CRAZY CARVINGS

The better part of our last day here in the Black Hills, was spent at the Crazy Horse Memorial.

The last time I visited this mountain carving was in the mid 80's, and there wasn't much to see, or do. Now, the head of Chief Crazy Horse is visible, and at the visitors center, there are all of the things you would expect, like a theater, gift shop, restaurant, and a first class Native American museum. We luckily timed our arrival with a blast on the mountain, where they blew away 1,800 tons of material. The sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, was invited by the Lakota Sioux to carve a memorial near Mount Rushmore, to show that the red man had great heroes too. He started work on the memorial in 1949, and after his death in 1982, his family has carried on this "worlds largest sculpture". The project is funded entirely from donations, entrance fees, and profits from sales at the visitor center. It may be 50 more years before this carving is completed, but when finished, it will be truly spectacular.

We drove back toward Rapid City on Iron Mountain Road, where there are 3 tunnels, all carved so that they frame Mount Rushmore. I took this picture looking thru the tunnel, with the presidents in the background. These past 5 days in the Black Hills have been like a walk down memory lane, and except for a couple of thunderstorms, we have really enjoyed this break in our travel toward the east coast. Today, we'll stop at Wall Drug, a little east of here, and probably won't do a lot of miles.