Crazy Horse

June17,
After visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial, we decided that this is the ultimate work in progress. Started in 1948 by sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski---formerly of WestHartford, Ct--there still is a lot of work to be done to accomplish his dream. The top photo shows his dream ---in white and the reality behind that.. However, they have on display a vast collection of Indian artifacts and clothing that make the visit interesting.

Chainsaw Art

June 16,
When we went through the town of Keystone---population 311--we noticed some interesting wooden sculptures by the river. We stopped and the work was being done by two brothers in their 20s. The older one said he had learned the craft from a man in Alaska. These were some of the nicest we've seen The bears had cute, not scary faces and the eagles were realistic. We did buy a small bear----our least demanding and best behaved pet.

Bear Country, USA

June 16,
Because we didn't see an elk or big horned sheep in the wild, we went to Bear Country USA to see them. It is a drive thru park where many of the animals roam freely. We did see elk and their antlers were very impressive. We caught a glimpse of the big horned sheep but by the time we got to their area, they were hiding here, too. But Bear Country's speciality is bears and lots of them. As we drove through their area, some were napping in the shade but others were at the pool or walking next to and in front of cars, and others were just hanging out.
After you finish the drive, there's a baby area with about 20 baby bears. Their job in life is to play. They were up on the logs, in the water, digging up the grass and just enjoying each other. When one of the caretakers went into the enclosure, they climbed all over her. They raise them to be friendly with humans. However, I'm not sure if I'd completely trust some of the big bears.
They also had other animals-porcupines and badgers are two I'd not seen. The badger just look mean with big teeth and very thick, long claws. When we first saw them, they were sound asleep and belly up. The porcupines were also asleep, their quills moved in the breeze and looked soft, not menacing.

Needles Highway

June 15,

We continued on the loop to the Needles Highway, named for the spiking formations along the route. These roads, just like so many we've been on in the last month, go up and down over the mountains, a new experience for two New Englanders. We found Sylvan Lake, a beautiful area with many rock formations along the shore. As we were leaving, three mule deer were grazing just in front of our car. They are similar to our white tails but have big ears and a longer, greyish coat.

Custer State Park

June 15,
We continued our loop journey from the Iron Mountain Rd. to the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park. Not long after we started on the loop, we came upon a large herd of buffalo---unfortunately far in the field. We also saw some pronghorn antelope, closer than we'd seen before, some wild burros begging from cars. They seemed to know they were protected and just put their faces in any window that might provide them free food. We also saw large prarie dog towns and the best sighting was a lArge buffalo looking for just the right dinner. He was just MAGNIFICENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mt. Rushmore

June 15,
We arrived at the Mt. Rushmore KOA in the rain and mud. It is definately one of the most impressive campgrounds we've been in, located in one of the most beautiful areas we've ever seen. On Tuesday, we set out on the Mt. Rushmore-Custer State Park Loop. We were treated to many views of Mt. Rushmore, including Washington's profile. When we stopped to take pictures, even young children were impressed with view.

After seeing Mt. Ruishmore, we went South on the Iron Mountain Road. We came upon a bridge and wondered what road we were meeting. It turned out that road above the bridge was the one we would be taking, We also encountered many hairpin turns that enabled us to climb and descend the mountainous terrain.

You really have to look closely but the last picture shows when we came out of one of the tunnels......... Mt. Rushmore is framed by the tunnel.

From Cheyenne to Mt. Rushmore

June 14,
We traveled through the prairies of Nebraska and saw the outcroppings of rock-which were sort of surprising-thought it would be flatter. In the afternoon the clouds appeared and we saw rain for the fourth day. As we passed into South Dakota, the land became hillier and then almost mountainous. We made a wrong turn onto 79 and had almost decided on another route when Joe turned around to follow the original route.
Good thing because as we started up Rt. 385 through the Wind Cave National Park we came upon some wild buffalo...... We also saw some deer and the everpresent (but photo-shy) prong horn antelope. They always seem to so far out in the field that they can't be captured on camera. Someday....

We came through some very green and beautiful coutryside to the Mt. Rushmore KOA, even in the rain it is an impressive campground.