Cross-Country Vacation
Day 12: Black Hills
Thursday, September 14, 2006
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While having breakfast in Sundance we looked out the window and saw some people taking pictures. When we finally finished and wandered out there we discovered what it was all about. This was the town that gave The Kid his name.
It felt like I was in prison in Sundance, as I had to wait for the rest of them to spend like an hour shopping in this "antique" (i.e. junk) store. Mary bought herself a leather purse decorated with turquoise beads because at $30 she thought it was a such a great deal.
Finally we hit the road, getting back on I-90 east and soon crossing into South Dakota, state #8. We got off the freeway at Spearfish and headed into the Black Hills. As usual we stopped at some waterfalls. First up, Bridal Veil Falls, followed by Roughlock Falls.
Of course the main attraction in the Black Hills is Mount Rushmore.
A friend had told me to just drive by Crazy Horse and not go in because you could see everything from the road. We turned up the entrance just to see how much it was and they really sucker you in. It is one-way with no place to turn around, so you have to go through the admission gate. Well, we paid the $20 to go in. You cannot get very close. To actually go up to it you have to pay to get on the "tour" bus. There was a museum, though, and some other exhibits that were mildly entertaining.
What is kind of funny is that no one knows what Crazy Horse actually looked like. No photos of him were ever taken or at least none were known to have survived. So the face is a composite based on various descriptions.
From Crazy Horse we took scenic US-16A through Custer State Park and back towards Rapid City.
Just when we thought we had encountered just about every conceivable large wild animal that inhabits the west, we stumbled upon something totally unexpected--a heard of feral donkeys. They wandered passed on both sides of the car and stopped at the windows, all ready for a handout.
The road was very rustic, with a couple of places where it looped around and back under a wooden bridge of itself. And it offered yet another view of Mount Rushmore.
We had dinner in Rapid City but decided not to spend the night there. Tomorrow would be the last full day of the trip and the longest driving day so we wanted to squeeze a few more miles in this evening. We drove almost another hour east to the town of Wall.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial: Website
Custer State Park: Website
Day 12 Summary:
Start: Sundance, WY
End: Wall, SD
By Way Of: Spearfish, Custer, and Rapid City, SD
Route: I-90 US-14A, US-385, US-16A, US-16, I-90
Approximate Driving Distance:
This Day: 205 miles
Total: 2920 miles
Next: Day 13: Badlands and Beyond
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