We spent the night at the Holy Smoke Campground. I rinsed the motorhome off and then we left for Keystone to do some shopping before we went to Mount Rushmore.
While in Keystone we went to the Borglum Museum to learn more about Mount Rushmore and the sculptor dedicated to this magnificent monument. Pictures were forbidden in most of the museum so we just enjoyed the self guided audio tour.
This was well worth going to see!
We left the museum (a little smarter than when we went in) and hit some of the jewelry shops along the street looking for some Black Hills Gold jewelry and anything else that sparks an interest. Sharon is a good shopper so I never worry about how much she will spend.
After we were tired of seeing the same things in different stores we left for Mount Rushmore and then on to the Crazy Horse Memorial. The parking lot was full with people just driving around trying to find some place to park at Crazy Horse. The rain & lightning moved in and it looked like it was there to stay for the day so we went on to Wind Cave NP. The temperature had dropped to around 60 degrees and the rain became intermittent as we traveled south to Wind Cave.
This is where we saw a big herd of Buffalo. We took a lot of pictures even though they never were really close to us.
While traveling across the lower western half of South Dakota we ran across many farms. Corn and soy beans seems to be the mainstay crops. There were miles of land which was void of any trees. Building houses during the mid to late 1800's must have been made from mud & grass due to the absence of trees. The land is still covered with grass as far as you can see. Another sight along the way was seeing a Casino when there wasn't a house, barn, or mobile home anywhere in sight for many miles. We were on a state highway, too.
Anyhow enjoy the pictures and comments, too.
I wasn't kidding about the name of the campground and that wouldn't be my way of describing it either. (Just the price)
Welcome to Mount Rushmore sign comes up on you really fast. To go to the Visitor Center you need to stay in the right lane. If you don't, the traffic backs up at the entrance, and you can't get back in the lane.
As soon as you see the monument and the size of it all, it is just breathtaking. How does one stay focused on the end result of a sculpture that will take many years to complete?
Here is another good view and a little closer.
This is an excellent view of the front of Mount Rushmore.
Here is a view from the side as we started around the mountain.
AND here is a view from the back side! (haha - just kidding)
There were many of these rock formations along the road as we left Mount Rushmore and drove to Crazy Horse's Memorial.
When the sculpture for Crazy Horse is complete it should look something like this sign at the entrance.
After several years the face is nearly complete.
As you can tell the rain has been coming down so we left without seeing everything.
At Wind Cave National Park, we spotted this herd of Buffalo off at a distance. With 2 trips into Yellowstone we only saw one buffalo. I guess they like the grass better in South Dakota.
This large bull must have weighed over a 1000 pounds.
The terrain across southwestern SD was pretty bland. Not much to look at but it is what we came to see regardless.
The rain stayed with us most of the day.
Sharon posing in front of this old farm car which gets driven annually in some kind of parade that they have in this area.
We had dinner at the diner close by.
When we finally reached I-90 we went to a diner before getting on the interstate.
Dinner was steak, potato, & a salad. Yum Yum!
We drove east on I -90 until we found a Rest Area where we spent the night.
It was a long day and we lost an hour when we crossed the Central Time Zone - sleep will come fast tonight!
Until the next adventure - stay tuned and HAPPY TRAILS!
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