Up at 5:00 again for an early Custer State Park Wildlife Loop.
hey, don't step on me...… (Brown-headed Cowbird)
Lewis's Woodpecker
Black Hills
The film of the making of the monument was just starting, so
we went there first. Then, they announced that the bus to the base of it was
leaving in 10 minutes so we got tickets to that. It took us closer to the
monument for a different view of it head on and our driver told us lots of
stories of the family and the ongoing task of finishing this monument with only
public money. It is not a government project as the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski refused their offer since
they pulled the plug on Mount Rushmore before it was finished and feared they
would do the same with Crazy Horse. After he died, his family continues his
work.
It was lunch time and we grabbed a delicious bite at the
Laughing Water Restaurant. We split a Native American Taco and the Native
American Stew made with buffalo. Both were very good. We then toured all the
museums there.
ride to the base of the mountain
what the finished sculpture will look like
lots of work to be finished
Native American Taco
Native
American Stew
They also had a couple of ladies perform Native dances
this was this young ladies first performance
Black Hills Nature Gates
Once we finished there we headed to Mount Rushmore. We stopped
for photos of the black Hills on the way.
you could see Washington from the viewpoint
arrival at Mount Rushmore
George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln
We watched the movie, walked the short trail of
presidents (the longer one was closed).
close-up of the eyes
Then we drove the Iron Mountain scenic road to Custer for
the tunnels and bridges.
This road was specifically designed with a tremendous amount of
curves to create switchbacks so people can enjoy the beauty of the
Black Hills. Some of the unique features include wooden structures,
called pigtail bridges, and one lane tunnels that were built to showcase Mt. Rushmore. These tunnels frame Mt. Rushmore
National Memorial like a picture frame.
look closely, you can see Mt Rushmore
from inside the tunnel - Rushmore is easier to see
we walked a short trail at a lookout
again, you can see Rushmore from the viewpoint
natural bridge
We grabbed a pizza at one of the general stores and drove
the Wildlife Loop. We saw lots of deer and many darted across the road in front of us. We also saw
tons of Pronghorn and then back to the burros. We saw no buffalo around this evening. We joked they were all in the buffalo coral.
Northern Flicker
Red-headed Woodpecker
We
drove home via the back road we took in the first day. (less deer to avoid)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LAHrczVX4bCeEmAz7
Tomorrow we are headed to Badlands National Park. The weekend is scheduled
to be cool and stormy so we are trying to fit in everything important while the
weather is good.
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