What's Up !

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We left for California early in June 2007. From Elburn, IL we headed west on route US 20 through Rockford, IL and eventually crossed the mighty Mississippi into Dubuque, IA. Stopped for dinner at a restaurant on the river and afterwards continued northwest on route US 52. We picked up I-90 in Marion, MN and put the pedal to the metal for Sioux Falls, SD. We spent a quiet and restful night in Soux Falls, SD.

After breakfeast, we headed for Rapid City SD. Our first little detour was Mitchell, SD. We toured the Corn Palace and walked around town before continuing on our journey. By the way, many famous entertainers have performed at the Palace including John Philip Sousa and his entire band. Legend has it that before he let his band off of the train, he demanded payment in full. If he didn't get it, he was heading back to Washington, DC. He received $7,000 in cash as requested. We left Mitchell, SD and after a couple hours of driving, we stopped at a rest area near Chamberlain, SD on the banks of the Missouri river. It was a beautiful place to relax . There was a replica long boat inside the rest area with it's bow protruding through the outside wall of the building. The decking on the bow actually served as an outside deck for vistors. There were several other unique displays that had to do with Lewis and Clark's expedition. One of the plaques states that Lewis and Clark camped on the west bank below an island (American Island) in the middle of the Missouri River near Chamberlain, SD. Their journal states: "Passed an island about the middle of the river. It is a mile long and has a great proportion of cedar on it." Today the entire island is gone; flooded by the waters of the dams.

Feeling refreshed, we headed west on I-90 for Rapid City, SD. About 70 miles east of Rapid City, SD we decided to take a little detour on highway SR240 and drive through the Badlands National Park. We stopped at several scenic overlooks and even hiked a few trails.

The scenery was very beautiful and quite unique. It was certainly well worth the extra couple of hours the detour added to our trip. After having been to the Badlands, it's easy to understand how it got it's name. Click on the following picture links to view some of the photos that I took of the Badlands. [Badlands #1] [Badlands #2] [Badlands #3] and [Badlands #4]. We left the Badlands and made a quick stop at the Wall Drug Store in Wall, SD. We finally arrived in Rapid City, SD around 8PM and checked into the Holiday Inn in downtown Rapid City.

After we got settled in, I told Adrienne that when my ex-wife and I lived in Las Vegas, NV. we had some neighbors that were from Rapid City, SD. Virgil had always said that when he retired he and Michelle were going to move back to Rapid City. Just for the heck of it I looked in the phone book and lo and behold, I found a listing for Virgil. I gave him a call and we made arrangements to get together the following evening at their house for a couple of cocktails.

The next morning we had breakfast and planned our activities for the day. Our first stop was Mount Rushmore (pic1, pic2). We toured the museum at the visitor's center and proceeded up the Avenue of Flags to the Grand View Terrace. It was an amazing site.

At Gutzon Borglum’s studio, we listened to a discussion by the Park Rangers on how Mount Rushmore was carved into the granite using a pointing system. After the discussion and demonstration had ended, Adrienne and followed the trail that leads from the studio up to the bas of the mountain and back down to the Grand View Terrace area. A little know fact is that there is a Hall of Records vault behind the faces on the mountain that safeguards important documents that were collected during the construction. One of the documents explains why those four presidents were chosen. The 4 American presidents carved into the granite of Mountain Rushmore were chosen by Gutzon Borgium to commemorate the founding, growth, preservation and development of the U.S. They symbolize the principles of liberty and freedom on which the nation was founded. George Washington signifies the struggle for independence and the birth of the Republic. Thomas Jefferson the territorial expansion of the count. Abraham Lincoln the permanent union of the states and equality for all citizens. Theodore Roosevelt, the 20th century role of the U.S. in world affairs and the rights of the common man.

Adrienne and I left Mount Rushmore and headed south on Alt. Highway 16A or Iron Mountain Rd towards the town of Custer. On the way, we crossed over one of the many pigtail bridges in SD.

