Crazy Horse & Mt Rushmore

Today was our last full day in Rapid City and we still had to see Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and drive the Needles Highway. So that’s what we did.

The Crazy Horse Memorial was first on the list. As usual, Ken had been here before but I hadn’t. The current visitor’s center was new him, however, and we spent a fair amount of time looking at the museum displays before we even got to the viewing veranda.

The mountain carving still has a *long* way to go. As usual, raising money is the big issue, but personal politics is also raising its ugly head. I gather there was/is a lot of controversy about putting the money into a fancy new visitor’s center instead of the mountain. I appreciated it, however. I enjoy knowing the story behind the monument; seeing the model and, more especially, the overlaid poster really helped me visualize what was going on. Maybe in another ten years we’ll go back and see how much more has been done. Certainly there’s plenty to see in the area that we didn’t get to.

1/34th model of Crazy Horse

Easier to see the plan with a drawing over the photo

After Crazy Horse, we headed through Custer and turned east on 16A toward Custer State Park. It was time to drive the Needles Highway (Hwy-87). This road lived up to its reputation and is another not-to-be-missed scenic drives. Just spectacular scenery.

We stopped at the Sylvan Lake General Store for a very unmemorable reheated pizza lunch. But it was that or wait in a long line for a sit-down meal. After lunch we wandered down to Sylvan Lake for a look-see. Very picturesque.

Sylvan Lake

And then it was on to the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. We walked the Presidential Trail and photographed the faces from several angles. As the clouds passed over the sun, we got various lightings, too. All fantastic to see. However, poor Teddy was always in the shadows.

Yes, we were here!	The faces above the walk of flags
Poor Teddy was always in shadow for us	The evening ceremony

After we walked the trail and listened to a Ranger talk at Borglum’s Studio, we didn’t have much energy left to tour the Visitor Center. At least I didn’t. So back to the hotel for rest, relaxation, and supper. But we came back for the evening ceremony. Interesting to see the lighting, but I wouldn’t bother to come back to see it again unless we were staying much closer. It was very crowded and the talk wasn’t all that interesting to me.

[written 11/30/13 – long after the fact]

Custer SP & Mammoth Hot Springs

We started the day with a leisurely breakfast and then headed down toward Custer State Park. The plan for the day was to drive the Iron Mountain Rd and the Wildlife loop. Then head on down to Hot Springs to see the Mammoth Site. Actually, I lie - the plan for the day was to drive the Iron Mountain Rd and decide what’s next after that.

The Iron Mtn Rd is a beautiful drive with pigtail bridges and three tunnels situated such that you can view Mt Rushmore from them. A very well planned road built for the simple purpose of a scenic drive. We were enjoying the drive and had gone through two of the three tunnels, stopping to take pictures of Mt Rushmore. We were at an overlook prior to the third tunnel when a group of motorcyclists pulled in. One of them told us a vehicle was stuck in the tunnel and they were going to wait around the overlook. We figured we had better head back to the picnic area and the only restrooms we had seen so far before we got in line. That detour turned out to take just the right amount of time. Most of the traffic had cleared by the time we got to the tunnel, but it had stopped again and we were third in line. The plug was a truck & trailer which had been able to back out so the traffic could clear earlier. But now he needed to turn around and that took a little time and much, probably unnecessary, help.

Mt Rushmore from near the third tunnel

Waiting for the trailer to turn around

The official clearance for this tunnel is given as 13’4” wide and 12’4” high. But I’ll bet that doesn’t mean a long rectangular box of those dimensions would fit, because that trailer is certainly within those limits. Or maybe he couldn’t control it enough to center it in the tunnel. Or chickened out. I would not have even tried it with my 24’ class C.

After Iron Mtn Rd, we stopped at the Visitor Center in Custer State Park. We were trying to decide whether to take 16A through Custer and then Needles Hwy or take the Wildlife loop. The ranger said plenty of bison had been reported near the road as well as some pronghorn and mule deer. So we took the Wildlife Loop.

