South Dakota Wrap-up

Posted on February 7, 2011February 7, 2011 by Dusty Roads

This vacation can be summed up in one word…AMAZING! It was so much more than I expected. What a journey of perception to go from “What’s in South Dakota” to “Amazing”.

Everyone’s hot button will be different but for me it’s animals…all kinds of animals. If I’m in Florida I’m always on the look out for creatures, ‘gators, birds, snakes ; when we go to Alaska I’ll want to see seals, sea birds , bears maybe whales and walrus but I didn’t know what to expect in South Dakota.

I think I loved the Wild Horses the best

Racing the Wind

followed by those funny little prairie dogs.

But seeing buffalo in the wild ,

not a zoo was really something as were the “beggin’ burros of Custer State Park.

Of course it is “where the deer and the antelope play”.

I couldn’t help but compare my Pronghorn experience in Arizona with the Pronghorn experience in South Dakota. In South Dakota there were Mule Deer, White tail and antelope around every turn. Some even seemed to be posing for the photo ops, very few seemed skittish..

Sometimes it seemed like they were as busy watching us as we were them. In Arizona I saw 1 pronghorn way off in the distance and 1 mule deer family while I was on a tour bus at the grand canyon. The difference is notable.

We didn’t eat in fancy restaurants but the food was good and everyone we met was nice and helpful. The Foothills Inn was clean and everything as promised. Our stay there was very pleasant. I have no complaints.

Mount Rushmore takes your breath away when you see it for the first time. It is truly a monument for the ages. I only wish the weather had been better when we visited the mountain. Maybe next trip. Sorry I missed the Needles Highway but Iron Mountain Road was a great experience. Had our budget and time allowed, we definitely should have included a visit to Crazy Horse and not just the drive by. Next time?

Keystone to Hill City and back on a vintage train. The 1880 Train did not disappoint.

It was a relaxing ride through the Blackhills while the narrators gave us quick bits and stories sprinkled with lots of humor.

The caves, Wind Cave and the mining tunnel at Thunder Falls…both interesting and worthwhile visits. There are still many more caves in the area to explore as well as more passages and tours in Wind Cave. I guess you could say we only “scratched the surface”.

The Mammoth Dig isn’t a cave but it’s a great indoor activity for a rainy day. Well worth a visit.

Rapid City is a great city.. We only just touched on what there is to do. I’ve heard there’s shopping and art but we only had the one day so we got to visit Skyline Dr and Dinosaur Park,

checked out the presidents in downtown

and ended at the Journey Museum.

The city has a beautiful park as we learned on our trolley ride and so much more that we missed.

It deserves more than one day. To paraphrase a saying…so much to see, so little time J

I can’t forget to mention the “Longest Dirt Road” that crossed Pine Ridge Reservation and meeting with members of the tribe. A nice, nice memory! Maybe next time we’ll find a Pow-Wow and visit Wounded Knee.

We need another visit to Wall Drug with it’s “Free Ice water” . Great souvenir shopping so bring your wallet! They are also online. www.walldrug.com

Last but certainly not least was magnificent scenery of the Badlands. That rugged beauty impressed me as much as the Grand Canyon but in a different way.

I’m so glad I have so many pictures and wonderful memories. My friends said I wouldn’t want to come back to New England. Well, I wasn’t ready to leave South Dakota, there was still so much to see and do, as one of my readers expressed as they told us of waterfalls and sights we missed, but I am not ready to move there. LOL I would consider a 2^nd vacation and next time someone says to me “what’s in South Dakota I’ll know just what to say…”So much you just won’t believe it ‘til you see it!”

That about sums up the South Dakota vacation. It’s time to start planning the May trip to Sedona, Arizona. I also have some day trips coming up that I will fill you in on as they roll around. As always suggestions, comments , cheers and jeers and welcome. I hope I’ll be hearing from you, my readers!J

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Just a quick reminder…there’s only a few more days to vote for your favorite name for the Prairie Dog.

Prairie Dog with Flower

You’ll find the poll on the archive site: http://aroundustyroads.blogspot.com

Mount Rushmore National Monument, South Dakota

Posted on January 27, 2011January 27, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Back when I wrote about the carving on Stone Mountain, Ga. I introduced you to mountain artist and sculpture, Gutzon Borglum. At that time I said we would meet up with Mr. Borglum again in a later post in South Dakota. Well, that time is now.

Gutzon Borglum is the man who made Mount Rushmore possible. Borgum explored mountains and spires through out the Needles and Black Hills before he spotted Mount Rushmore.

Once the mountain of granite was chosen, Borglum had to decide who would be on it. Borglum explained his choices this way: Washington because he is the father of our country, Jefferson because he expressed our beliefs in the Declaration of independence and expanded our territory with the Louisiana Purchase. Lincoln was chosen for preserving the union and Teddy Roosevelt because he fulfilled the expansionist’s dream by linking the oceans with the Panama Canal”

Periodically there are suggestions to add a 5^th head but that can’t happen. The area of usable granite is taken up entirely by the existing 4 heads. The original vision was for the men to be full body but money was always an issue.

Go to the auditorium at Mount Rushmore and watch the film about the carving of the mountain. It is fascinating and educational.

