Day 22 (Monday, July 11th) - Crazy Horse & Mount Rushmore

Day 22:   Hot Springs, SD to Rapid City, ND:   75 miles with 5,100 feet vertical

All of us are looking forward to this day of touring the Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore monuments as we continue thru the Black Hills of South Dakota.   The forecast is for rain, so we all packed raincoats.   So far, we have had no significant rain in 21 days of travel!   There were several days it was so hot that a little rain would have been welcome.   But not today.   We're taking photos today.

Here are some pics of a great day:


Leaving the hotel at 6:30 am


Flags are flying as we leave Hot Springs SD for Mount Rushmore


We enter Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills Forest


Trip Leader Karen Bauer shows us the map of Wind Cave Park


Barry Lucas and Lucy Biddlestone enjoying the morning  (they haven't seen the buffalo yet)


A small lake in Wind Cave Park (see Prairie Dogs on lower left)


A large bull buffalo (tatanka) approaches the road


The sign said "Beware of Buffalo, they are dangerous"


Lucy and Barry see buffalo and skedaddle...


This bull is a big one - perhaps 2,000 lbs.  He also has 3 birds on his back (hard to see here) to keep the bugs away


To think at one time there were some 75 million buffalo on the plains.....Do you think this one is still teed off at the buffalo hunters?


An old Conoco stations catches Barry's fancy


Looks like it closed down when gas was still $0.99 per gallon


This buffalo is a relic of the old gas station, with a picture of Buffalo Bill Cody and Scotty Phillips on his hump.   The coming of the cross country railroad marked the end of the buffalo.   These big animals would lay on the tracks, sometimes for 2 or 3 days until the big herd would move on.  There was little the trainmen could do to move the buffalo.   So the train companies hired buffalo hunters.  In a matter of several years, the buffalo were nearly exterminated.   While they once numbered an estimated 75 million, their numbers were reduced to hundreds after the big buffalo hunts.   This is where Scotty Phillips (a South Dakota rancher) and Buffalo Bill Cody (formerly a buffalo hunter and later the owner of the Wild West Show).   Scotty Phillips was able to salvage a large herd in the Black Hills of nearly 1000 buffalo.   Wild Bill Cody was able to add another 20 or so from the Wild West show.   This was enough prevent the total extinction of these magnificent creatures.   So when we saw this buffalo in Wind Cave Park, it was really special to see one of the survivors of the great buffalo massacre.  


Custer, SD.   Here is the Custer Museum.  Custer, South Dakota is named for BGen William Armstrong Custer who we all know as from the Custer Massacre (Custer's last stand) on the Little Bighorn River in Montana, where some 5 tribes of Sioux Indians under the leadership Sitting Bull attacked and killed Custer and about 200 of his men.  There are many books written about Custer's last stand.   The ABB tour used go thru the Custer battlefield.   They have recently changed the route so we would have more time at Crazy Horse and Rushmore monuments.   So I am just going to plan to come back for my tour of the Custer Battlefield, about 40 miles from here.   If you are interested, one of the good books on Custer is called "Son of the Morning Star", which was the name the Sioux Indians called Custer for his long blond hair.


7 miles from Custer, we get our first glimpse of the Crazy Horse Monument



Barry and I get up close for a good look (we are at 6,000' altitude, one of highest spots in SD)


The Crazy Horse Monument is partially completed.  The local tribes use the monument for Pow Wow's and ceremonies.  It is considered sacred ground.

The Crazy Horse monument has been under construction for nearly 40 years and is not expected to be completed until the mid-21st century.   You can see the elaborate design that will one day show the legendary Sioux Chief riding his pony with bow and arrow in the firing position.


Entering Mount Rushmore.  Mt Rushmore is about 15 miles by bike from Crazy Horse and includes some long climbs to get into the monument area.   Here's my riding partner Barry Lucas, excited that we are finally close to the monument.


Our first glimpse of  Mount Rushmore (a profile of George Washington).  We were flying down this hill thinking we were pretty close and we find this parking lot and our first view of the Monument.   This is a profile view of our first President George Washington.   We took many photos as you will see below.


ME and George (Just look at that sky)

Blythe tickling GW

Here is the rest of our bike group enjoying this photo op (Barry Lucas, Colin Dunbar, Russell Goins, Lucy, Phyllis, ME)


Here is a full view of the Mt Rushmore Presidents.  I had to explain this to our Aussie and Dutch riders.   Our First President is on the left (George Washington), followed by our 3rd and smartest president (Thomas Jefferson), followed by President Teddie Roosevelt (who established our National Park System), and our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln on the far right.  Look at all the rock in the foreground, chipped away in the process of sculpting this monument.


Here are Four Cyclists honoring the Four Presidents


Here's a close-up of the Four Presidents - nothing like it in the World!


Meet the Artist - Gutzon Borglum (sculped by his son, Lincoln Borglum).  Mount Rushmore inspires enormous patriotism in all who see this masterpiece.   This was a high point in our trip across country.   So we honor the Sculptor who has given so much to our country from his 35 years of dedication to the creation of Mount Rushmore.


The Rocket patiently awaits while we have Buffalo burgers before departing (I think they were buffalo burgers,  mmmm?).  The Black Rocket is actually pretty patient with me, as long as I don't take too many photos!


One last view, including a flag for each state of the union...


....including our own home state of Virginia  (now the Rocket is asking, did you really need to take that photo?)


So we left Mt Rushmore for our last SAG stop of the day


I was so excited by the sights of the day that I tried to call home  (can you believe a pay phone booth in SD?)

Used bikes - Jeff Laser adding to the pile!

Goats do Roam - outside of Mt Rushmore

Leaving Rushmore for Rapid City - 20 miles uphill!

One last climb and a 20 mile pull to our lodging in Rapid City, SD

This was a great day for all.   While this was a shorter day (75 miles), it was filled with inspiration, beauty and fellowship.   We are reminded of the words "America, America, God shed his Grace on Thee".   We sure felt this way today.

More later this week as we cruise across South Dakota (and Wall Drug and the Missouri River)

Love to All,

ME