Friday, 7/18/97
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Slept in this morning, then drove around to all the civilized attractions that we could:
Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, the Wood Carving Museum, and Jewel Cave National
Monument. That with all the driving between them took all day.
Each place was worth the visit and each provided unexpected surprises.
On the road leading to Mount
Rushmore, we spotted two mountain
goats grazing right between the road and a rock face a foot or two from the road. They
did not seem to mind it when we stopped the car right across the road from them and took pictures. They were beautiful creatures with a snow white coat and sharp black dagger like horns.
As we drove up to the entrance to Mount Rushmore, there
were signs indicating that the parking fee was $5.00 in the lot next to the Visitor Center and Gift Shop, but that there was a fee-free lot a 1/5th
of a mile further on and down hill. The lower lot would require a walk up several
hundred stairs to get up to the Visitor Center. We picked the free lot, thinking
that we did not mind stairs and that way the less agile folks could park up close. We
discovered that the lower lot was located right next to the building that was the Artist's Studio, a significant part of the
visit to Mt. Rushmore. There was a Park Ranger giving a very interesting presentation
with props and samples showing how the sculpture was carved, or more accurately, drilled, blasted and jack hammered. The Artists Studio held an interesting museum with scale models and other exhibits.
We then walked up the stairs leading toward the Visitor
Center and saw people who had parked in the fee lot walking
down the stairs to get to the Artist's Studio. So they paid five bucks for the
privilege of walking down the stairs and then back up to get back to their car, and we parked for free and walked up the same
stairs first, then after our visit, back down to our car. Of course there was
also a boardwalk/trail leading up toward the base of the mountain that was labeled as strenuous, but gave different views
of the famous four faces far above. So we walked that before we went to the Visitor Center and found one of the views was from a rock cave allowing you to peek up at George and Abe through a crevice.
When we got to the Visitor Center, we got some ice cream that we attempted to eat outside. The difficult part was to beat the heat. The ice cream
was melting faster than we could eat it. It was also very rich and we both quit
and had to discard the last half of the cream soup.
We then drove to the Crazy Horse Memorial, located 34 miles west of Mt. Rushmore. This huge
monument to the Native American leader is privately run and funded entirely with the entry fees and donations. It is a long way from finished, but it will eventually be a real mountain converted into a huge statue
of the noble Indian mounted horseback. Right now just the Face is finished and
all four of the nearby Presidential Faces would fit inside the space it takes up. There
was a $12 entry fee to drive into where the Visitor Center is, which provides nice views of the mountain still being carved
away. They have been working on it for thirty years and expect to still be working
on it for decades to come.
The Visitor Center has exhibits and photos and a film all about the project which includes an eventual College Campus dedicated
to Education for Native Americans. and adjacent to the Visitor Center are several
buildings with Native American Museums and Crafts Shops that were also very much worth your time and entry fee. Just about the time that we had determined that we were glad we had paid that fee, we discovered that for
an additional $2.50 each we could ride a special bus up a private dirt road to the base of the mountain. We bit. Don't be turned off by this bait and switch tactic. Pay the extra fee. The bus goes up much
closer and then the driver stops at the base, lets every one out and gives an informal but personable discussion on the project
that you don't get back at the crowded Visitor
Center.
We had lunch in their restaurant. Brennan had a Buffalo Burger and Bob
had Tatanka Stew on Indian Fry Bread. On our way out, we selected our "Piece
of the Mountain" rocks. Interesting solution they have for getting rid of the
tons of rock blasted away from the mountain as they reveal the Spirit of Crazy Horse on his mount that clearly is inside that
mountain. They bring the chunks of rocks down to the Visitor Center, put them in a bin at the exit and with instructions for visitor to pick a rock that fits their personality and
take it home with them as a free souvenir. We bought two tee shirts in one of
the Indian Craft shops. We guys just don't know how to shop. There were so many interesting things and we buy a couple of tee shirts.
The Wood Carving Museum was mostly displays of the clever creations of a lifetime
of one artist. Some of the exhibits were animated, being activated by either
one of the four wooden tokens that you get with your admission, or a quarter from your pocket.
The strategy to employ here is to follow close behind another group so they pump the coin-ops.