A pigtail bridge is a type of road bridge, where the road curls and passes over itself. This allows the road to negotiate sharp changes in topography in limited space. Most pigtail bridges are found in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where they were first built. The pigtail bridge design was invented in 1932 by Cecil Clyde Gideon, the self-taught superintendent of Custer State Park turned highway designer. He called them “spiral-jumpoffs”. During the planning for Iron Mountain Road, there was a need to negotiate sudden elevation drops while preserving natural features for this scenic highway; the corkscrew design allowed for a spectacular - although expensive - solution to this problem. In order to blend the bridges with their surroundings, natural materials such as local timber were used.

We continued our journey on Highway 16A and about 2 miles east of Custer was a beautiful looking little lake called Stockade Lake. We took a short detour around the lake on our way into Custer, SD. About 5 miles north of Custer, SD is the Crazy Horse Memorial. Adrienne and I stopped for a couple of hours and toured the Welcome Center and the North American Indian Museum. Outside the sculptor's living quarters and workshop was a bronze statue of the Fighting Stallions. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Without Korczak there would be no Crazy Horse Memorial. Its history always will revolve around his own extraordinary story, which is reflected in his log studio-home, workshop and sculptural galleries at Crazy Horse. His life and work are an inspiration to many, especially to young people. Although he became most famous as a mountain carver, he was a noted studio sculptor and member of the National Sculpture Society before he came west. Crazy Horse represents only the second half of his life, and he said it was the collective experience of the difficult first half of his life which prepared him for Crazy Horse and enabled him to prevail over the decades of financial hardship and racial prejudice he encountered trying to create an American Indian memorial in the Black Hills.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is privately funded and no completion date has been set. Since the death of Korczak, family members have continued the work. The US Government had offered Korczak funding but he refused thinking that all of the attention would be on the mountain and not the cultural and heritage center. A little known fact is that there are several Indian tribes in the Dakotas that feel the Crazy Horse Memorial is a disgrace to him and his people. It violates their way of thinking about and preserving the land.

We continued north on US Highways 16 and 385 into Hill City, SD. We stopped for dinner at the Continental Cafe and had a great meal. If you wanted to tour the Black Hills by rail, you can catch the Black Hills Train in Hill City, SD. Anyway, before leaving Hill City, I called Virgil and got directions to their house. It took about 45 minutes to get to there. We spent the evening with them and set up a dinner date for the following evening. We finally got back to our hotel around 10:00 PM. What a great day.

The next day we woke to dreary conditions. The skies were gray and temperature was a bit on the chilly side. We had breakfast and decided to get in the car and drive around the area. Lord knows it was too cold to spend much time outside. Anyway we headed down Highway 16 again and got onto the Needles Highway. It’s a beautiful drive just west of Mount Rushmore. In fact Borglum had explored this area for the monument but found the granite to be unsuitable. Anyway, we stopped at a couple of pull offs and took some pictures. Just before you get to the first tunnel on the Needles Highway you pass by Lake Sylvan. It’s such a serene looking place. The weather had turned really nasty and we had a brief snow shower. Remember this is June. We followed the Needles Highway until it ran into US Highway 16A. We took the highway North through Custer and Hill City. We stopped for lunch in a fifties style dinner and then headed north on US Highway 385. A few miles before SR44, there is the Pactola reservoir. The reservoir and the surrounding mountains make this a beautiful spot. Anyway, it was getting late so we headed east on SR44 back towards Rapid City. Along the way we stopped at Thunderhead falls which empties into Rapid Creek. We saw the falls and continued on our journey east stopping at the Black Hills Cavern just outside of Rapid City. We finally got back to the hotel in time to get cleaned up and meet Virgil and Michelle for a couple of cocktails and dinner. We had a great time in Rapid City. Next stop, Yellowstone National Park.

Click here to view a slide show for Westward Ho ! Part I