America: The Black hills

So the 3rd of July started rather early for the baby Davies' rather a more painful experience for one....can you guess who???!!! Peter was chipper as ever and we tried to communicate, it was sad to leave Peter, Kate and Sammy (the cat) but we were both excited for the next leg of our trip.

We arrived at the airport with 2 hours to check bags and get through security and once again this was not a painful experience at all only a slight wait at security because people despite the signs didn't remove creams and aerosols from their bags...glad to know it is not just the British who are incapable of reading at airport security!! Was busy at the gate as you would expect on a holiday weekend, but only two people in front of us in the Starbucks queue!!!

So we boarded our bombardier plane, we were expecting a tiny plane with propellers....but now it was a 22 row plane with jet engines!! Our short flight to Rapid city lasted a whopping 40 minutes it was amazing to see the change of landscape below us from mountains to plains; before we knew it we landed at Rapid city, a tiny 4 or 6 gate airport. It was so small that we exited to baggage claim passing right by security for those coming leaving rapid city!!.

So we picked up our bags and went to meet our guide from affordable tours. Outside of the airport we met Karen the back of her pictured with the truck below (couldn't get a good one of her!) She was great, so welcoming we hopped into the bag with our bags and headed into the city to check in at the hotel as we wouldn't be out until late.

We arrived at the Howard Johnson inn and Suites met by Amber who said no rooms were available but we could leave our bags there until later. So after sorting out cameras etc we hopped back into the van, next stop the Black hills. As soon as we left the city we headed upward again, the black hills are around one mile high, it was like heading back to Denver!!

Our route took us through Keystone, a traditional town that emerged for the mining community in the 1800's, situated just outside of the Mount Rushmore National Park. It today has a population of 331 people and lives mainly on the summer tourism, Karen says it becomes a ghost town in the winter; on the way out of Keystone we rounded a corner to pass a number of cars stopped and there it was the national monument away to our right. We carried on up to the monument, as we were with a commercial company it meant we were able to park right at the top by the entrance. As you enter you are met with the avenue of flags with Mount Rushmore in front of you amazing.

As it was the holiday weekend lots of stalls were set up even the last remaining carver of the mountain made an appearance. So we watched a video explaining the history of the mountain, of course there just had to be a screaming child; what made it worse was the father who thought he could actually control said child by shouting at him...prick!! Think Prick say tut was just numerous times by both of us during the 10 minutes of hell! After learning something Karen also filled in our knowledge including telling us that Thomas Jefferson was meant to be on Washington's right (our left) but the rock was unstable so his face was blown off!!! So it was meant to be more spaced out. Now the monument as we look at is consists of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy (Theodore) Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, chosen as each represented a new era in American history; each head stands 60ft tall.

Following some lunch, nice but expensive!! We headed or the van as the clouds rolled in! As we set off on the Iron Mountain road big rain drops began to fall. Along the iron mountain road are the famous pigtails, wooden bridges built in the 1940's to allow the road to climb up without disturbing the forest to much.

As well as the pigtails a common occurrence on the iron mountain road were the one lane tunnels through the mountain side. There is alot of trust and unselfishness required as when you approach and go through the tunnel you hoot your horn and hope that cars on the other side respect that! As were approached the top we caught the best view through the one lane tunnel Mount Rushmore in the distance amazing.

On the way down the Iron mountain road the clouds cleared an the sun emerged, on the way down we missed our turn off but Karen knew another way....was this going to be good to us??!! The open road was so cool, apart form the motorbikes in the picture below (sorry mum!!) But they are much better over here....not complete idiots!!

So we came back through Keystone and headed for the Crazy Horse Memorial, this took us through the town of Hill City. The Black hills mountain railway finishes here, as we drove through the train was just about depart, Karen said she has not seen it before, so it was a first for all of us. A wonderful refurbishment of a traditional old steam train and its carriages, coupled with a rather entertaining skit of the gold bandits escaping the sheriff was a bonus. Remember that missed turning....so far so good!!!

So after our little entertainment stop it was on to the Crazy Horse Monument. Built by Korczak Ziolkowski (assistant to Gutzon Borglum the sculptor of Mt Rushmore) from 1948 till his death in 1982, the work is to this day continued by 7 of his 10 children and his wife. Having seen the 'White-Men' carved into Mt Rushmore, the Chief Standing Bear of the Sioux Indian people, had written to Korczak asking him to carve a similar sculpture. together the pair chose Crazy Horse, the legendary Sioux Warrior Chief and hero of Custer's last stand at the Little Bighorn.

This site is truly magnificent despite the fact that it is still working progress and unlikely to be finished in our lifetime!!! To give some idea of its sheer size, all four presidents from Mt Rushmore could fit into Crazy Horse's head and hair (from his face to the edge of the photo). Since the completion of the face, in 1998, work has now begun on the head of his horse (bottom right).

The museum of Native American life is also here with wonderful displays of their artwork, religious artifacts and other cultural gems. Out on the terrace with views of the monument is a scale model carved by Korczak showing the finished article. the Legend goes that when the chief was asked by the Whites who'd taken his lands 'Where are your lands now, Crazy Horse?' he's responded, pointing to the Black Hills, 'My lands are where my people lie buried.'

Having left Crazy Horse, Karen told us that only 4 miles away lay the town of Custer, ironic that the two great warrior leaders of their people who had faced each other in battle and died so young at the hands of their enemy should now lie so close to each other...

We now drove off once again into the mountains, this time along the Needles Highway... so called because of the needle like rock formations along its route including the needle-eye rock so called because... well look at it!!!

And it's freakin' huge...

as we once again moved off it became just how narrow these tunnels were, but tour buses can make it through here. Wouldn't like to be driving or behind it waiting though!!!

But we got through

And on the other side we found ourselves at the Cathedral Spires.....'cos it looks like a cathedral. A true cathedral of the natural world, sculptors can carve Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial but only God could have carved this...

Sylvan Lake like Rushmore a true testament to the artistic ingenuity of men. Originally carved out by men during the age of mining; now an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Our luck with nature had transferred from the Rockies to the Black Hills. numerous deer were spotted beside the road still naturally nervous of cars and people... some stood still long enough for me to photograph them as the light failed us...

As we raced against the clock to reach our final destination on time (more on that in a second...) Karen took us onto the plains via the nature loop in Custer State Park in the hope of seeing the Bison. please God ... the herd would be awesome but one will do just fine. seconds later right beside the road....

A miracle made even more by the fact that, after driving on and then five minutes later turning round to meet our deadline, within a 10 minute time slot this magnificent beast had disappeared entirely from a totally open plain...weird.

Our final destination as arranged by the company especially for Kate was to view a South Dakotan sunset. The company had gone above and beyond; the highest peak in the Black Hills is Mt Coolidge, normally closed to the public, the park ranger had left the padlock open for us so we could get through the gates... now that's special treatment. The three of us made our way up the winding slope to the summit, on arrival Kate got her wish... on the horizon the cloud had fractured letting the rays of the setting sun through.