Started out the day with a trip to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. My mom had made the trip here a few years ago with my oldest sister and once told me this was one of the places I had to see. My son-in-law was up here for Sturgis this year and recommended that we do the Needle Highway. After having a quick breakfast, a few snacks packed in the cooler with extra water and a couple of cups of coffee, we were out the door with map in hand and routes planned out.
Mount Rushmore, there were two fascinating things we discovered. One was seeing Gutzon Borglum's original model for the sculpture, which included Washington’s full buttoned jacket and Lincoln holding his lapel. The other was that there is a room behind the monument that holds records of the history of the monument and also the history of our nation. Paul insisted we do the audio tour ... it was well worth every penny. The narrative explanations and information given at the 28 visual locations was not only informative but interesting. As we arrived here, I spotted a momma mountain goat with her baby. This just added to my enjoyment of the trip! As Paul will say "That was Jo's FAVORITE part! She just "wheeeed"!
After Mount Rushmore we decided to take the scenic route to Crazy Horse via Iron Mountain Road and on the edge of Custer State Park then up Needle Highway. This was awesome with hair-pin turns, "pigtail" bridges and mile high overlooks. The tunnels along this route are one lane, eight to nine foot wide with heights of ten to twelve feet! Paul actually had to put in the mirrors on the truck in one tunnel, just to be safe!
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| GPS route |
The “needles” were fascinating. Natures sculptures far surpass anything man-made in my opinion! The spires raising in the air were breathtaking and seeing the balance of rocks that stand the test of time is unimaginable.
We did not spot any buffalo, but at one stop I did manage to get a small ground squirrel to take a piece of bread from my hand. Paul noted in my typing, that it's strange that buffalo is the plural of a single buffalo. We spotted a picnic area called “The Hole in the Wall” and that’s exactly what it is! I’m so glad that Kevin suggested we take this route, it was so much more interesting and eye pleasing then the shorter more direct one.
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| It's a "Hole in the wall!" |
Arriving at the Crazy Horse monument I wasn’t sure what to expect. Having seen the pictures that my mom took a couple of years ago on her trip here, I wasn’t sure how much more progress had been made. To my surprise, this monument will not be finished in my lifetime. It is not federally funded nor does it have any taxpayer monies being used to fund its creation. Even though the progress is slow, it is still something worth seeing. It will also be a three dimensional sculpture, unlike Mount Rushmore that is only one sided, and will be about ten times the size of Mount Rushmore. The Crazy Horse area will also include a Medical School, a University and many educational buildings.
We arrived home tired and filled with awe of the sights we have seen today.
Stay tuned for more sightseeing updates as the week progresses!
Jo
Nice pictures! At first i thought that picture of Paul in the "hole in the wall" was Paul pretending to be holding a gun. lol
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of fun & adventure! Glad you two are doing well.