South Dakota

 

 

Left Cody to head to South Dakota and Mount Rushmore in our, now clean, pick up and 5^th wheel.  Managed to con a couple of local lads into doing the deed.

I love watching other people work

Actually it was one of the local cops and his brother who go round the campgrounds and wash rigs raising money for charity.  Otherwise we would have done it ourselves … truly J
 
Stopped at the Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis where we went for a relaxing dip in the State Baths.  They do have a clothing optional area but, as you can see, we didn’t go there.

Bliss

We could get used to this



Devils Tower

Headed east into South Dakota, stopping off at Devils Tower along the way.  It’s a pretty impressive rock – all straight up and tall columns.  Saw some groups of climbers but not tempted to join them.  We were satisfied with a hike around the base of the tower.  People can climb the tower all year except June when the local tribes hold some of their ceremonies at the site.

Leaving the Tower we crossed into South Dakota making our first stop at Sturgis.  27 bars at the Full Throttle Saloon.  Only 1 open at the moment but when the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally comes through, this place hums.  Lots of quirky sculptures, cars, bikes, trucks, a bridge and a heap more all throughout.

Full Throttle Saloon



Have to get us some of these

Got the name of a stockist in Deadwood for their moonshine so no prizes for guessing where our next stop was.  Deadwood also being famous 

Calamity Jane on the left
Wild Bill Hickok in the middle
Mills family plot on the right

for being the town where James Butler Hickok aka Wild Bill Hickok was shot.  His memorial is at the Mt Moriah cemetery.  Calamity Jane was buried next to him and his bust looks over the Mills family plot.  Hmmm.  Some rough rider relatives maybe?


Leaving Deadwood we headed to Rapid City and Mt Rushmore.  What an amazing sculpture.  Even more impressive was the story of how the sculpture was made – the planning, the people, the logistics behind it all.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

Struck a bit of car trouble so we parked up until we could get into a garage and get him looked at.  Probably a good thing as if we’d ignored the problem we could have had a wheel fall off us while we’re travelling.  Worst case scenario of course but doesn’t conjure up a pretty picture.  Celebrated the minor surgery on the car by immediately driving 200 miles after picking him up – out to Badlands National Park and back.  Just can’t get enough of these national parks.

Next day we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial via a couple of very scenic roads – Iron Mountain Road and the Needles Highway.  There are tunnels on both roads however the 3 tunnels on the Iron Mountain Road all have Mt Rushmore framed in the distance.  Apparently they were the easiest part of the road to build.  Engineers at the time (early 1900’s) said the envisaged road was impossible to build.  Fortunately for us they were proved wrong.  Two fantastic roads built in an amazing place.

Finally we reached the Crazy Horse Memorial.  Started in 1948 the work today is being continued by 7 of the original sculptors 10 children.  They may or may not have it completed in my lifetime.  Such a massive undertaking.  When completed it will be 563’ high and 641’ long.  Larger than pretty much everything.

Crazy Horse Memorial 2014

Scale model of the completed sculpture