We arrived at Jewel Cave National
Monument with
twenty minutes until the Scenic Tour at 4:00 pm. We could get tickets to that tour here, or quickly drive to the other entrance a mile
away to see if we could get into the Candle Light Tour, also starting at 4:00 pm. Choices, Choices, Choices!
We decided there were no wrong answers other than for Bob to try the Spelunking Tour.
They had a Concrete Block Crawl Through Test in the lobby area. If you
could fit through the opening then you were eligible to participate in that tour. Brennan
shot though on his tummy with no trouble, but Bob could not even get his shoulder blades to pass. And that was starting head first.
We enjoyed the Scenic Tour and were back out to the car at 5:30 pm. Dark clouds to the South West indicated approaching thunderstorms
but to the East of us and directly above us was just a light gray overcast. We decided to head for the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park to see if we could encounter some evening sightings.
On the way, we passed through the town of Custer,
spotting a Pizza Hut. Brennan mentioned that he had not had pizza since we left
home two weeks ago, so we stopped for dinner. Service was a little slow ... we
had been given menus and were ready to order, but our waitress was not in sight. During
the long wait, we discovered that the menus slid easily on the table so we were sliding then back and forth just for the fun
of it when another waitress came over to say, "Are you ready to order?" My reply,
"Yes, what was your first clue?" She went off to find the waitress assigned to
our table.
Still no one came to take our order, so we began spinning our menus on the table.
Eventually, the spinning menus came too close together and collided, shooting off in opposite directions. One headed for the wall, the other toward the aisle. We both
reacted with quick reflexes, Brennan stopping one, Bob grabbing the other, then both of us quickly looking innocent as if
nothing had happened. Brennan said, "Yes, Mother!", as if we had been admonished
for misbehaving.
As we departed the Pizza Hut, we noticed that the sky above us was still showing dark clouds moving in the same direction
we were going. We headed on toward the Wildlife Loop Road, with a side trip up the Mt. Coolidge Tower Road. At the
top, it was quite windy and -- really dark to the South West of us, with lightning flashes going down to the ground from the
clouds that were actually lower over the valley than we were up on this mountain. We
got nervous about the exposure to the oncoming storm, quickly getting into the car and down off the mountain. But of course we were not ready to give up on the Wildlife Loop Road.
Distances out here are just longer than you anticipate, even though the map tells you it is 16 miles to here and 25
miles to there and you are still inside the same State Park and still getting further away from camp, also in the park. As we found the beginning of the Wildlife Loop Road, the storm caught up with us. Heavy
rain with skies darkened and winds blowing. But, being who we are, we just turned
on the fog lights and kept going.
Through miles of beautiful countryside we had only seen a few mule deer. Finally,
we came upon about a half dozen bison grazing on the roadside. No fence, this
is their territory. The cars and people are the visitors. By now it was late evening and with the rain and clouds and setting sun, there was not enough light to
take decent pictures. But it was still a great experience to see these massive
creatures just a few feet away as we drove by.
We finished the Wildlife Loop and drove back to camp at Sylvan Lake in the dark via Needles Highway, a road with sharp turns and skinny tunnels and overlooks
and cathedral spires of rock all over the place. It will be an enjoyable ride
tomorrow in the daylight. This night it is an adrenaline pumping adventure.
We got back to camp at 9:00 pm and
Brennan discovered a moth zipping about inside the trailer. He went after it
with a fly swatter instead of with a moth swatter which must account for why he kept missing.
Eventually, as he tried to imitate a Gatling Gun with the flimsy plastic swatter, we both broke out into hysterics. As he kept trying to swat this acrobatic moth, Bob picked up the other fly swatter
to help. Immediately, a second moth appeared and we both collapsed in laughter
again. Somehow, Brennan caught one in midair with a mighty swing and the other
disappeared at the same instant. The flaming remains of the first moth were found
and disposed of.
It is still raining and flashing lightning and banging thunder outside, but it is 10:00 pm so it is time to stop writing.
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p.s. 10:20 pm
The second moth reappears. Brennan is already asleep so Bob goes after
it. Moth number two shot down and splattered all over the cover of this journal. Clean up your writing, Bob! Then bed time.
