Best of the Dakotas

Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. If you arrive late, please ask for your Road Scholar schedule at the hotel front desk.

In our designated hotel meeting/dining room, following orientation.

This is a Road Scholar On The Road (OTR) program. OTR journeys take participants to multiple study sites within a region number of overnight stays. Lectures, talks, discussions, field trips, and on-board commentary enhance the program theme. Some journeys involve great distances and may take hours, others are much shorter. Long or short, On the Road journeys are learning experiences that make the most of our time together. There will be numerous opportunities for self-directed exploration to see and do what interests each of us most. Participants are responsible for carrying their luggage to/from the motorcoach. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At the hotel.

We will be joined at the hotel by a local expert who will give us a “rock talk” lecture on areas we’ll explore. Next, we’ll board a motorcoach for our field trip to iconic sites. At the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the majestic 60-foot faces of four U.S. presidents gaze out over South Dakota’s Black Hills. Recognized worldwide, they stand as a symbol of American democracy. This national treasure tells the story of the United States’ rich history, rugged determination, and lasting achievement. From the Grandview Terrace, the views of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, are spectacular. We’ll learn why these four presidents were selected, see how the mountain was carved, and learn about sculptor Gutzon Borglum and the workers who brought Mount Rushmore to life. There will also be an opportunity for an elective walk along the half-mile Presidential Trail that loops around the base of the mountain and back to the viewing terrace. At the Information Center learn more about history and watch a short movie narrated by Tom Brokaw.

Mount Rushmore cafeteria.

Next, we’ll ride to Crazy Horse Memorial, where a fifth granite face has emerged in the Black Hills. In 1939, Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve an Indian memorial in the Black Hills. Though Korczak died in 1982, the sculptor’s family continues the nonprofit project where the colossal mountain carving is now in progress. Crazy Horse is the largest sculptural undertaking ever, on a scale with the Egyptian pyramids. When completed, it will tower 563 feet high and 641 feet long. Self explore the Native American Museum, sculpture's studio, and original log home. Returning to Rapid City, we will visit the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Geology Museum.

At the hotel in our private dining room.

At leisure. You might like to use the fitness center, take a dip in the indoor swimming pool, soak in the hot tub, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, or just relax.

At the hotel.

We’ll set out via motorcoach to the Chapel in the Hills in Rapid City. Built in 1969, the chapel is an exact replica of the famous 843-year old Burgundy Stavkirke of Laerdal, Norway. The structure combines Norse dragon heads, Christian symbols, fancy roof shingles, and a pegged-timber construction. There also is a grass-roofed Stabbur welcome center and Log Cabin Museum. Deer and wild turkeys roam the chapel grounds. A member of the staff will give a presentation in the chapel about its history, construction, and significance. Next, we’ll ride to the Custer State Park Visitor Center. En route, the Group Leader will provide commentary on the area while traveling through the park. Upon arrival, we’ll watch a film about the park followed by time for some independent exploration of the exhibits. Custer State Park covers 71,000 acres, making it one of the largest state parks in the nation. From its northern sector in the shadow of 7,242-foot-high Harney Peak to the forests, meadows, and prairies of its southeast corner, feature pigtail bridges, granite tunnels that frame the faces of Mount Rushmore, and curves winding along a road experts said couldn’t be built. We’ll watch for bison that may be present, part of one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the country. Other wildlife we may see include pronghorn or antelope, mule and whitetail deer, burros, coyotes, wild turkeys, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and golden eagles.

At the historic State Game Lodge in Custer State Park.