Near the beginning of the loop we saw a small herd of bison in the distance – my first sighting of the free roaming animal. We also saw a couple of pronghorn but not much else. However, when we got to the southern part of the loop, suddenly it’s bison all over. And, yes, I know, these bison are fed by the park and encouraged to stick around, but they are still a sight to see.

“Hey folks, these are wild animals!” and “Didn’t you read the signs saying ‘Don’t feed the donkeys’?”	A whole herd coming down the road toward us
This guy came really close	A lone bull we saw near the end of the loop. He seemed bigger than the other one.

At the end of the loop, it was decision time again. North or South? We opted to head south to Hot Springs. My sister had highly recommended going to the Mammoth Site there. That kind of thing appeals to me so off we went.

And now that I’ve been there, I have to agree with her – this site is fascinating. The actual (dried up) sinkhole is small, but the number and variety of skeletons found are amazing. I highly recommend taking the tour. It was both informative and entertaining. I could have lingered longer at the various points of interest, but it was probably long enough for most people. One tidbit we found interesting was that most of the mammoth skeletons came from “teenage” males. These are the ones who would have left their natal herd but hadn’t yet acquired the knowledge to “Stay away from that tempting vegetation over there. Something’s not right.”

Columbian mammoth skeleton	Columbian mammoth model based on a skeleton found in the sinkhole
In-situ bones and tusks	More bones and tusks

Finally, it was time to head toward home (hotel). We headed for US-385 to take advantage of easy driving. It was late afternoon and the angled sunlight made for some striking colors as it peeked through the clouds. I was able to get this shot through the windshield. I love the play of light between the bright green grass and the clouds above. The only enhancement done on the picture was to adjust the contrast to span the full range. These really were the colors.

143 mi, 7:03 hrs, 3.32 hrs moving

[written 11/24/13 – much after the fact]

A Down Day

Not down as in depressed, just down as in negligible sightseeing. We knew the time would come and had actually planned for it – it was *laundry day*. After a few wrong turns, we found the laundromat and did our several loads. Then back to the hotel to repack the big suitcase and the smaller day-to-day one.

After lunch at the Firehouse Brewing Co in downtown Rapid City, we decided it was too late to do much major sightseeing and just drove around the city a bit and headed back to the hotel for some catch-up time.

[written 12/12/13 – much after the fact. In fact, I had forgotten about it until I noticed the pictures skipped a day.]

Ground Zero of Pheasantdom

This was going to be a driving day, mostly on the interstate. While we were trying to avoid them, it couldn’t be avoided today. I wanted to drive through the Badlands NP and that’s right off I-90. It would have been a major pain to avoid I-90, do the Badlands, and still make it to Rapid City where we were spending Labor Day weekend.

But first, there was a stop in Gregory SD. Roadsideamerica.com said there was an outhouse museum there and who could pass up something like that? So off we went on the empty back roads. That emptiness proved a little too tempting to Ken. When we finally did see a car coming in the opposite direction, it turned out to be an officer of the law and you can imagine the result. We proceeded to Gregory at a more decorous pace.

Gregory turned out to have a couple of unexpected delights. As we were coming into town (actually bypassing it) on Hwy-47, we saw a big pheasant in a pocket park. Naturally, we had to stop and take a picture. Pheasants were introduced to South Dakota in 1898 and have flourished on the great plains. Gregory claims to be “ground-zero”.

Ring-necked pheasant. The state bird of SD

We found Main St and the Oscar Micheaux Center. The outhouses were supposed to be behind it. They were, but first we had to investigate the Center. Unfortunately it was closed, but next door was a lovely little garden walk which was billed as the “Black Walk of Fame”. Besides the star for Oscar Micheaux, there were stars for Hattie Davis, Tim Reid, and several others whose names I didn’t recognize.

The Black Walk of Fame

I don’t know how much longer this walk will be tended. The annual Oscar Micheaux film festival was cancelled this year and you have to wonder how much draw it had in this remote area anyway. Oh, Micheaux’s connection to the area? He briefly homesteaded in the region and was married here. He was away on business when his wife cleaned out his savings, left him, and his father-in-law sold his property. He then moved on to become a writer, film director, and producer. From the write-up in Wikipedia, he sounds like a remarkable man.

