My son, Austin, and one of his buddies, Mat Mills, nuclear - submariners

on the U.S.S. Salt Lake City, stationed in San Diego, had a few days off

before leaving for a 6-month "Underway" (read: underwater) - so they

rented a brand-new Lincoln TownCar, ($50 a day and unlimited miles)

-- they drove to Idaho to get me, and off we went.

I told them war-stories and other lies and kept them awake

all night and we watched the sun rise in Wyoming …

and play with the buttons on the car and with the camera.

Wyoming seemed to go on for a long time…

 Eventually, the Black Hills of South Dakota began to emerge ...

The deeper into the Black Hills we got, the more the rock formations

developed. I discovered how to photograph myself in the mirror.

We side-stepped just a bit to take in the

Crazy Horse Mountain Carving, some 50 years in the making.

as we approached the long anticipated Mount Rushmore.

The weather was clear and a beautiful 65* day.

The suspense builds ...

Well, of course the big guys look just like they look in all the

pictures you see of them. What a great sculpture for a great country.

We swung back into Wyoming to take in "The Devil's Tower"

... you remember, "Close Encounters ..."