The Mammoth Site

While Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Devils Tower all provided some opportunity to learn a little about the site and people represented, for the most part they were photo opportunities and a chance to see something I had wanted to see in person. The visit to The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD was different and part of a continuing educational dig into the ice age.
We went to Hot Springs on the morning of the day we visited Crazy Horse. It was a nice drive through the grasslands and we saw prairie dogs and bison along the way. The actual site started as a housing development for Hot Springs in 1974 when the person leveling the property to start construction noticed he had uncovered a tusk and as they say the rest is history. The developer agreed to sell the land to a group to develop the site. One requirement that he placed on the development was that no bones where to leave the site. This means that anyone wanting to study the bones must come to Hot Springs.
The have build a building over this onetime sinkhole that contains at least 55 Mammoths and many other animals that were trapped 26,000 years ago. You tour through the dig that they estimate will last a least 60 more years and see many bones still resting where they were discovered. In addition they have a display area and windows that allow you to look in at the work being done in the lab. This was an unexpected site that I was very glad we took the time to visit. However, Marilyn says we will not be part of the volunteer group that comes in the spring to help with the dig.

Mt. Rushmore - Crazy Horse

Our Bed and Breakfast provided an excellent location to visit the various sites around Custer, SD. Since both Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial had evening shows including a light show we decided to reach the memorials in the afternoon and spend time there until the night shows. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for a successful visit to either site.
On our way to Mount Rushmore we drove through Custer State Park along Needles Highway. It was a slow drive with a narrow winding road with great views. The Eye of the Needle was one of two one-way tunnels along the road. We meet a bus along the road and I don’t think I could fit it through the tunnels. It was slow but a lot of places to stop and enjoy the views since I was not getting to look at the views while I was driving. The road also took us past the Black Hills Playhouse. It had closed the day before so there was just people around packing up and moving out.
Before stopping at the memorial we visited the Gutzon Borglum museum. As we arrived at Mount Rushmore we were greeted by a mass of people and rain. We grabbed our umbrellas and headed for a view of the famous memorial to Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. We did get some breaks in the rain and in fact once we started the Ranger Walk below the faces it stopped raining making for a pleasant walk and good pictures. A number of the mountains goats roam the area along with chipmunks and even a tortoise. After the Ranger Walk about the presidents we listened to a talk on how the monument was carved and visited the museum about the construction. We waited around for the night show honoring the presidents and veterans and the big lighting of the presidents faces. We got to enjoy a very nice sunset and as the lights were turned on all the clouds the added to the sunset hid the faces and all we saw was beautifully lit fog.
Like Mt. Rushmore the Crazy Horse Memorial is mostly a photo op of a carved mountain but the plan for Crazy Horse Memorial is so large you wonder if it ever will be completed. The sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski is larger than life person that started a project that is now continued by seven of his ten children and his wife. Mt. Rushmore would fit on the forehead of Crazy Horse and only the face is done at this time. There is a large display of Native American artifacts and other things to see. You can even ride a van up to the arm right under the face for only $125. No, we didn’t do that. We did not have to put up with rain on this visit be it was much colder than it was the night before a Mr. Rushmore and the wind made watching the excellent laser show a freezing experience. I did sit through the show and got some pictures but once we got back to the Bed and Breakfast Marilyn ran a tub full of hot water and we both took a turn warming up in the hot water.

Off to Custer SD

After spending time with my classmates it was off to Custer, SD. Along the way we drove through farmland and mountains. We stopped at Thermopolis, WY to see the hot springs and walk on the newly renovated swinging bridge. I remember walking on it when I was a young boy but this time I only ventured out bout fifteen feet. And took Marilyn’s picture on the bridge. It was a wonderful spot for a picnic and swim in the naturally heated water at the Star Plunge when we were on the farm.
Since Devil’s Tower was only about thirty miles off the road we made a quick stop at America’s first National Monument. If you are not planning to climb the rock or take a big hike Devil’s Tower is not a big stop. I was amazed when the Ranger said the normal climb is three to eight hours but the record is 18 minutes. It is very impressive site and also featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I spent almost as much time trying to get a good picture of the prairie dogs just inside the entrance to the park as I did at the monument.
We then continued on to our bed and breakfast Strutton Inn just out of Custer, SD. It was a very pleasant place to spend three nights. They have nine rooms but only one other room was occupied two of the nights and then a couple from Switzerland joined us for the third night. The rooms were comfortable and the breakfasts were fantastic. We did not spend must time at the Inn but it did provide us with a good base for Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Mammoth site visits.

Going Home?

Can you go home again? I don’t suppose so but it was interesting to meet with some of my friends from high school. You can think about how your life would be different if you had made other choices and even think about how different my life and that of my son Scott is from my parents that homesteaded in Wyoming in 1935.
The first stop was back to Pavillion to see how it had changed. We stopped at the Methodist church that had not changed much but they have added a new kitchen and community room. The main part of the church is much the same as when I conducted services during the summer when I was home from college and the church did not have a pastor.
From there we drove past the old high school that is about to be torn down and on to the new high school to watch some of a football game. I did get to talk to a brother of one of my classmates and meet Karen that had organized a meeting of a few classmates for later in the evening.
Driving through the country to the old farm, I was lucky enough to find my old neighbor out in his yard. After finishing college he returned to the family farm and became one of the major farmers in the area. He took time to show off his sugar beets and talk for a while. After that we drove past the old farm and on into town. Yes things have changed a lot.
That night three of the women from my class and two brothers from classes before us met for a drink and dinner. Of the 13 people in my class that graduated four of us were there that night, three have died, and others are scattered. Only three years until our 50th year since graduation and hopefully most of the remaining ten will be able to meet and share stories. I did enjoy seeing those that I did.