Welcome to South Dakota!
I have to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I decided to visit Mount Rushmore. For some reason, I always thought that South Dakota was mostly a dust bowl. Just sort of rocky and dusty. I’m not sure why, but I did.
Boy, was I surprised. The first thing I saw when crossing the state line was a beautiful expanse of rolling green hills. South Dakota (SD from here on) is actually incredibly green in places, and provides great vistas around every curve of the highway (especially at sunset). I was blown away at how peaceful and lush everything looked.
Not to say there aren’t some dusty areas! Ron Wilkoc (my friend back in PA), had informed that I was going to pass right by the Badlands National Park, so I made it a point to stop and check it out on the way to Rushmore.
It’s incredible what alien landscapes you sometime find right here on the surface of the Earth, and the Badlands definitely fits the bill:
About to enter another world…
Like a desert planet from a sci-fi movie…
Actually, I think it is in a sci-fi movie!
And while the terrain is incredible desolate in places, it hides some unique treasures:
Oasis in the wastes…
Remember the microclimate from my DC post? Well, several million years ago, the whole side of a mountain above this area fell off and crushed it flat. As the stone broke apart and eroded, a whole new microclimate formed because of the unique change in the ground density (from everything being crushed). This tiny forest is right smack in the middle of the Badlands. It’s populated with species that aren’t normally found in the area, and a few that are:
Overall, the Badlands are quite amazing, and I really wished I had more time to explore them. Rushmore called, however, so I headed West, chasing the sunset.
After spending the night in Rapid City, SD, I headed out for a short half-hour drive to Mt. Rushmore itself:
Still looking good after all these years!
I got there pretty early, before the crowds really started to hit, and had a chance to explore the monument without it being completely packed. The first thing you notice is how the sculpted stone appears to be an entirely different material from the rest of the mountain. It makes you stop for a moment when you realize how incredibly detailed the mountain is, despite the fact that it is a giant rock of granite, not a smaller hunk of marble.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to get up close and personal. I thought the mountain was actually smaller than I envisioned, until I realized how far away I was, and checked out some of the old photos of the workers on the mountain in the visitor center.
The center itself isn’t huge, but it’s filled with fascinating tidbits about the construction of Rushmore. The sculpture was actually supposed to have the full figures of the presidents, not just the busts, but the granite at the bottom wasn’t strong enough to support it:
The feats of engineering tied to the construction are awe-inspiring. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, devised a wire system that allowed the men on the face to use smaller plaster molds at the base of the mountain to measure each cut exactly. Amazingly, the men responsible for blasting the face with dynamite got so good at it that they were able to blast the rock to within a few inches of the final carved surface, which was handled with jackhammers.
Gutzon Borglum
It was pretty cool stuff.
After spending about an hour and a half at the monument, I was feeling adventurous, so I headed just a few minutes down the road to Custer State park. Word to the wise, and it won’t necessarily be mentioned, but your parking pass for the Badlands is good for Custer State park. Your Rushmore pass isn’t any good, and I didn’t realize that I could use my Badlands one until too late!
The park is gorgeous, and a hiker’s paradise. Rock climbing is also an option, and the beautiful Sylvan Lake waits for anyone interested in swimming or canoeing.
Doesn’t it look refreshing?
I decided to hike Mt. Harney, and although it was strenuous (about 7 miles round trip with some substanstial elevation changes), it was well worth it. Mt. Harney is the highest point in SD, and was once the primary lookout for rangers searching for wildfires.
The hike is quite varied in terrain, with plenty of wildlife to see:
These guys are everywhere.
But the really impressive views were at the top:
What’s perhaps more incredible than the views, however, is what you realize once you get to the top. The rangers actually built a whole lookout tower and a dam for a rainwater pond up here, back in the 1800s:
You can see the top of the dam, plus access to the tower on the left. The main tower is about 35-40 feet up, at the highest point of Mt. Harney.
Um, yeah. I was tired just climbing up the thing…
Overall, SD was a beautiful place, and I’m glad I decided to make it a part of my journey. Now it’s off to Colorado to see my family for a good ole’ fashioned reunion!
