Custer #2

Well, it turns out there is plenty to keep us busy around here! We were all a little tired from traveling all day yesterday, so we slept in late, getting up around 9:30. After breakfast, we headed out for a day of sightseeing. The weather was great today with sunny skies and temps in the 80’s.

First, we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is a work in progress –a truly gigantic mountain carving of the Indian atop his horse pointing into the distance. It is a private project and they receive no public funding, so work goes as quickly (or slowly) as the budget and weather will allow. In addition to the monument, they had a very nice museum and gift shop filled with Native American items.

Next, we headed to Mt. Rushmore. I got a kick out of finally seeing this one in person. We took pictures, had lunch, and browsed the displays at the visitor center.

After leaving Mt. Rushmore, we headed to the town of Keystone to visit the Big Thunder Gold Mine. We took a tour of the mine and learned about the two men that mined it. It was really a sad story. These two guys used to be partner in a successful mine down the road and were moderately wealthy. They decided to part ways with that mine and start their own: Big Thunder. They worked on a meager budget, camping outside at night and working all day with a hammer and chisel. They found $20 worth of gold on the first day and then nothing else for 15 years, yet they still kept at it. It’s one thing to be persistent, but that seems ridiculous! After the tour, the kids got to pan for gold. We found a few gold flakes in the gravel and got to keep them in a small vial.

We continued on toward Rapid City to the Flying T Chuck Wagon Supper & Show. It wasn’t quite as I had imagined: The food was served not outdoors from a chuck wagon, but from a buffet line in a big barn. The show was billed as comedy and music, but it was mostly just music. Still, the food was pretty good and Cameron really enjoyed dancing to the country music.

After a while, the kids started to get bored, so we left the show a bit early. Not wanting to backtrack past the monuments, we took a different route back to our hotel, cutting through the Custer Park near dusk. It was a beautiful drive and we got to see buffalo and deer along the roadside as the sun set over the hills.

Tomorrow, we will be heading to Memphis, TN with a fuel stop in Lincoln, NE. A quick check of the weather tonight shows the nice, big high pressure system still covering our entire route of flight. I predict another beautiful day for flying!