Next, we’ll ride to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota. The site is an in situ (bones left as found in their original place) Ice Age museum containing the largest concentration of Columbian and Woolly Mammoths found in their primary context in the world. Imagine walking around the edges of a 26,000-year-old sinkhole where mammoths, short face bear, mountain lions, and wolves once trod. The Muller Exhibit Hall features fascinating exhibits including a full-sized Columbian mammoth replica and skeletons of now-extinct carnivores, the giant short-faced bear, and the American lion. We’ll also get a glimpse of the scientific work conducted downstairs in the state of the art lab. The Mammoth Site has been featured on Discovery Channel, CBS and NBC Evening News, Today Show, BBC Television programs, and in many magazines, including National Geographic. The site has co-hosted international symposiums and conferences, as well as published scientific Quaternary research books.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure. Enjoy your evening out with a stroll and people watching, explore the "City of Presidents" in downtown Rapid City or just relax and the hotel and prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We’ll check out of the hotel and begin our journey from Rapid City to Pierre, South Dakota via the town of Wall and the vast open spaces of Badlands National Park. We’ll stop first at Wall Drug Store and learn from our Group Leader about the ingenious marketing campaign that started the multi-million dollar business. As a testament to their success, Wall Drug signs can now be found all over the world. We’ll have some time to view the extensive Western Art collection in the restaurant section with many originals and actual brands of local ranchers embedded in the wood walls. Moving on, we'll ride into Badlands National Park. The scenic drive through Badlands National Park is a mixture of rugged natural beauty, striking multicolored geologic deposits, and one of the world's richest fossil beds. Some ancient mammals found within the Park include rhino, horse, saber-toothed cat, and pig-like creatures. The park owes its name to the natural conditions that make it hard to traverse and survive in, such as its jagged topography, harsh summers and winters, and dearth of potable water. Per the National Park Service, “For hundreds of years, the Lakota people have called this area mako sica, which literally translates to ‘bad lands.’ When early French fur trappers passed through this area, they called the area les mauvaises terres à traveser (‘bad lands to travel across’). Since the French trappers spent time with the Lakota, it is likely that the French name is derived directly from the Lakota one.”

Boxed lunch en route.

As you travel along, learn more from your Group Leader relating to South Dakota’s past and present. Expand your knowledge about the Lewis and Clark Expedition as it relates to South Dakota and the “event” that could have ended the entire journey right in the Pierre, SD area. Stop and hear about the lost lead plate that proclaimed the land for France. We expect to arrive in Pierre, SD the capital city, in the late afternoon and check into out hotel.

At a local restaurant

At leisure. You might like to take a walk along the Missouri River just a couple of blocks from the hotel or just relax at the hotel.

At the hotel hospitality room.

We’ll check out of the hotel and board the motorcoach for a field trip to South Dakota’s state capitol building where a local expert will lead us through the impressive Greek Ionic structure built in 1910 at a cost of just under $1,000,000. The elaborate interior includes marble wainscoting and columns, a terrazzo tile floor, Victorian leaded glass, and glass door fixtures that create a grand and distinguished look. Adjacent to the grounds sits Capitol Lake, an artesian lake that serves as a resting place for thousands of migratory geese each fall. Nearby stand the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Memorials, and a flaming fountain that glows perpetually as a memorial to all veterans. We’ll walk past the Fighting Stallions Memorial, built as a lasting tribute to eight South Dakotans who lost their lives in a 1993 plane crash. For our next excursion, we will ride to see and hear the power of water at Oahe Dam, one of the largest earth-rolled dams in the world that creates the fourth-largest artificial reservoir in the United States. Its primary purpose is supplying hydro-electric power to many Midwestern states as well as providing irrigation, recreation, conservation, and flood control. Oahe Dam was dedicated on August 17, 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. The word “oahe,” although it was once the name of a Christian mission, is actually a Sioux Native American word meaning “a foundation” or “ a place to stand on.”

Sack lunch.

