I took a moment and read the following – slowly, out loud.  “We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it…

October 30, 2026 Dear James, I felt compelled to write to you after you lost your first tooth. For any 5- or 6-year-old, losing your first tooth is a big deal, indeed, a very big deal. And because I want you to someday look back on this event with some clarity, I am recording this historical event, which occurred at one of my favorite spots in the world during my favorite time of the year. James, when I was a young person like you are today, summer was my favorite time of year.  Being out of school was an obvious reason.  But there were others – long days with lots…

Day 4 was spent in Wyoming. When I planned this trip, I did not intend on going to eastern Wyoming. After all, this is a Dakotas Trip. However, because I arrived early the first day, I had extra time. And after I learned that Devils Tower was the first National Monument established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906 and that it was in the direction I needed to go anyway, I decided to fit it in.  And so, today was Wyoming and Devils Tower Day. Unlike the terrain in South Dakota, the terrain here, on the edge of the Black Hills, is decidedly different looking, with higher mountains. It is also…

After hiking the Custer Skywalk yesterday to the top of the mountain that overlooks the town of Custer, I was determined to wake up this morning in time to hike to that spot again for the sunrise. Because of the two hour time change, waking up was no problem. I stretched by doing some yoga, had a cup of coffee, and headed out.  When I got there, two people were already there – a young man and a young woman. I asked the young woman to take my photo with me doing “my pose”. Afterwards, we chatted briefly. But this was before the sun had risen and this was no time for…

If yesterday started out as a celebration of American exceptionalism by first visiting Mount Rushmore, today started out telling the other side of that story by first visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial. Before coming to South Dakota,I sometimes wondered why  those four presidents were chosen for the monument. Here is the reason. And the museum explains this well. In summary, all were chosen because they made major contributions that helped form and shape our country – Washington founded our country, Jefferson grew our country, Lincoln preserved our country, and Roosevelt developed our country nationally and globally. And so why did sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski begin building the Crazy Horse Monument in 1948,…

Visiting all fifty states that make up our diverse and beautiful country was never on my bucket list. But after I visited Alaska, Wyoming and Idaho in 2025, I realized that there were only two states I had yet to visit – North and South Dakota. The main reason I have had the opportunity to set foot in many of the states I have visited is through work, whether it was being invited to cycle across  Iowa in the annual RAGBRAI event or visiting clients or potential clients in almost 30 states including places like Hanover, New Hampshire and Kalispell, Montana. While in Alaska, which made it the 48th state I…