LA to WA highlights

Last week we drove from Louisiana to Washington. It was definitely a long trip and a lot of miles were covered but we had fun. Here are some pictures of the stops we made along the way.

We took a brief break in Chamberlain, SD along the way. It is an old Milwaukee Railroad town. Incase you don't already know, Leland enjoys railroads and the Milwaukee line is his favorite. It was a fun stop and a much needed stretch break.

It was pretty amazing to think about the details and care put into carving Mount Rushmore. It is definitely worth seeing.

Here is a picture of the back side of Mt. Rushmore. I found the overlook of South Dakota just as breath taking as the National Memorial.

We stopped in Deer Lodge, MT to see the newly repainted Little Joe. It was an engine named after Joseph Stalin. They were originally made for Russia and then the Cold War hit and the engine could no longer go to Russia, which is how it got its name Little Joe. The Milwaukee Railroad ran an electric line in the west and this was one of their powerful engines. It is the last one painted in Milwaukee colors.

Outside of Deer Lodge, MT we stopped at a national park which was an old ranch. Previously I had visited it and they had a wonderful chair that turned into a step ladder. We stopped so I could by the blue print of the chair. Not only did we get the blue print we got a special surprise. On the ranch property there was Milwaukee rail. The Milwaukee is an abandoned railroad and there very little track west of Terry, MT. So this was an unexpected surprise.