RV trip 2006 - day 17

Day 17 (September 6, 2006) - Mount Rushmore

Someone told me that a US Federal Law requires all tourists traveling around the US to make a stop at Mount Rushmore to pay respect to the patriotic sentiment that permeates this nation. So, we drove by it, we realized we could see it just as well from the road and save the $8 parking fee to semi-offset the $16 dollars we threw away at the 1880 Town. We decided to press on to the Crazy Horse memorial, under construction since 1948. Crazy Horse is a symbolic hero for all the Sioux tribes who lived in the Black Hills, who never signed a treaty with the white settlers and never retreated in a reserve. By sheer coincidence, today is his birthday, as well as his sculptor's. They will celebrate the event with a major blast tonight to remove more rock.

When complete, the entire monument will be 563 ft high, Crazy Horse head alone is 87.5 ft. In proportions, the 4 presidents of the Mt. Rushmore memorial will fit in Crazy Horse's nose. There are heroes and then there are heroes. Sooner or later history catches up with it.

We crossed the Black Hills south to north, without ever encountering Rocky Raccoon. Now I understand why this is such a sacred place for the Sioux. We will spend the night in Spearfish, the northern gate to the Black Hills.

Laura in the foreground.

Petr in the foreground.

The 4 musketeers in the foreground.

Laura sticks her finger in George Washington's nose.

Crazy Horse profile. There are no photos of him, he never let his picture being taken so his face is a reconstruction based on descriptions by those who met him.

This is the scale model of the monument: "My lands are where my dead lie buried".

Petr - the picture looks like a photomontage.

Little falls on a trail.

Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills.

The best picture of the day, according to the photographer.