07/12/13, 05/19/20
Trafalgar's Scenic Parks Explorer, June 2013 - Page I

Also see 1996 pages (A through I) for other photos of the National Parks.

June 25th - We left the Badlands and headed for Crazy Horse Memorial, the Intercontinental Ballistic
Missiles (ICBM) installation that has been deactivated, and also a quick visit to Wall.   We even got to
see Prairie Dogs!  (Note: May not be in order visited.)

The morning of June 26th, we headed to Denver, Colorado.

The weather is got warmer.

Passengers continued to get sick.
For more information click on Wall in the opening
explanation.
Above - Where we stopped to see the lovely prairie dogs.

At right - The mother of all prairie dogs!
Postcard - © John Hinde Curteich, Inc
The prairie dogs were fed peanuts.  
Crazy Horse Memorial - A work in progress!
For $4.00 you get to go on a bus and stop at the base
of the memorial.  For $135.00, you get to go where
Crazy Horse's hand & horse will eventually be..
This & next 4 photos were taken in the museum
Model of what the memorial will eventually look like.
Postcard - Aerial view.  ©  2012
Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation

We left Rapid City on June 26th at 8 a.m. and headed for Denver.  As always, we made stops along the
way.  We visited a Budweiser plant, made a stop in Edgemont, South Dakota and had lunch in
Torrington, Wyoming.   Because of a wrong turn, we had to make a U-turn in the Village of Henry in
Nebraska.  I suppose that was a "Hidden Treasure" often mentioned by the Tour Director whenever
we saw something that was not part of the regular tour.  
The gift shop / restaurant area did have a beautiful garden!
Most of the highways we used were very clean
and well taken care of.

Before going to the hotel, we took a spin around Denver.  The Tour Director explained things as
we drove around.  After going to our room and refreshing ourselves, we decided to go to dinner.  
We ate at Hard Rock Café.  After dinner we decided to take a walking tour of the downtown area in
order to take photographs.  Denver looks a lot like downtown Manhattan.  It was congested and has
many tall buildings.  There is a pedestrian mall with a free bus running in both directions of the mall.  
I think the mall is on 16th Street.  María and I walked beyond that.  We got as far as the State Capitol
but had to turn back because we noticed too many people gathering in the park by the Capitol.  
They were not there one minute and then hundreds of men and women appeared out of nowhere.  
They were all colors and ages.  Where did they come from?  Why were they gathering?  Were they
homeless?  We decided to go back to the hotel to avoid problems.  
Its only ONE bear!  This is at the Convention Center.
The Dancers,
as seen from
the bus.
Trolley
Part, if not all,
of this
structure is a
parking lot!
Artwork in the theater district
Dancers.
Dedicated June
2003
Used by bikers & pedestrians
Arts Center
The back of Civic Center
Civic Center, front
It has 4 faces.

The Capitol dome undergoing renovations.  The photo on the right marks the original place that the city indicated
where the one mile point is.  However, engineers later said it was wrong and placed a marker 3 steps above the
original.  Later NASA got involved and came up with a third marker placed in a different location.  So who's right?

Left - Trinity Methodist Church.
Above - Part of a beautiful sunset on our way to
Hyatt Grand Hotel.
End of walking tour.
Taken before leaving Denver

On June 27th,  we go to Vail, Arches National Park and Moab.  
Just go to the next page to see those photos.
Naturally, there is no warhead.
Exits can be far from each other.  Not many service
stations on the edge of the highway.  In most places one
would have to get off the highway to find a service station!
Photo at left  taken from the bus, this one when I toured
city on foot.
This photo, and one at right, was taken from bus.
Photos from this point on taken during my walking tour.
Displayed in a small "museum" in the Visitors' Center
May 19, 2020 - Will this monument end up like the
Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, taking many years
and a few generations to complete?