgeous homes. This road passes the extensive and beautiful Tulane University campus. The St. Charles streetcar line has been running since 1835 and is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world. Most of the cars running today date back to the 1920’s.

In the evening we explored the French Quarter on foot but it was not really my cup of tea. The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. Today you still see many influences from the Spanish period with the ornate cast iron galleries or balconies, many buildings having several tiers of balconies overlooking the narrow streets below. Bourbon Street is closed to car traffic at night so they can accommodate many people in the street and on the sidewalks. Most of the people have oversized drinks in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Every block seems to have multiple card tables set up with a table cloth and candle and a sign advertising tarot card readings or psychic readings.

We stopped for a bite to eat at a local restaurant called the Royal House where we tried the local specialty, the Po’boy Sandwich. Kent tried the fried fish sandwich while I tried the shrimp sandwich. They serve the fried fish on a toasted French roll with lettuce, tomato and pickles. On the side French fries to top off the large quantity of grease. Also available are alligator Po’boys in case you were wondering.

Monday September 18, 2023 Nottaway Resort, Louisiana

Nottoway Resort
Nottoway Parlor
Nottoway Dining Room
Nottoway Bedroom
Nottoway Bedroom
Nottoway Bedroom
Nottoway Music Room
American Countess Crew

The river boat pulled up to the famous Nottoway resort on this day where we remained for the entire day. It was our only stop of the day and the resort is located just a ten-minute walk from the boat. The temperatures were about 90 degrees and somewhat humid, making it uncomfortable to stay out in the sun for very long.

We took a 45-minute tour of the Nottoway Resort, the South’s largest remaining antebellum mansion situated on 31 acres of majestic oak trees. This stunning historical plantation built in 1859 at a cost of $80,000, lies between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and offers a view of a truly grand plantation. The 53,000 square foot mansion flaunts three floors, 64 rooms, and displays an incredible 22 white square columns which contribute to its nickname, the “White Castle of Louisiana.”
The home enjoyed 19th Century novelties like a bathroom on each floor with flushing toilets and hot and cold water, gas lighting throughout the home and a complex servant call-bell system. The most popular room among guests is the White Ballroom, which is painted entirely in white and displays elaborate gold décor throughout. Rooms are trimmed in custom plaster frieze made from Spanish moss, clay, plaster and mud and are all original to the house. And as if that weren’t enough, this immaculate mansion was constructed with 365 openings (165 doors and 200 windows), one for each day of the year. We also enjoyed a stroll through the grounds and gardens.

The home has been owned by a gentleman from Australia since 1984 who uses the property as a hotel or bed and breakfast. They have built many modern cottages on the property to supplement the number of rooms as well as a restaurant and business center.

Even after investing $14,000,000 in the property since 2008, the property needs many upgrades and maintenance to make it shine. Any property of this scale would require an extraordinary amount of money to maintain. Hopefully this unusual property will be able to stand the test of time and will be here for many more years.

Late in the afternoon there was a very short and sweet champagne toast with the captain and some of the crew in the theater. It was a way of saying thank you from the crew to the guests and from the guests to the crew.

The evening’s entertainment was a show by Michaelyn Oby who performed the tribute show to Diana Ross earlier in the cruise. She was back with a show titled “Feeling Good” featuring jazz, blues and soul music.

Sunday September 17, 2023 Natchez, Mississippi

Rosalie Mansion
William Johnson House
Magnolia Hall
Magnolia Hall Parlor
Stanton Hall
Stanton Hall Parlor
Stanton Hall Dining Room
Stanton Hall Bedroom
Natchez Hospitality at The Old South Trading Post

Natchez is about 85 miles north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has a population of about 15,000 inhabitants. It is named after the Natchez tribe of Native Americans who inhabited much of the area from the 8th century AD through the French Colonial period. Natchez was established by French colonists in 1716 and is one of the oldest European settlements in the lower Mississippi River Valley. By 1779, the area was under Spanish rule but in 1797, Major Andrew Ellicott of the US marched to the highest ridge in Natchez and raised the American flag claiming Natchez and all former Spanish land east of the Mississippi above the 31st parallel for the United States.

Preceding the Civil War, Natchez was the most prevalent slave trading city in Mississippi and second in the US only to New Orleans. In 1883 the most active slavers in the US were John Armfield and Isaac Franklin who sold slaves individually, the buyers were allowed to survey the people much like items in a modern retail store.

In town we visited The Old South Trading Post to sample Southern muscadine juice, dips, salsas, jellies, cappuccinos, and coffees. There’s something for everyone here, including a wide selection of books, candies, one-of-a-kind shirts, hats, holiday ornaments, souvenirs, drug store items, and even alligator items! There were 6,000 items on display and for sale.

Our next stop was at the magnificent Rosalie Mansion, an outstanding example of Federal style architecture, built by a wealthy cotton planter in 1823. The Mississippi State Society Daughters of the American Revolution have since gained ownership and have been maintaining the house and grounds since 1938. On this self-guided tour, we discovered the history of the house and the artifacts found throughout. Period-dressed docents throughout the home were there to answer questions and to provide more information. We explored the extensive gardens, gift shop, kitchen, library, and carriage house. The rooms are all beautifully furnished with antiques, accessories and 95% of the personal items from the second and final owners of the home. The home has been a museum since 1958 when the last descendent of the family died after 101 years in the same family.

Our next stop was the William Johnson House. In 1809, Johnson was born the son of a mulatto slave woman in Natchez. At the age of eleven he was emancipated by his white slave owner, also named William Johnson, who is presumed to be his father. Johnson became a well-known barber in town for a mostly white clientele. He not only provided barber services himself, he hired free blacks, had apprentices and also owned slaves. From his barber business he was able to purchase land and become a farmer as well as a business owner.

William Johnson was able to read and write which was unusual at the time and he kept a detailed diary of his life for sixteen years, from 1835 to 1851. This has provided historians with a vast understanding about what it was like to be a free black man during this period of time in this part of the country.

We stopped at Magnolia Hall, a Greek Revival mansion built in 1858 before the breakout of the Civil War but it did not make it through the conflict unscathed. It took a direct cannonball impact to the kitchen, although it is now fully restored. The main floor offers a showcase of many antiques and furnishings and the upper floors offer a costume collection in the Historic Clothing Museum. Upstairs, we viewed a short film that outlined the history of the Natchez pageants and Garden Club, an organization founded in 1927 with the mission to preserve the rich history of the city.

Stanton Hall is a Palatial Greek Revival style mansion built between 1851 and 1857 by Irish immigrant and cotton merchant Frederick Stanton. Frederick built the home as a replica of his ancestral home in Ireland and named it “Belfast.” The palatial home occupies an entire 2-acre city block. The home is approximately 14,000 square feet in size, its lower level has 17-foot-tall ceilings and upstairs there are six spacious bedrooms. Many of the original furnishings continue to be reunited with their original home as family members who inherited them decide to donate them back to the home. It was built at a cost of $83,000 even before it was furnished. Unfortunately, Mr. Stanton only lived in the residence for nine months before he died of yellow fever.

In 1890 the home became the Stanton College for Young Ladies and by 1940 it was acquired by the Pilgrimage Garden Club, which uses it as its headquarters and operates it as a museum and event venue.

The evening’s entertainment was a variety show titled “Anything Goes Tonight” with the crew performing musical numbers from ABBA to Broadway and everything in between. The cast and the band did a great job with the musical numbers.