Day 58 - Deadwood - Badlands National Park

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We woke up to a downpour which made packing and loading up a bit interesting, before we headed to 2 places we skipped the day before to reach Deadwood. First up was <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crazy Horse Memorial. A mountain monument started in the '40s and still being made with no Government funding - just the interested public's donations and vistor fees.

Only the face has been completed, but only as recent as 1998, and it stands proudly overlooking the Black Hills of South Dakota<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Mount Rushmore itself can fit in <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crazy Horse's head alone! There is a viewpoint in and outside of the visitor centre, with a small replica statue standing there to give everyone an idea of what the final outcome will look like, but it is unknown when that will be.

At the visitor center, I did my bit by buying 22 state patches for the ones I'd missed and needed to get for more next camp blanket. With the money I spent, I should have a plaque or a mention!!!

Like many millions of others, the memorial had captured my imagination and added to my growing fondness of the Native Americans.

The next stop was <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mount Rushmore, which was actually smaller than expected, a little like the White House back in DC, but still looked impressive to look at. Like most American landmarks, the tourist side of things occupied the walkway up to the viewpoint, with a large visitor centre, gift shop and cafeteria. But when you pass all that and just look on at the landmark itself, you just forget about the rest, and look on in amazement.

Back in the gift shop I managed to get a small necklace with Grace's name on it, but its intended for 12 year old and over!

Out of the two monuments, <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mt. Rushmore was more famous, but I prefer <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crazy Horse, mainly because of the more incredible story and history behind it.

We then headed through <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Badlands National Park and took in a small hike, which turned out to be pretty impressive, except for the ladder needed to get up, and then down later, a small canyon on the walk. My new <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Indy senses were tested here!

We were the only ones on the tour, and at the end we reached a cliff edge that overlooked the Badlands below and Todd even decided to climb up one of the cliff walls that surrounded us. When we headed back, we then moved onto our KOA campsite, where we were positioned right at the back of the site right on our own. We also had to contend with many cicalas that wanted to bother us constantly.

It was Group A's turn to cook, but we lost Sumi to a finger injury and Joanna to illness, so Kristina and I were left to try and cook raw meatballs, with neither of us having cooked properly in our lives. Sarah offered to help, but that didn't stop me from undercooking many, it turned out, meatballs and almost poisoning the group.

In the end, nearly every one's meatballs were thrown back in the pans and Steve took over from me. I insisted that everyone should get their meals before I ate, but Steve was not having it, and saved the day.

I was very down after that and draped my sorry self to the nearest shower building to try and freshen up.

Only when I returned I discovered that I was metres from a snake (someone said a rattlesnake, but I doubt the seriousness of that), which scared the bejebus out of Kylie as well as Annabel, Steve, Scott as they headed over for the washing up.

On my return from the shower I zipped myself in my tent and sorted out the patches I bought and the rest of my rucksack and suitcase, whilst having to keep lowering the fly nets for more air as it was so humid. Zach and Mark were outside at the picnic tables, and seemed to keep having cicalas fall on them.

Only Scott was unfazed by this buggers, taking great amusement in flicking them off at regular intervals. Pretty soon one of the fuckers fell from above into a portable cooker which was still on, and we all heard the screeching sound it made as it fried to death.

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