When we arrived at Mount Rushmore we found a modern parking garage and visitor centers with cafeteria, auditorium and gift shops. It was cold and rainy and I believe I even saw a tiny snow flake or two. It certainly felt like it was cold enough.

I loved the Avenue of the States, the walkway lined with granite pillars. Each Pillar was carved with 4 states and the date they joined the union. Each State’s flag flies from the pillar. The view was just what you see in the Movie National Treasure, Book of Secrets with Nicolas Cage.

We followed the trail to the Native American village but it was closed. Still we took a moment to get some pictures. Then we followed the board walk up the mountain to get a bit closer to the monument itself. At one point there was a small side spur that led into a cave. You could see the carving through a crack in the cave ceiling. I met a couple of young men in the cave and we walked with them for a bit. When we came to the stairs up the face of the monument, Sandy and I decided to pass on the climb but our young escorts went on.

We went back down the boardwalk to have dinner in the cafeteria and warm up before we went to sit outside for the lighting of the Monument.

BoardWalk

Somehow, somewhere one of us had heard that this was quite spectacular . We still had time to spare and since it was quite cold outside we explored the book store and souvenir shops.

Washington's Head from inside the cave

We finally ended up on the upper level of the visitor center. There were benches facing a large window through which you could see the carving. We could stay in here and be warm for the lighting but we wouldn’t be able to hear the ranger’s speech. I took advantage of the seating and sat down. As I looked up at the carving I thought I saw a flash of light like a camera flash. I kept watching the area and pretty soon I thought I saw someone step out in the open and then duck back behind a tree. This happened a couple of times so I spoke up and asked if anyone else had seen this. At first everyone told me it was my imagination but when it happened again I pointed it out.

By now everyone around me was watching the rubble under the faces where the “action”: was taking place. Once we saw this a couple of more times and it was confirmed that there was someone up there, one of the others watching went to the Ranger and asked him about it. He said they were aware of the climbers and that it was illegal to leave the path and climb out like that. A “retrieval” team was on it’s way to apprehend the trespassers. The Ranger said that fines for this violation start at $250.00. We learned the description of the 2 interlopers and it sounded suspiciously like our two young escorts! They will have a nice fine to remember their little adventure.

The rain was coming down harder now so I asked the ranger what to expect from the Lighting. He said it was a brief ceremony and then they turned on the lights so the monument could be seen in the dark. No fireworks, no lasers, just a few spotlights.

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I carried this information back to Sandy and we decided not to hang around any longer. It was a long drive back to Rapid City and the weather was turning very nasty. It turned out to be a very wet and rainy drive .

I’m glad we didn’t stay any later than we did.

Iron Mountain Road, Black Hills, South Dakota

Posted on January 26, 2011January 26, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Leaving the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary we made one brief stop at Crystal Falls and headed north to have our “official” Mount Rushmore experience as opposed to our “Accidental” visit when we first got here.

Crystal Falls, SD

As we approached Custer State Park we were treated to a majestic buck and his entourage. I pulled over and grabbed the camera. That buck wasn’t intimidated at all. In fact, as I came around the car to get a better angle he actually stepped forward, head up as if he were challenging me. He stood and stared while I took picture after picture before he turned and led his little band off.

Mule Deer Buck

Mule Deer

As I returned to the car I noticed for the first time that we had company. Other cars had pulled over to watch this brazen buck. As I returned to the car, the other cars pulled out and passed me. I collected their waves and thumbs up with pleasure.

Back in the car we soon came to the entrance to Custer State Park. Going left into the Park would take us on the Wildlife Loop Road that we toured with Dan and going right would take us up Iron Mountain Road to Mount Rushmore. So today it was a right turn for us.

Iron Mountain Road is part of RT 16A and The Norbeck Scenic Byway which also includes the Loop road and Needles Highway. The road climbs steeply up the mountain through one lane tunnels, be sure you honk your horn, over pigtail bridges and around horseshoe curves. The pigtail bridges are really interesting as they go over their own road so as we went over the bridge we could look down on the cars that were following us up the mountain.

The tunnels are lined up so that they frame Mount Rushmore and it’s tempting to stop for a photo op. I’m sure some people do but that day the traffic was very steady and it didn’t seem safe to stop. Needless to say, I have no pictures of this drive. I had both hands on the wheel and Sandy was white-knuckled in the passenger seat. She doesn’t like heights and this road was playing right into her worst phobias. I think anyone prone to car sickness should avoid this route too but I had a great timeJ We saw some RV’s trying it on for size and I suppose if your really careful and have good brakes that you’ll be fine but I wouldn’t do it. I’d leave the RV at home and rent a car for the day to make the drive.

At the top of the mountain is The Norbeck Observation Point. It has a well paved parking lot and rest rooms. There’s a trail down to an observation deck with awesome views. It was really cold up there on the mountain so we didn’t linger for too long. Besides, we had a date with 4 handsome men on a mountain.

I am adding 1 more picture to this post even though it’s more of an “aside”. As we headed to Iron Mountain Road we spotted a field with both antelope and deer. It was the first time I had noticed both together like that and all I could think of was the song Home Home on the Range and the line..”where the deer and the antelope play”. So I just wanted to share.