South Dakota Ride - Day 1 - Mount Rushmore

August 21, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Part 1 - The Road to Hot Springs, SD

It was a bit frosty this morning as we rolled the ride out to begin our whirlwind South Dakota ride. The temperature at 5:30 am was in the low 40s. When we cleared the city limits on I-25 north to Cheyenne, WY we changed that to - damn - it's freekin' cold. Brrr... In fact, I could swear there was a light frost on the grasslands north of Cheyenne. Our first stop was the rest area at Chugwater for a cup of thermos coffee, a brownie snack and an opportunity to thaw out. You know, I say to Tim, those hand dryers with warm air will limber up stiff, cold fingers fairly well. Shortly after, he agreed. Ha!

Chugwater is a tiny community of about 250 people with a convenience store/Sinclair gas station, small hotel and a restaurant we've never visited. It is surrounded by steep sandstone and claystone cliffs. The Indians (I forget the tribe) who populated this area would round up the buffalo and run them off the cliffs to slaughter them. The sound a buffalo makes when it hits the ground coming off the cliffs is "chug", thus, the name Chugwater. I don't have a clue what body of water might be nearby. This useless bit of information is compliments of a longer than normal stay at a rest stop with limited reading material. You're welcome.

The sun was finally up in the sky and the day was warming. As we rode past the area commonly known for vicious winds whipping around the cliffs, we were thankful for the rare sight of the wind sock hanging limp. Stopping briefly in Wheatland, WY for gas, we were soon on the road again. At the Orin Junction rest stop, our road (Hwy 18/20) turned east. This began the part of the journey on roads we have never traveled before. We passed through small communities (oh, let's call them ghost towns) like Lost Springs (population 1, likely the owner of the bar that sits off the road a bit) and Manville (home to Three Sisters Truck Stop - looked more like an old road house - and very little else) and a couple of other nondescript places. Lusk, WY serves as civilization along this route. It is a small town whose claim to fame is being the gateway to the Black Hills of South Dakota and the home of a western pageant called The Legend of Rawhide.

We rode the length of main street (Hwy 85) in search of gas and breakfast. We found the latter at The Outpost Cafe on the south end of town. Some friendly Minnesota bikers, just heading out greeted us with - Cold - isn't it? If you are in search of a good, cheap breakfast - this is the place. Actually, I think it was purt near the only place... but, as they said - the breakfast was good, reasonably priced and our bustling waitress kept our cups brimming with strong coffee. Not only was the place booming with locals, but bikers and drivers of classic cars from Kansas were filtering in and out the whole time we were there. Later we assumed the classic car people were on the way to Deadwood Nights, a rather large vintage auto show and rally.

We calculated our mileage and decided we could fill up later. The road from Lusk, WY into South Dakota was more of the same wide open road with you-can-see-forever vistas. Crossing the state line, we rode through the Buffalo Gap grasslands and picked up a few hills and trees and rock outcroppings as we approached Hot Springs which is where we had booked a couple of nights in a moderately-priced hotel, just to have a place to hang our leathers. Ha! We didn't plan to be in the room long. I usually call the folks and let them know how our trip is going. We discovered our cell phones had no service in this location, so I made use of the free computer near the lobby and emailed our status. We freshened up, got our bearings and were back on the Harley in about half an hour riding out in search of new roads and the dead heads.

Part 2 - The ride to Mount Rushmore

Celebrating the luck of blue skies and sunshine, we rode out in our hoodies, eager to experience the roads of the Black Hills and see a few tourist sights along the way. We back-tracked a few miles to Hwy 89, heading north toward Custer. We thought to take in the Crazy Horse Memorial just north of Custer before Mount Rushmore. Actually, we turned prematurely and discovered the most amazing route.

