Crazy Horse and other sights to see

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The Crazy Horse Memorial was an impressive sight. It’s more than just a mountain being carved. There were displays to view, movies to watch and an evening laser-light storytelling projected onto the side of the mountain. It is funded by donations and ticket sales. They have turned down Federal funds. The Crazy Horse Memorial is visible from the highway, so we saw it multiple times as we drove different places.

We drove to Mount Rushmore on a cold windy evening. We took the scenic route with lots of twists and turns up the mountain. The light was fading when we arrived, so we didn’t take any pictures. Besides the view of Mt Rushmore there are movies to watch and various displays. It was fascinating to see how it was carved. We had been told that the evening lighting ceremony was something to be sure to see. The night we were there the wind was fierce and cold. We sat in the grandstand and watched/listened for a while. Then we moved up along the side of a building to try and get a little bit out of the wind. They were unable to show the movie due to the wind. I could picture having a very different experience on a balmy summer night, but all I wanted to do was get back to the warm car and crank up the heater.

Wind Cave National Park is worth spending some time touring. If you want to see stalagmites and stalactites, go to a different cave. If you want to see some different formations, go to Wind Cave. The tour we took had a lot of Boxwork, which was impressive to see. In other areas there are other unique formations, but it is the Boxwork that makes this cave so rare. It is currently the fourth longest cave in the world. It has 124 miles of mapped passages. It all occurs within a square mile. Our guide Bonnie was extremely knowledgeable. She explores caves in her spare time and had been in hundreds of caves around the world.

We have continued to experience weather that is different from home. The wind is something that has finally settled down. Yesterday we had hail again. It was an afternoon of varying intensity storms. We received 3.5 inches of rain yesterday and watched water pouring down the street.

Currently we’re in Deadwood. We did a walking tour of the town, went to a play and made a small donation to a casino. Actually, I made the donation and George left ahead by 50 cents. We saw the play The Trial of Jack McCall for the Shooting of Wild Bill Hickok. It was a fun play with lots of audience participation.
Next we’re heading to Devils Tower and various places in Wyoming.

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Photos

Scale model and Crazy Horse Monument
It was great to see the artist's concept displayed in the foreground and the mountain carving in the background.

Crazy Horse Memorial
It has been 60 years since the sculptor began work on this mountain. His wife and children continue with his vision.

Buffalo sign
It's a good reminder, as they seem so docile when they are grazing along side the roadway.

Buffalo by road
We saw buffalo frequently near the road. They were oblivious to cars. We've seen them run across a field to catch up to other Buffalo that had crossed a road. When the get to the road they slow down and cross it carefully, usually to the delight of the traffic they are holding up.

Mt Rushmore Tunnel
One of the roads leading to Mount Rushmore has lots of warning signs at the beginning of the road. The road has a lot of hairpin turns and some single lane narrow and low tunnels. We were fine in our car, but the RV would never have made it. The first time we saw Mount Rushmore was when we came out of one of these tunnels. It was still off in the distance, but it was a great way to have the first viewing.

Boxwork
We've been in a few different caves over the years and initially I wasn't interested in spending time underground on this trip. I read someone else's blog about Wind Cave and decided it was worth the time. I was not disappointed and would like to go back another time to see other areas.
This is a unique formation in Wind Cave. It's called Boxwork.

Wind Cave
Some areas are lower than other areas. I never had to duck and George managed to duck at all the right times.

Wind Cave elevator
We were on the LL and 200 feet below ground. We wondered where exactly this elevator had gone to! Maybe Gilligan's cavern? A three hour tour?

Lynne and Lizzie
This is a few spaces away from where we were camped. It had more chipmunk activity, so we had to go and check every time we walked by. Lizzie loves to check the holes in the ground to see if they are occupied. She gets so excited when she finds a fresh scent, that her antics make us laugh.

Black Hills
The Black Hills are covered in pine trees that are a dark green. The hills look black when ever there is a shadow on them. The color of the rock and soil varies, but rarely seems to be black or dark colored.