The outhouses were beyond the end of the walkway . They actually turned out to be a disappointment, but we dutifully took pictures.

Ken happy to be on the top half of the two story outhouse

The rest of the outhouses weren't too interesting...

Then it was back north to I-90 and west to Badlands NP. Ken had been through there in the past and wasn’t impressed (much more rocky splendor in AZ and UT), but I hadn’t been and I wanted to. So there.

In many respects, he was right – AZ has many more impressive rocks. But my imagination was caught by the idea of people migrating west. First they’re traveling across relatively flat, benign, and grassy plains. Then they’re in rocks. It must have been very shocking and discouraging.

Sights near the eastern entrance to Badlands National Park

Big Badlands Overlook

White River Valley Overlook

Roadside a bit west of Yellow Mounds Overlook

We finished off the Badlands with the requisite stop at Wall Drugs for some water and an ice cream cone. And this. I don't know how Ken talked me into riding the jackalope without reciprocating!

Mary Lou riding the Jackalope at Wall Drugs

We finally got into our hotel (Super 8) in Rapid City at 5:23pm. We will be staying here for the next four nights. I wanted to wait out Labor Day weekend and there is plenty to see in the area. Our luck continued to hold, however. Whenever we have an extended stay, either the room is so-so or the wi-fi is bad. It’s the wi-fi this time. The signal in our room (on one end of the building) is very weak, but if I walk to the other end, it’s strong. They obviously didn’t centrally mount their router.

380 mi, 9:14 hrs total, 6:02 hrs moving

[written 11/22/13 – long after the fact]

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Today was going to be a relatively short day with just two planned stops. The aim was to position ourselves in Mitchell SD for a longer drive tomorrow to Rapid City where we would spend Labor Day weekend. We would have gone further to better divide up the distance, but looking for hotels in smaller towns can be tricky. I’m starting to miss my motorhome.

Our first stop was gleaned from roadsideamerica.com – The International Vinegar Museum in Roslyn SD. It was my pick. I was really curious how an entire museum could be devoted to vinegar. Alas, my curiosity remains unsatisfied; the museum was closed. It’s only open T-F-S and we were there on W. So it’s on the road again.

The International Vinegar Museum, Roslyn, SD

We continued cruising south on Hwy-25 looking for a town to fill both the car and ourselves. Webster was too soon so we headed on to De Smet as the next town of any size. We filled up the car then stopped at a nearby diner (sorry, can’t remember the name now and neither Garmin or Google Maps show anything.) While eating, we noticed the placemats were making a big deal out of Laura Ingalls Wilder. So we asked at the register and it turns out De Smet was where she lived and they have a museum celebrating her.

I never read any of the “Little House on the Prairie” books, but Ken’s daughter really loved them as a child. We had plenty of time so we headed over to the “Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial” and took a tour. They had brought together several of the buildings mentioned in her books and were restoring them to the appropriate timeframes. It was a pretty interesting tour even though I didn’t know any of the references. It gave a great snapshot of a period in our history.

Surveyor's House - the house the Ingalls family lived
in the winter before moving out on the Prairie

“The House that Pa Built – 1887”

We ended up spending nearly two hours extra in De Smet but finally headed on the road to Mitchell SD and the Econo Lodge where we had reservations. That turned out to be a crummy hotel. Which is strange since the last two Econo Lodges we stayed in were pretty decent. I guess some franchise chains are not closely supervised.

After checking in and fiddling around getting the wi-fi to work, we headed out for supper and to see the Corn Palace (actually in the opposite order). The Corn Palace is a multi-purpose arena/facility that started out as a boosterism competition with Pierre. Each year new murals are designed by local artists. We were told that they weren’t as colorful this year due to the drought. All colors are from various plants – no dying allowed. Ken had visited it sometime in the past and said he remembers it as being more impressive. It’s still pretty neat.

293 mi, 4.33 hrs moving, 8:53 hrs total

[written 11/18/13 – long after the fact!]