Iron Mountain Road, as we later discovered is known for its zigzagging switchbacks breathtaking scenery, a series of pigtail bridges which bear a corkscrew shape, and its three single-lane granite tunnels that perfectly frame the faces of Mount Rushmore in the distance. I managed to catch the faces in one of my shots as we rode through the tunnels. Along the way, we saw many buffalo lounging and grazing the open range, some right next to the road and further on people petting burros. I remember a friend telling me a few years back the burros slimed the windows of her car when she stopped for them. We stopped for an ice cream break at a campground store. The road is about as fun as it gets, twisting tightly up the mountain with steep 10 - 15 mph curves, running through one lane tunnels and over pig-tail bridges. According to what I've read, the pigtail bridges enabled road engineers to reduce elevation without needing to build a switchback. And here we thought they built them for the pure enjoyment of bikers. The road comes off the bridge, makes a circular turn, and continues below the bridge. The Iron Mountain Road was completed in the 1930s and stretches 17 miles long. Of course, we stopped at one of the observation areas for pictures. A friendly tourist offered to take our picture at one of them. We (I), in turn, took a picture for another young couple.

The Presidents appeared ever closer as we rounded the curves of the mountain. It wasn't long before we rode up on the Mount Rushmore Visitor Center. There's no entrance fee but there is a parking fee. We parked The Ride in the parking garage and proceeded up the steps to the memorial. I stopped to take it all in. We learned about this monument in school. We read about it in countless brochures and novels. We have seen it on postcards, in magazines, on television travel and history channels and in movies. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer scope of it.

We have another photo of us in the same shot as we met some bikers traveling from Florida across the country to the west coast. One offered to take a picture of us. I offered to take a picture of him, his brother and a friend. We chatted with them for a while as we strolled through to the viewing platform. They were fun. The Presidents overlook a grand plaza and avenue of flags. There is a restaurant, snack vendors, gift and book store, information center and much more. We took a while to look and take pictures, read plaques and so on. I called the folks from the viewing platform (no signal at my hotel but I get one way out here). The folks were not home, so I left a message.

Here is a slide show and following that is a mini-movie.

Mount Rushmore Ride – South Dakota – August 2009

Part 3 - The Ride to Crazy Horse Memorial and back to Hot Springs

A short and beautiful ride through the Black Hills brought us to the Crazy Horse Memorial. What a lovely site! meaning, location.

Crazy Horse is one of my favorite historical figures. I first read about him in a biography I picked up in a gift shop at the Grand Canyon when I was just a girl on vacation with the folks. That was a summer of beaded headbands and moccasins for me.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is the world's largest mountain carving. It was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziółkowski, who had worked on Mount Rushmore under Gutzon Borglum in 1924. In 1939, Ziolkowski had received a letter from Chief Henry Standing Bear, which stated in part "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too." Korczak's story is very interesting. He and his family lived on the grounds. Part of the cabin where they lived is incorporated into the Visitor Center. His wife and sons are still instrumentally involved with the project.

In the planned sculpture, Korczak depicts Crazy Horse with his left hand pointing in answer to the derisive question asked by a white man, "Where are your lands now?" Crazy Horse replied, "My lands are where my dead lie buried."

It is interesting to note, this is not a government funded enterprise, nor is it situated on government land. Korczak believed that if the public accepted the goals of Crazy Horse Memorial, they would support it financially. He believed in individual initiative and private enterprise. Korczak wanted to ensure the ambitious long-range goals of the Memorial which include a college and medical center among other projects. He did not trust the government to oversee his vision. Smart man. The Visitor/Cultural Center is an impressive facility - one could spend a whole day studying art and photographs and artifacts. It houses a restaurant, theater, gift shop and more. Three themed motorcycles were up for grabs, including one built by Eric Gorges of Voodoo Choppers, MI. Chances were $20 each.

This project was begun before I was born and will not likely see completion in my lifetime. Amazing!

Leaving Crazy Horse behind, we turned the road toward Hot Springs. We rode through the town of Custer again as the shadows grew long. With the waning of the day, the air grew cool. We found ourselves headed south via a different route. One which wound through gently rolling hills and grasslands where the buffalo roamed... ha!

What an exhilarating day! 433 miles of really great roads says my numbers guy. We talked about everything we experienced today over pasta and bread sticks at the Pizza Hut. We belatedly discovered, while Hot Springs is quite charming, it is decidedly lacking in dining establishments.

After a quick stop at the Shell station for gas and beer, we were ready to call it a night. Tomorrow's ride takes us north to Sturgis and Deadwood and surrounding territory.

Mount Rushmore - South Dakota
Crazy Horse Memorial - South Dakota
Hot Springs, South Dakota