#WhereAreTheUbryTerrells ... Leg 19: South Dakota (part 2)
As if the Geological Center of the United States, Deadwood, Sturgiss, Spearfish Canyon and Mt. Rushmore weren't enough, we discovered that South Dakota has so much more to offer. Too much to explore on this trip. But we did add in a few more stops.
From Mt. Rushmore it is less than a half-hour drive to get to Crazy Horse Memorial. Like Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse is a carving in the side of a mountain, mostly created from strategically placed dynamite blasts. Korczak Ziolkowski, one of the men who worked on Mt. Rushmore, was approached by Chief Henry Standing Bear and the Lakota people to create a monument to one of their own heroes. Ziolkowski agreed with one stipulation: that he would never take any government funding--his own way of protesting the unfair treatment of our government on native people. Ziolkowski turned down multiple million-dollar offerings from the government in his lifetime. It is for this reason that the monument remains a work-in-progress to this day. The work continues through the labor of Ziolkowski's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and through donations from individuals who come to tour this largest monument carving in the world.
While there are tour busses that will take you right up to the face of Crazy Horse, we didn't make that trip. Instead we spent our hours touring the never-ending museums that make up the Visitor's Center, featuring Native American history and artifacts, as well as trinkets from famous visitors (like a shoe from Shaquille O'Neal!). We also watched the welcome video, which I would highly recommend (but bring a sweater because the theater was FREEZING!). In the video you'll hear from the sculptor, his family, the Lakota people, and more, as they share the history behind the project, funny stories about mishaps during construction, and more. There was also an interactive room for "kids", where Randy taught Van how to tie a bowline knot! (We couldn't let him go this trip without learning something!)
You might remember how much Van enjoyed our trip to Craters of the Moon, Idaho, and our cave exploration there. So, from Crazy Horse, we gave him the choice between two cave options: Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park. He chose Wind Cave, so off we went.
Unlike Craters of the Moon, Wind Cave only allows guided tours of their caves. Van and I bought tickets, while Randy worked on the motor home (the downside to RVs is that there is always something to fix!). On the way to the cave, our Ranger guide showed us an opening in the earth where the wind either blew out or sucked in, depending on the atmospheric pressure. She held up a yellow ribbon so we could see that the air was blowing out that day. It was this "phenomenon" that led to the discovery and exploration of the caves in the late 1800s.
Once inside the cave, Van and I learned that, many years ago during a training exercise, a young woman separated from her partner and went missing. It took them several days to find her. Which is why they have never again allowed anyone to explore the caves on their own.
The tour lasted about an hour-and-a-half, involved 300 stairs, and many opportunities to view the unique "boxwork" (honeycomb-shaped) formations on the cave ceilings. Oddly, I had never heard of Wind Cave National Park before this trip, even though it was declared a National Park in 1903, becoming the first national park to protect a cave system! But one national park I had heard of was Badlands. It was there we traveled to next.
Each time we read about Badlands, a store called "Wall Drug" popped up. So that was our first stop, just outside the park's entrance. Wall Drug became famous for staying open during the Depression through a genius marketing stunt: they gave away free water. Which they continue to do today (thank goodness, because out of nowhere the weather had become H-O-T!). This is no CVS, however. The drugstore extends for an entire city block, bookended by homemade donuts and five-cent coffee on one end, retail on the other, and souveniers in between. The "backyard" even has a giant Jackelope for photo opps. While it wasn't life-changing, it was a fun little tourist stop (and the donuts were delicious!).
Badlands National Park is made up of 244,000 acres, all of which are free and open to explore. There are hiking trails, but you aren't required to stay on them. There are campsites, but we parked overnight in the middle of the grasslands. There is a Visitor's Center, but it was small and crowded with people who didn't want to leave the air-conditioning.