We’ll travel from Pierre, South Dakota to Bismarck, North Dakota. En route, we’ll learn from our Group Leader about the land, agriculture, cattle, and people who live and work here. We will visit the charming town of Gettysburg, SD and the Dakota Sunset Museum which features a 40-ton Medicine Rock, originally located 15 miles west of Gettysburg near the Missouri River which is Imbedded with human footprints and a handprint, this rock is considered sacred to the Lakota. Visitors can also view an 1870s Native American blanket dress, a 1900s barbershop, a Civil War Exhibit which honors the over 200 veteran homesteaders from the area plus a country schoolhouse. The Welk Homestead State Historic Site offers a glimpse into early 20th century life on the North Dakota Prairies. Walk through the house Ludwig and Christina Welk built in1899 along with a summer kitchen, outhouse, granary, barn, and blacksmith shop. Their livelihood depended on selling eggs and cream for groceries and clothes while the cash crop consisted of spring wheat. Crops of oats and barley were used to feed their cows, horses, hogs, and chickens. Music provided much needed entertainment and socialization for the family and community. The sixth Welk child eventually left the farm in 1924 to pursue a career in the music world. Lawrence learned to play the accordion from his father and played throughout the mid-west before making his debut on national television in 1955. The rest is history, he became a household name and The Lawrence Welk Show of “Champagne music” was produced and aired on television for twenty-six years. The show was the longest-running prime-time musical program in television history. Today, one can still watch reruns of the show that continue to be viewed throughout the country as well as internationally. Lawrence Welk is a true success story starting from a humble beginning in North Dakota to having two STARS on Hollywood Boulevard, the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

At a local restaurant

At leisure

At the hotel hospitality room.

We will board the motorcoach and ride to the North Dakota Heritage Center Museum where the Corridor of Time gallery depicts life during the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene periods along with paleontological exhibits. Museum staff will greet us and provide an overview of the museum, followed by time for independent exploration of the exhibits. A First People’s section describes and answers who the first people in the area were and how they arrived here. Other galleries focus on the introduction of Euro-Americans to the area, agricultural methods, sociopolitical influences, Native American history, and natural history. Next, we will walk across the parking lot for a guided tour of the capitol and learn why it is considered the “Skyscraper of the Prairies.” The 19-story structure was built in the early 1930s for just $2 million and, as such, it ranks as one of the nation’s most practical and economically built state capitols. This art-deco structure is enhanced by a unique blend of raw materials, including Indian limestone, Montana Yellowstone, Belgian and Tennessee marble, Honduras mahogany, East Indian rosewood, laurel wood, English brown oak and Burma teak. The State Capitol grounds also offer a unique opportunity to view the statue of Sakakawea (local spelling) and her baby, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.

At the ND State Capitol.

We will travel from Bismarck, ND to Washburn, ND to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn where we will get an overview of the Expedition from staff with special emphasis on displays that include Native American artifacts including a buffalo robe that visitors can try on, a cradleboard, and an original "hasp." The Center's Bergquist Gallery, one of only four galleries in the world to house a complete collection, rotates the prints of Karl Bodmer on a seasonal basis. Bodmer's watercolors and Maximilian's written descriptions are considered the most complete and reliable eyewitness account of the Upper Midwest Indian Cultures At Fort Mandan, we’ll learn even more about the journey of Lewis & Clark from a historical reenactor. This site is particularly important because Lewis & Clark spent more days in North Dakota than any other place on their journey and Sacagawea, their interpreter and wife of French-Canadian trapper and guide Toussaint Charbonneau, joined the expedition at this site. As we walk around, we’ll notice that this site offers a reconstruction of the 1804-1805 winter quarters built by the Corp of Discovery out of cottonwood lumber cut from the riverbanks. It was triangular in shape with high walls on all sides and a gate facing the riverbank. The men started building the fort on November 2, 1804, and remained in the area until April 7, 1805. When the Corp passed back through the area in August 1806 on their return journey home, the fort had burnt to the ground; the reason is unknown.

At a local restaurant

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At hotel hospitality room

We’ll check out of the hotel and ride to Mandan, ND to explore the 75-acre Ft. Lincoln State Park that contains reconstructions of General Custer's home, infantry blockhouses, a commissary, and On-A-Slant Village. A local expert will tell us about the history of the Mandan Indians and we'll go through the on-site Indian earth lodges. We'll hear the real story of General and Mrs. Custer on the plains while visiting a replica of Custer's house.

