Monday, 21 Sep

We started our day by driving to Custer State Park. We really didn’t know what to expect but it was wonderful. One of the many rock formations is called the needle’s eye. I think from the picture you can tell which one it was. But the main attraction to this park is the wildlife. We saw pronghorn in small groups. These are really small deer-like animals with sharp horns and black and white faces. Then we came across a herd of burros in the road. As you can see from the picture, James made two new friends. A little further down the road we came across a huge herd of buffalo, many in the road. I love the picture of the one that appears to be charging. Finally as we left the park we saw a small herd of rams. This has been one of the best parks we have seen. From there we drove over a road called “Iron Man Road” which has several one lane tunnels. We were able to get a picture of James in front of one of the tunnels. They are really narrow although we have a postcard of a bus going through one of them so I guess they are wider than they appear. Iron Man road took us to Mt. Rushmore. The entrance is impressive with flags from each of the states and a pillar commemorating that state. The carvings are tremendous. Pictures just don’t do them justice. We met the last living worker on the monuments, Nick Clifford. James got his picture made with him. From there we went to Crazy horse monument. The carving is impressive but the story behind it is even more impressive. One man started the carving as a result of a request by Indian elders. He worked 62 years! He lived there and raised his family there. Seven of his children have elected to stay and continue the work. It is an independent, non-profit organization and he turned down $10 million dollars from the federal government because he was afraid they would decide not to finish the sculpture. It is estimated that it will require an additional 25 years to complete, even with all of the up-to-date equipment and technology. This was really impressive. We made it back to the hotel about 6 p.m., in time to rest a little from a long day. Long day but another GREAT day.