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| Road Trip 2004 - links to images and words on the road to see Rush:
Tuesday July 6, 2004 Wednesday July 7, 2004 Crazy Horse Monument Mount Rushmore
Badlands National Monument Painted Desert Wednesday July 7, 2004
Crazy Horse Monument       
Custer State Park
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Wednesday July 7, 2004 We returned to Mount Rushmore to see the artist's workshop and walk the new Presidential Trail. We did the trail backwards, which actually makes it an easier climb back up to the top of the amphitheater. The weather was great, clear blue skies and the sun shining down upon us. After fighting through the crowds in the gift shop we left and headed for Crazy Horse Memorial. The sheer scale of the Crazy Horse Memorial is daunting. All of Mount Rushmore, large as it is, would fit on the horse's head of Crazy Horse. The time to completion is still estimated in decades, as the project is fully self‑funded. As a matter of pride the builders will not accept federal monies, so the work continues slowly but steadily. The face is done it was dedicated in 1998. The crews are now working on terracing out the granite around the body and horse's head. The horsehead will be the next major milestone to complete. The museum and visitors center is filled with Native American artifacts. We saw intricately beaded buckskin dresses and ceremonial headgear. Mike is considering donating some of the items handed down to him by his Grandmother, who grew up in South Dakota. We even lucked out and got to witness a dynamite blast – the docents told us it takes about a week to set one up, and happily Wednesday was the day. The PA systems would announce, "blasting in about 15 minutes" and when the time came there was a countdown from 10 then the announcement "Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!" and a large plume of smoke and the delayed clap of the blast roared over us. The blast site was at the far bottom left of the mountain – the information was that about 500 tons of rock was moved with each blast. We left Crazy Horse and headed back to the hotel via Custer State Park. We got separated from Mike due to a construction delay, so with Karen driving we headed up the Needles Highway to the north end of the park. This was to be the original location of the carved memorial, which eventually was located at Mount Rushmore because the rocks here were too weathered to carve without damage. The Needles Highway curves and twists its way through three one-lane tunnels and a unique road design called the Pig's Tail. The road crosses a single lane bridge, then curls back under the bridge and spirals down another 30 feet in elevation. A great example of civil engineering that is thinking outside the box. |
