Mama Nature at her Best

July 8, 2007

Lusk, WY to Hill City, SD

The Black Hills

Mount Rushmore

Crazy Horse Memorial

and so much more

141.0 miles

from Sunshine into a Downpour

More miles today of range land and rolling hills of green grass! Lovely countryside!

Then, ahead, maybe some rain in my near future?

By the time I reached the horizon, there were mountains ahead - dark in color - gee, do you suppose that's where they got the name Black Hills?

And I was running into the bikers again (not literally, thank you very much - although they do continue to ride in the middle of the highway!) . . . they're on quite a trip!

This country is simply beyond spectacular - every turn brings another magnificent vista. I worried for the bikers though, because I entered an area heavy with smoke curling along the ground - there was a major fire someplace close, which was getting to my eyes and nose, and they had to cycle through it while already struggling to breathe. You may have heard of the fire near Hot Springs - the Alabaugh fire (I think), and last I heard it was still not under control.

I drove into a very heavy downpour as I was nearing my destination, which was a good thing since my driver's side windshield wiper quit working - the Gulf Stream coach continues to impress!

The rain let up long enough for me to get set up at the Crooked Creek RV park, and then stopped completely shortly thereafter, so I rented a car and Penny and I did a little touring.

There's a twisting/turning road circling through the Mount Rushmore National Monument area, and Sylvan Lake, over Iron Mountain Road. They warn you not to take a large vehicle (like my RV) over these roads - that there are some tunnels that are just too tiny. Well, they're right!

The views around each curve were marvelous - the 'take your breath away' kind of views. And then there was a little tunnel with this opening before your eyes as you drove thru it.

Oh, my! No one seemed surprised when I stopped traffic to take that shot through my windshield! As I wound through the rocky forest, I got closer and closer to the sculpture and was able to get many more great shots as I drove along!

and one spectacular profile of the Father of our Country!

The whole time I was wishing my cameraman (camera woman!!) was along (Sooz, where are you??) - there were so many photo ops, and unfortunately I had to spend most of my time concentrating on the road and the other crazies trying to get pictures while they were driving!

There are a number of lovely stories about the artist, Gutzon Borglum, and the story of the development of this monument. One interesting take on it can be seen at http://www.ralphmag.org/borglumP.html. Probably not a very PC opinion! Especially since this is so phenomenal, no matter how it may please some critics!

The Crazy Horse Memorial is much more accessible, and, as you probably know, is a work in progress.

This is a picture (copied off the net) of what the finished product will look like and the work as it is now.

A terrific site to get the whole story about Crazy Horse himself, and the memorial, can be found at http://www.crazyhorse.org/story.shtml

There is so much to see and do in the Black Hills - you definitely need more time than I had, to do it right. . .the Black Elk Wilderness, Harney Peak, the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, Centennial Trail, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur Park, George S. Mickelson Trail, Jewel Cave National Park, Mt. Coolidge Fire Tower, the Northern Plains Heritage Center, the South Dakota Air & Space Museum, Chapel in the Hills (a replica of an 850 year old Norwegian chapel), Cleghorn Springs Fish Hatchery, Wind Cave National Park, Speakfish Canyon, Bear Country USA, Big Thunder Gold Mine, the Black Hills Caverns, Christmas Village, the Cosmos Mystery Area, Custer State Park, Old MacDonald's Farm, Rushmore Tramway/President's Alpine Slide, and, of course, the Badlands, but that's another day! I'm sure there are many more activities that I missed! All in all, a marvelous part of our country!

On Monday, I took the coach to the shop to get an oil change and to get the windshield wiper taken care of. I suggested to the mechanic that it acted like it had come loose, which thankfully was the problem. A new wiper motor would have been a disastrous problem. Two nuts were tightened down and all is well again for a while!

The drive to the shop took me to the little town of Rockerville,

where they have a lot of history involving the trains of the early days. There are several different engines and carriages and these, that look like they've been in a fire and need a little more restoration!

The Black Hills are worth another visit!


Crooked Creek Resort 
24184 S Hwy 385/16
Hill City, SD  57745
605-574-2418
www.crookedcreeksd.com