We made a day trip to Devils Tower. It is located in Wyoming about 100 miles from Rapid City. After you enter the park, there is a picnic area with great view of Devils Tower. Jackie and I found it when we were there in 2007 and planned to stop there this time. The timing was about right, we all needed to spend some time out of the car and it was close to lunch time by the time we got there. We had packed a picnic lunch and we all were ready to eat (okay, when are we not ready to eat?).
Devils Tower is a place that is sacred to many Native American tribes. “According to their oral tradition, this is the place -- historically known to many Indians as Bear’s Lodge/House/Tipi -- where a sacred woman, White Buffalo Calf Woman, delivered the sacred bundle to the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota nations.” * I find it easy to agree with the idea that this place is, if not sacred, is very special. There are three interpretations of what geological events occurred to create Devils Tower and one could dismiss the claim that way. However, like with other creations, you could ask “Why is there only one?” (I took pictures of the interpretations, they are in the Devils Tower Album).
A sculpture has been added to the picnic area since our last visit. It was created by Junkyu Muto, a Japanese sculptor, whose father was a World War II kamikaze pilot, who somehow survived his combat mission. “Initially, the sculpture was to be called ”Circle of Sacred Smoke.” The name was eventually changed to Wind Circle, a less controversial descriptor.”* The base of the sculpture has the original and the new name.
* See reference: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/09/japanese-artist-creates-peace-sculpture-tribal-connections-interpretive-site-devils-tower-na
We have seen climbers with the required ropes, etc. I have a few picutres of climber in the Devils Tower Album. It is not a climb for the inexperienced. There are several hiking trails and one circles the base of the tower. It is about 2 miles long. The grandkids hiked around and still seemed to have energy left at the end, Gabby walked back to the parking lot and Chris ran and jumped. Guess who, ran out of gas on the ride back.
Another trip we took together was to Mount Rushmore. The idea for Mount Rushmore was conceived in 1923 to promote tourism to South Dakota. We went there during the morning and early afternoon. After hiking the President’s Trail we took a break to rest a little, eat supper and then head back for the evening show. One of the rangers did a narration about the memorial and near the end of the show she called on all veterans and those on active duty, who were in the audience, to come to the stage. They then lowered the flag with a boy Scout Troup handling the flag and playing "Taps”. During the show one of the features was the illumination of the sculpture.
One day , while driving on Hwy 244 which circles around Mount Rushmore, we came upon two mountain goats. One was boldly standing along side the road, either drinking water that was seeping from a rock out crop or actually licking the rock. The goat showed no concern that people were moving near to get a picture and that cars were driving by within a couple of feet.
On a drive through Spearfish Canyon we saw three waterfalls along with some fantastic scenery. There were an adequate number of places to stop your car, get out and take pictures. About half way through the canyon we stopped for lunch at lodge named the Latchstring Inn. The property has a path leading to one of the falls, which we walked after enjoying their good food.
We also made a swing through Custer State Park. This is a great place to see Buffalo. There is an annual round up, this year it is scheduled for Sept. 27. http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/custer/events/buffalo-roundup.
As we drove through the park we saw buffalo, wild mules, pronghorn deer and an assortment of smaller creatures.
The animals are semi-used to seeing cars & people. This does not mean that you can walk up and pet them as that could lead to a “last in your lifetime experience”. What it does mean is that the animals will move when and where they choose. They don’t looked both ways before crossing the road and will walk on the road regardless of the cars. Custer park has a varied terrain, from high hills to open land.
as we drove around we would occasionaly come upon an abandon farm or ranch and in one instance as abandoned mining town named Rockerville, located on Rt 16 and situated between the north and southbound lanes.
I'll finish with a couple of pictures of the Crazy Horse Memorial. Now there is a great story about how the mountain carving was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziółkowski. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Horse_Memorial
This picture was taken in 2007.
This picture was taken in 2010.
The story we were told was that after he had passed away, the work is carried on by five of his children. They take no money from the government and raise the funds needed to continue the work. I took pictures in 2007 and 2010 that do not show a lot of change, however, I know nothing about mountain carving and am sure there is much more going on than my simple pictures can show.
I have put the albums on Shutterfly. Go to; http://www.jackbarbic.shutterfly.com/
This one URL will take you to a page where all the albums are listed and you can click on any that interest you. The albums about the Black Hills attractions are titled: Hart Ranch, Badlands, Crazy Horse, Mammoth Site, Scenic Drive- Needles Highway, Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Custer State Park, Ellsworth AFB & Museum, Ft. Hayes and Wall Drug.
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