At a local restaurant

Enjoy the beauty and vastness of the croplands and prairie as we travel along the way to see North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway, 32 miles of soaring, metal sculptures that qualify as some of the largest in the world. As unusual as they are enjoyable, these monstrosities are unquestionably must-see Americana Road Art. We will stop at points of interest where our Group Leader will provide commentary. We will continue on to the town of Medora and the Château de Mores which memorializes the life of the Marquis de Mores and his wife Medora, who the town is named for. We will see many of the original furnishings and personal effects of the family in the two-story, 26-room home built in 1883 and used only as a summer residence. We’ll learn about the many enterprises of the Marquis and the history of the area at the visitor’s center before returning to the hotel.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure. Take a walk around this quaint western town of Medora, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, or just relax.

At the hotel.

We’ll capture the spirit of the West during an expert-led field trip to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Visitor’s Center, and TR’s Badlands ranch cabin. In 1884, after the death of both his wife and mother, future 26th President Theodore Roosevelt went out to his North Dakota ranch to rebuild his life. The wild lands were a catharsis to him; for about two years, he ranched in the area and noted his experiences in pieces published in eastern newspapers and magazines. Returning east and into politics, Roosevelt would forever associate himself through his extensive writings and memoirs with the vanishing frontier and the life of the cowboy and rancher. The Little Missouri Badlands were explored early in 1924 to determine possible park sites but it wasn’t until 1947 that this area became the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park and finally a national park in 1978. The Maltese Cross Ranch cabin was originally located south of Medora. At Roosevelt’s request, the one-and-a-half story cabin, complete with a shingle roof and cellar, was built. Constructed of pine logs, the cabin was considered something of a “mansion” in its day with wooden floors and three separate rooms (kitchen, living room and Roosevelt’s bedroom). The steeply pitched roof, an oddity on the northern plains, created an upstairs sleeping loft for the ranch hands.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At your leisure. Free time. The remainder of the afternoon is yours to explore the authentic, small, historic, western town of Medora, ND. Options may include: The Cowboy Hall of Fame or hiking trails nearby. (Own cost).

Dinner tonight is the famous western style Pitchfork Steak Fondue. Enjoy the food and music as you look out over the magnificent view of the Badlands.

We’ll attend the “Greatest Show in the West!” in the outdoor 2,852 seat Burning Hills Amphitheatre surrounded by the splendor of the North Dakota Badlands. This professionally produced, high energy, Western style musical is proudly dedicated to the legacy of America’s 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, and the time he spent in the North Dakota. The show pays tribute to American patriotism and the Old West way of life. The extravaganza features horses, cowboys, and an array of song and dance routines performed by the Burning Hills Singers and accompanied by the on-stage band, the Coal Diggers.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel, board our motorcoach, and ride across western North and South Dakota. En route, we’ll learn from our Group Leader about the discovery of the Bakken Oil Field that has added another facet to the energy equation of our nation, as well as the Bakken Shale Formation that occupies about 200,000 square miles of the subsurface of the Williston Basin, mainly in parts of Montana, North Dakota, and Saskatchewan. We will get an overview of how this enormous region influences the local economy, employment rates, and the environment with a focus on the differences between technical extraction methods and production.

Sack lunch in Belle Fourche, SD.

Our next field trip will be to Devils Tower National Monument. From the National Park Service: “In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first national monument under the new Antiquities Act. About 60 million years ago molten magma was forced into sedimentary rocks above it and cooled underground. As it cooled, it contracted and fractured into columns... Over millions of years, erosion of the sedimentary rock exposed Devils Tower… The Tower rises 867 feet from the base and stands 1,267 feet above the river and 5,112 feet above sea level. The area of its tear-drop shaped top is 1.5 acres and the diameter of its base is 1,000 feet.” This unique formation, revered by many Lakota tribes, was also featured in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 science fiction film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Those who would like to set out independently on an elective, 1.3 mile Tower Walk (paved path) will be able to look for species of birds such as blue-birds, chickadees, jays, woodpeckers, robins, meadowlarks, vultures, hawks, Bald Eagles, and wild turkeys. Other critters that may be present include white-tailed and mule deer, porcupines, chipmunks and rabbits. After our field trip, we’ll ride on to Rapid City with expected arrival in the late afternoon to check in to our hotel.

In our private hotel dining room. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!