South Dakota...Mt Rushmore and more

Continuing west, our next non Wal-Mart stop was going to be Rapid City, SD and hopefully Mt. Rushmore. Although, as we drive, the government is still shut down. We pulled into our RV park south of Rapid City, close to the entrance of Mt. Rushmore, and Custer State Park with weather that had turned rainy, cold, very windy and not expected to change for a couple of days.

Next day we woke to the same weather with wind blowing 20-30mph with gust up to 45mph. It was also the day Mt. Rushmore was going to reopen to visitors for 10 days due to local public funding. We checked the forecast and decided to wait another day to go.

The Mammoth Site

 

Columbian Mammoth

Head of a mammoth

Following morning was still cold, and the skies were gray. This time the forecast was promising a sunny day tomorrow. We opted to find something we could visit that would be indoors. With a little help from the RV park, we headed south to Hot Springs SD to visit the The Mammoth Site, a paleontology dig and museum. We threw our bathing suits in the car in hopes we could find a hot springs we could soak in.

The Mammoth Site turned out to be a wonderful experience. Seems because of the hot springs in the area, a sink hole was created about 26,000 years ago that drew many animals to it. If an animal fell into the sink hole, they could not get back out due to the steep sides and would drown.

 Over the thousands of years, the sink hole dried up and was covered over by soil. Fast forward to 1974 and a bull dozer digging in the area for a future housing development, when the driver discovered a mammoth tusk. The project was halted, and fortunately, through the work of local citizens, the Mammoth Site was preserved. Today it is the world's largest Columbian mammoth exhibit, and a world-renown research center for Pleistocene studies. The dig site is all enclosed within the building and each summer students from colleges come to continue digging.

Bear

  The majority of fossils found at the Mammoth Site are from the North American Columbian mammoth. Evidence of three woolly mammoths have also been discovered here, making this "east  meets west mammoth gathering" the first time both species have been found together. Fossils of other Ice Age animals have also been discovered: camel, llama, giant short-faced bear, wolf, coyote and prairie dog to name a few. Imprint fossils of bird feathers, complete fish skeletons, and thousands of mollusk shells have also been recovered.

Evans Plunge

Once we finished touring The Mammoth Site, we found “Evans Plunge” They had a large swimming pool fed from the natural hot springs where the water is a constant 87 degrees, and a couple of hot tubs. We made good use of both for a couple of hours.








 

Custer State Park

On our way back home, we passed through Custer State Park and were treated to seeing a lot of wonderful wildlife including buffalo, antelope, deer, hundreds of prairie dogs, and wild turkeys. Amazing how used to humans these animals have become…..we would stop to take a picture as they were feeding by the roadside and it was almost as if they would pose.

 

Mt. Rushmore

Our last day in the area, the sun was shinning and we headed out to
 see as much as we could. First stop….Mt. Rushmore. As we drove up Iron Mountain Road, about 5 miles before you actually get to the monument, you start to get glimpses. The road twists and turns and there are 5 single car tunnels you pass through that are strategically placed, with trees trimmed so you have the monument staring right at you as you drive through.

Deane has been here before, but it was a first for me and I was beyond amazed. The presentation and

story of how and why this carving was made was inspiring. When we were in Georgia and we saw the carving on Stone Mountain, I was just as struck and Mt. Rushmore is of equal beauty.

Gutzon Borglum was the sculptor hired to create this shrine of democracy. Starting in 1927, it took 14 years to complete and cost only $1 million.

As you arrive and walk toward Grandview Terrace, you pass through the Avenue of Flags where the flags of the 56 states and territories fly below the memorial. There is also a Presidential Trail that contains 250 steps, that takes you under and closer to the monument for a different perspective.

After watching the movie on how the monument was built and touring the museum, we headed onto Hill City where we had been given a suggestion for lunch. The Alpine Lodge is a German restaurant, well known for their desserts as well as food. The Ruben sandwich we shared was made with grilled pastrami and homemade sauerkraut. By the time we finished both the sandwich a salad, we had to pass on dessert….no room!

 

Crazy Horse Monument

Monument as it stands today

Fed and watered, we headed to Chief Crazy Horse monument. The Chief was a Oglala Lakota warrior and In 1929, Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, initiated the project to honor Crazy Horse
by writing to the Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, saying in part, "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too."

After making models, Ziolkowski started blasting for the monument in 1948, and today the monument still stands unfinished. It is being built on private property, with no State or Federal funds and

Monument sculpture as it
should look when completed

materials and equipment are from donations. There is controversy about Ziolkowski’s wife and 7 of their 10 children who continue to oversee the project. and the millions of dollars which the family has collected from the visitor center and shops associated with the memorial, and the amount of money being generated by Crazy Horse’s name.

The entire sculpture and the proposed college and infrastructure surrounding the mountain is a big undertaking and one that seems to be moving at a very slow pace. Deane said he had been there 20 years ago and he did not see any change or advancement.

Never one to pass up a winery if I see a sign…. we ended up in Custer, SD at Naked Winery tasting room, only to find out they were promoting an Oregon wine from Hood River!. Oh well, not to waste an opportunity, we tasted and chatted with the hostess there.


 

Lake Sylvan, Custer State Park

Leaving the wine tasting room, we worked our way back home though Custer State Park again, and
up to Sylvan Lake. A beautiful gem in the Black Hills. This lake took my breath away. Very small lake, at one end, a pier for fishing and at the other end, rock formations that have been sculpted by thousands of years of weather. The day was beginning its end, so the light on the very still water offered some great picture opportunities.

While we were there, there were just a few men fishing for trout
. They said in the summer the lake was busy with swimmers and people enjoying its beauty. There was no camping at the lake, but I could easily have parked the RV there for many days if they could all have been like the one we were lucky enough to have that day.

We took off for home the next day, two more Wal-Mart stops before we get to Spokane. But, we did veer off the main highway for a short visit to Devils Tower in Wyoming.

Got within a mile of the park, pulled off at a ‘photo op spot’ and because the temperature was only 34.…decided to continue west. Remembering the movie Close Encounters….I realized how special effects can make something look so much bigger than it really is.

Next stop Spokane Washington and seeing son Joe, Deanna, Alex and Austin. Have not seen them for over a year.