Homeward Bound-Day 6

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Today we are traveling to Buffalo, Wy via Rt 16 East, Rt 90, then Rt 16 South Dakota to Mt. Rushmore. After reaching Buffalo, heading toward Rt. 90, we came upon Bighorn National Forest. What a wonderful surprise it was. We traveled the canyon floor, up the canyon walls, and across the rim of the canyon. All offering incredible scenery. At the top of the rim we went across a 10,000 foot mountain pass, descending into red rock country and to a small town of Tensleep. One of our pictures describes how the town was named, it makes sense after you read it. Traveling on I-90 is nice as we can travel 75 mph, but we elected to take scenic route 16 to head towards our next attraction-Crazy Horse. We entered the town of Custer on our way to the Crazy Horse Monument and noticed the blight caused by beetles to the Ponderosa Pines in the Black Hills area. The Crazy Horse monument is a colossal endeavor initiated by native Americans in response to U.S. government's Mt. Rushmore. The Crazy Horse Sculpture was started in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowsi. It is supported by private funding only and might only be 20% complete. The sculpture is taller than the Washington Monument in D.C. And the Pyramids in Egypt. The entire Mt. Rushmore sculpture would fit in the neck of Crazy Horse. Next we visited Mt. Rushmore which was carved by Gutzon Borglum between 1927 and 1941 with the help of 400 workers and U.S. government funding. By selecting four great presidential figures for the carving, the sculptor and his two sponsors "sought to create an eternal reminder of the birth,(Washington)growth,(Jefferson -Louisiana Purchase) preservation (Lincoln)and development(Roosevelt)of a nation dedicated to democracy and the pursuit of individual liberty." We spent the night in Rapid City positioned for our next day excursion to the Badlands National Park and the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

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Photos

Portrait of Korczak Ziolkowski and his wife
Sculptured Crazy House