Wind Cave & Mt Rushmore National Parks, South Dakota (June 19-21, 2011)

We are behind with this blog, but we have two good excuses... Many parks where we are camping do not have wifi. And secondly, there are also so many things to see and do everywhere we go, that we have to get up early and finish our day late and exhausted. It's worse than work ! ah! ah! We are working on catching up. We promise another post in 2-3 days...

Windcave National Park, South Dakota (june 19, 2011)


The exploration started in 1890 and after more than 100 years of exploration, it is still going on. Barometric wind studies estimate that approximately five person of the total cave has been discovered. We took a tour and were surprised as the cave is very dry, no water therefore no stalagtites and stalagmites. The visit of the cave left us cold, but probably a geologist would have loved it as the work of nature is still amazing there. Unique honeycomb-like boxwork is this cave's trademark; created by calcite left by disolved limestone. See below.

June 20, 2011

We have been staying at the KOA in Hot Springs and tonight, the storm did not take place. We had asked the owners of KOA to put our motorcycles under a shed, as hail was forecasted. In the end, no hail, not much rain... We are happy and leave for Custer Park and ride through the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway

A good day in the end. The weather has also cleared up.

Mount Rushmore National Park, South Dakota (June 21, 2011)

It's the first day of summer today and although the weather is not great, we leave for Mount Rushmore. Carved in a granite cliff over 14 years (1927-41) by Gutzon Borglum, Mt. Rushmore is his ''shrine to democracy''. Over 400 men and women helped create Mount Rushmore. Jobs varied from drillers and blacksmiths to housekeepers. They endured conditions that went from blazing hot to bitter cold and windy. Carvers climbed 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to start their work day. The work was dangerous, as 90% of the mountain was carved using dynamite. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose to carve the mountain for 4 presidents :

- George Washington for the birth of the nation as the First President of the United States
- Thomas Jefferson who expanded the size of the United States with the purchase of Louisiana and author of the declaration of Independence,
- Theodore Roosevelt who symbolized development with the beginning of the Panama Canal and who was America's greatest conservation leader
- and Abraham Lincoln who ended slavery

Carving of the mountain ended in 1941 after the death of Gutzon Borglum and the beginning of the United States involvement in the World War II.

By the way, we saw a mountain goat on our way to the memorial ! Isn't she pretty ?

We had time to go see Crazy Horse Memorial the same day. The sculpture was started by Korczak Ziolkowski in 1948. The memorial has been started at the request of Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to show the white man that the red man has great heroes also. Crazy Horse is to be carved not so much as a lineal likeness but more as a memorial to the spirit of Crazy Horse. With his left hand thrown out pointing in answer to the derisive question asked by a white man, ''Where are your lands now?'' he replied, ''My lands are where my dead lie buried.''. Only 3 to 10 people are steadily working on this mountain sculpture, therefore nobody can predict when it will be over. The project is financed entirely privately. You pay an entrance fee of $ 5.00 per person and $ 4.00 each to go have a closer look at work in progress. There is still a lot to be done ! Alain and I have promised to go back in 20 years, on June 21, 2031 ! See you all then !

For information, the 4 heads of the President at Mt. Rushmore would fit in in the head of Crazy Horse ! Nothing is too big for this country !

Time to go On the Road Again...