We drove through miles and miles of scenery, ranging from grasslands to fossil beds to painted landscapes. But I begged the guys to go on a hike--my body was itching to stretch, to be outdoors, to do more than stop for a quick roadside photo. I promised to pick a short trail so we wouldn't be too affected by the heat. The guys agreed and we were all glad for it!
Because we weren't required to stay on the trail, we let Van go off on his own, and quickly discovered him high on the mountaintop beside us! Later he said it was a little nervewracking getting back down, but we haven't let him run off on his own much this trip, so he was grateful for the freedom! We climbed a ladder, discovered beautiful views, chatted with other tourists and genuinely had a good time. It was the perfect way to end our time in South Dakota!
From Mt. Rushmore it is less than a half-hour drive to get to Crazy Horse Memorial. Like Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse is a carving in the side of a mountain, mostly created from strategically placed dynamite blasts. Korczak Ziolkowski, one of the men who worked on Mt. Rushmore, was approached by Chief Henry Standing Bear and the Lakota people to create a monument to one of their own heroes. Ziolkowski agreed with one stipulation: that he would never take any government funding--his own way of protesting the unfair treatment of our government on native people. Ziolkowski turned down multiple million-dollar offerings from the government in his lifetime. It is for this reason that the monument remains a work-in-progress to this day. The work continues through the labor of Ziolkowski's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and through donations from individuals who come to tour this largest monument carving in the world.
While there are tour busses that will take you right up to the face of Crazy Horse, we didn't make that trip. Instead we spent our hours touring the never-ending museums that make up the Visitor's Center, featuring Native American history and artifacts, as well as trinkets from famous visitors (like a shoe from Shaquille O'Neal!). We also watched the welcome video, which I would highly recommend (but bring a sweater because the theater was FREEZING!). In the video you'll hear from the sculptor, his family, the Lakota people, and more, as they share the history behind the project, funny stories about mishaps during construction, and more. There was also an interactive room for "kids", where Randy taught Van how to tie a bowline knot! (We couldn't let him go this trip without learning something!)
Unlike Craters of the Moon, Wind Cave only allows guided tours of their caves. Van and I bought tickets, while Randy worked on the motor home (the downside to RVs is that there is always something to fix!). On the way to the cave, our Ranger guide showed us an opening in the earth where the wind either blew out or sucked in, depending on the atmospheric pressure. She held up a yellow ribbon so we could see that the air was blowing out that day. It was this "phenomenon" that led to the discovery and exploration of the caves in the late 1800s.
Once inside the cave, Van and I learned that, many years ago during a training exercise, a young woman separated from her partner and went missing. It took them several days to find her. Which is why they have never again allowed anyone to explore the caves on their own.
The tour lasted about an hour-and-a-half, involved 300 stairs, and many opportunities to view the unique "boxwork" (honeycomb-shaped) formations on the cave ceilings. Oddly, I had never heard of Wind Cave National Park before this trip, even though it was declared a National Park in 1903, becoming the first national park to protect a cave system! But one national park I had heard of was Badlands. It was there we traveled to next.
Badlands National Park is made up of 244,000 acres, all of which are free and open to explore. There are hiking trails, but you aren't required to stay on them. There are campsites, but we parked overnight in the middle of the grasslands. There is a Visitor's Center, but it was small and crowded with people who didn't want to leave the air-conditioning.
We drove through miles and miles of scenery, ranging from grasslands to fossil beds to painted landscapes. But I begged the guys to go on a hike--my body was itching to stretch, to be outdoors, to do more than stop for a quick roadside photo. I promised to pick a short trail so we wouldn't be too affected by the heat. The guys agreed and we were all glad for it!
Because we weren't required to stay on the trail, we let Van go off on his own, and quickly discovered him high on the mountaintop beside us! Later he said it was a little nervewracking getting back down, but we haven't let him run off on his own much this trip, so he was grateful for the freedom! We climbed a ladder, discovered beautiful views, chatted with other tourists and genuinely had a good time. It was the perfect way to end our time in South Dakota!
Comments
Post a Comment