Today marks my 14th day on the road. I have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this trip so far, minus sleeping in the car, and am looking forward to seeing what comes next. Last night was a chilly night. When I woke up at 7am it was 35 degrees. I was pretty comfortable in my sleeping bag but tonight I think I’ll wear another layer of clothing.
Before I started the day, I wanted to finish yesterday’s blog so I headed a few miles south to Custer so I could get a better signal on my phone to connect to the internet. It would be a lot easier if there were a Starbucks or a Barnes and Noble around for free wifi but I haven’t seen one of those since I left Minneapolis. I entered the Cattleman’s Steak and Fish restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and sat down to the table with my laptop, two cameras, phone and various cables and got to work. Considering that I’ve been in cattle country for the past few days, I decided that it was only right to order the steak and eggs breakfast, medium rare. I’ve now come to learn that medium rare in South Dakota means just enough time on the fire to set some grill marks. It was about as red in the middle as lightly seared tuna, and it was oh so delicious! As my brother is often heard saying “this animal already died once for its sins, why do we need to kill it a second time?” I couldn’t agree more. For those of you who like your meat “cooked”, keep this in mind if you ever come to SD.
I decided that today was going to be an easy day. You would think that while I’m traveling I would have all the time in the world to myself. On the contrary, I’m usually on the go from about 7am until 8 or 9pm and needed some time to relax.
First on the agenda for today was to see the Crazy Horse monument which was only about 6 miles north from Custer. This is another mountain carving, just like Mt. Rushmore, only this one is of an Oglala Lakota Indian warrior and his horse. Construction is far from complete, although carving began in 1948 by a Polish American sculptor (there’s a joke in there somewhere). The monument was visible from miles away and a really good view could be had at the front entrance. Since roughly 25% of the carving was complete I figured I didn’t need to pay just to get a closer look at the head. Maybe in another 50 years when they finish his arm I’ll reconsider?
Mt. Rushmore was another 17 miles up the road from the Crazy Horse monument. The sun was out, it was about 75 degrees and there were plenty of people out taking in the sights. Admission was $10 to help offset the expenses for the new parking facility and re-admission to the park is good for a calendar year. Mt. Rushmore features the heads of four US presidents carved into the granite walls. From left to right, the faces are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, each approximately 60 feet high. This monument was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum and finished by his son Lincoln. Initial construction began in 1927 and the faces were completed by 1939. The original plan for Mt. Rushmore was to carve out each president from head to waist until funding ran out in 1941. I took part in the free walking tour led by one of the park rangers which was a good way to learn a little about the history and great contributions each of these presidents made that have shaped our country and why they were chosen to be a part of Mt. Rushmore. This was well worth the visit.
That’s was about it for today. Nice and easy. Tomorrow I might head out of South Dakota but to where I’m not sure? I’ll look at some maps over breakfast and take it from there. I’m also taking suggestions.
Mileage update: 2,287.5
Back to Minneapolis?!
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