National Parks and Canyons

Little Bighorn Special - Archers Direct, May 2010

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DAY 3: Saturday 8 May 2010 - Denver, Colorado to Keystone, South Dakota


Next morning we got on the bus ready to head to Keystone and Mount Rushmore. The skies were blue and the sun shining, but it was a little cold (in the 40s Fahrenheit) but we were on a bus. What did we care? Our tour director was Jack Fricano and our driver was Paul Solum (something like that anyway.)

On the way out of Denver, we turned west towards the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide – where the water table splits and feed into either the Pacific Ocean or the Mississippi.

The first stop was just outside Cheyenne, Wyoming at a truck stop. It was nothing special but had all the usual snacks, drinks, restrooms, all the essentials. Dave wondered why we were so close to Cheyenne without actually going there but maybe they don’t have adequate facilities for a bus load – there were 52 of us! I'd have preferred seeing Cheyenne, but the organisers usually know what they're doing.

Next stop was in Torrington, Wyoming. We had lunch at Ben’s Diner – a standard style US diner, with both booths and tables. Their deal was burger and fries for $7.50 which Dave had, but we settled for just fries. I have to keep an eye on my waistline and this was early days for the trip! For three drinks as well it only cost us $16 – bargain! Combined with a clean restaurant, friendly service and, most importantly, hot, freshly cooked food, Ben’s Diner is great. Since getting back I’ve done a little research – it’s only been open under this ownership since March 2010. Let’s hope they keep open!
Our first proper touristy stop was at the Crazy Horse Memorial. I hadn't heard of this, but it is a Mount Rushmore-style mountain carving, but very much more a work in progress.

It is a privately funded exercise, having rejected federal (government) funding several times. The goal of the memorial is to “protect and preserve the culture, tradition and living heritage of the North American Indians.” They want to show that Indians have their heroes, too.
We watched an informational movie about Korczak Ziolkowski, the original sculptor, who, for the first seven years, worked pretty much alone, carving the mountainside with dynamite. He would climb seven hundred steps with large drill bits and dynamite hanging over his shoulder.

On one occasion, he had to go up and down nine times when the compressor for the drills failed. They still have the compressor (right). Ziolkowski married a younger wife and they had ten children, most of whom still work on the project and should see it completed in the next twenty to thirty years.

The face is now exposed and they are now working on the pointing hand, before carving the horse on which Crazy Horse sits.

We paid an additional $3 for a bus tour nearer to the mountainside. The guide told us about the process of drilling, then dynamiting large chunks of rock off the cliff face, before finishing off the sculpture.
It is surprisingly delicate work, as one false move could have you blowing Crazy Horse's nose...clean off! It is an amazing feat, especially with only private funds, and a worthy one too, in my opinion.

We all need our heroes. Crazy Horse never lived on a reservation and as such, he is a symbol to many American Indians. Not long after he was placed in United States Army custody he was stabbed in the back and killed. It was a tragic end to a formidable man.

 

The weather was still sunny so Jack decided it would be best to take advantage of the good weather and spend an hour at Mount Rushmore before going to our hotel. The weather forecast for the following day wasn't promising and he didn't want us to miss out on seeing those Presidents' faces at the National Monument.

We took a bunch of photos and Dave got his first taste of being my assistant. He got to stand in front of the monument, trying to get me into position as the fifth face of the monument. What do you think? How did he do?

Yeah, you're right. It's rubbish. We'll blame Dave, though, right?

There are four presidents on the monument and all represent freedom ideals and principles. George Washington (far left) was the father of the nation, leading America to Independence from the British in 1776.

Thomas Jefferson (second from the left) was the third president of America and he was responsible for the Constitution with it's ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Abraham Lincoln (far right) is the third president (chronologically) appearing on the monument. He led the fight to maintain the Union during the American Civil War, making his Emanicipation Proclamation which ended slavery in the United States.

The fourth face on the cliffside (second from the right) is my namesake (and fave prez) Theodore Roosevelt. He's there because of his trust-busting legislation and support for the people against big business.

Mount Rushmore is an unusual statement, especially in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

This land was given to the Indians "until the rivers run dry and the grass no longer grows”, which turned out to be “until we find gold in them thar hills” and another treaty was broken. By the white man.
Below the monument faces is an amphitheatre which has a lighting ceremony in the summer, but the first night was the night after we left. We had no time for a Ranger talk either but they're usually worth doing if you can.

We stayed at the White House Resort in Keystone. Another basic, but clean, two bed room with television, wifi and free coffee in the lobby.

It wasn't until we were leaving in the morning that I realised the carafe in the room was to go get some of that coffee. Darn!

There was nothing particularly special about the hotel, but nothing wrong with it.

We spent the evening wandering the little town of Keystone. It seems there's no connection to the silent movie comedians and when we saw a Sheriff's Officer, we were too scared (smart?) to ask if he was one of the Keystone Cops...

The Railhead Restaurant at the Hotel was suggested for dinner but Tripadvisor wasn't very complimentary and prices were pretty high. The Red Garter Saloon had similar prices and little in the veggie line for Di.

We eventually ended up across the street at the Keystone House Restaurant. It was pretty quiet in this family-run diner, but they had beer, and when the food arrived, it was hot and freshly cooked. I've got no complaints.

Back at the room we checked out the Keystone House on Tripadvisor and the reviews were terrible! In response, both Dave and I submitted glowing reviews - they published his but not mine. Opinion is a funny thing. To me, the service was polite, friendly and good value, at about one-third the price of the other restaurants in town.


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