A Monumental Post

We visited two amazing US National Park Service monuments and a private monument in the last two days. On day one it was Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The next day we saw Devil's Tower in eastern Wyoming. After two years of social distancing and quarantine, the crowds took some adjustment. Both of the national monuments parks were very crowded. In the Badlands there were a lot of people, but things were spread out and I didn’t feel so congested. At Mount Rushmore and Devil’s Tower there were only a few places to go. Marty and I took the night to decompress and relax.

Rushmore is iconic, and there is a nice walk you can take to view the sculpture from all angles very close below it. The pictures here give only a few of the views.

Mount Rushmore - The Iconic View

Mount Rushmore - The Washington Nasal Hair View

Mount Rushmore - Stairs To The Presidents

Can we fit any more faces on Mt. Rushmore

We visited the Crazy Horse Monument after Mount Rushmore. I wish I could have spent more time there. The monument grounds has a museum that houses native artifacts from all over North America, as well as an Indian school. The monument's sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, a first generation Pole, was asked by the Tribal Leaders to create the monument. He started it in 1948 and only the face of the tribal leader is done, with a bare outline of some of the rest visible. It is a work in progress with the Ziolkowski family continuing the dream. When it's done it will be an astounding sight that maybe our grandchildren will be able to enjoy.

The Crazy Horse Monument, from afar

Inside the Indian Museum of North America

Korczak Ziolkowski - A man with a jackhammer, some TNT, and a dream

We spent the night between the Black Hills monuments and Devil's Tower in Deadwood, South Dakota. Deadwood was a gold mining town. Wild Bill Hickok was gunned down there. Today it is a gambling resort. Deadwood is a Harley Davidson place to be. We decided to take the trolley into downtown from our campground. The trolley serves all the hotels and resorts near Deadwood to keep the drunks off the road. Though we didn't imbibe much, the trip back to camp was a hoot listening to the people who'd had one drink too many!

The Deadwood Strip

At the Campground, I met my first professional rodeo rider. She is a barrel racer. She keeps her horses in Montana. She hurt her knee and told us the story of her rodeo ride in Las Vegas. Getting in the spirit for Calgary!

If you've seen the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, you know Devil's Tower. It's a giant tower of volcanic rock that stands out from its surroundings. It's quite impressive close up, and trails let you get right to the base of it. It's also possible to climb it, and people from ages 6 to 90 have. I'd be terrified to even try!

Devil's Tower from afar

Devil's Tower - Could you climb it?