Mt Rushmore, Custer and Crazy Horse

It was a busy day yesterday as we wanted to visit the big three attractions in the Black Hills. We started out at at 9 AM and drove to Rapid City to pick up the start of the huge circle we would travel during the day. First on the list was Mt Rushmore and we took the scenic highway to get there, which was a beautiful, winding road that took us through several rock tunnels like this:

until we finally came upon the entrance to Mt Rushmore:

We had visited here 20 years ago (while traveling from WA to Patty's wedding in IL) and we could hardly believe the changes and improvements. It used to be just a gift shop and visitor's center with a gravel path to the foot of the Monument, but now it is a long and very nice walkway with many memorials and attractions along the way. Below is a shot of the entryway:

and then the Avenue of the States where each state was represented with the state flag and it's entry into the Union information:

The Memorial was spectacular and is still a marvel of engineering and construction:

After leaving the Memorial, we could still see it in the distance as we traveled toward Custer State Park. These were pictures we took as we were getting further and further away:

Eventually, we arrived at the entrance to Custer State Park:

We really didn't know what to expect while driving through the Park. For starters, we were charged $12 ($6 each) for a 7 day pass to the Park. We were sure that most people, like us, were only here for one day so why have a 9 day pass. We took the wildlife loop in the Park, and although it was scenic and a very nice drive:

it was not as nice as Yellowstone - we got spoiled. We came upon this group of burros that were insistant on getting into your face - inside of your vehicle:

The other wildlife we saw were lots of Pronghorn:

and lots of Buffalo, most of which were confined in these corrals:

We felt sorry for all these Buffalo that were rounded up and placed in the areas where they couldn't roam in a natural environment. We couldn't understand why there were some that were allowed to roam and these that were confined.

After stopping for a picnic lunch in the Park, we left to go to our final stop, the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is a Memorial that is being done nearly the same way as Mt Rushmore, except it is being done with all private funds and will take from 35 to 45 more years to complete. This is the status as of today:

If you click on this link - "Crazy Horse" - you will get a feel for what it will look like at completion. It probably will not be completed in my lifetime. It will be a great accomplishment for our kids, grandkids, and beyond to see and enjoy.

We had a terrific time and really enjoyed the whole day and were glad we took the extra time to stop and visit these amazing attractions in a beautiful area such as the Black Hills.

It's off to Sioux Falls for today, and we hope to leave by 9 AM, which should get us there in mid afternoon. Until tomorrow...