North to Alaska 2016: South Dakota

The Black Hills of South Dakota

To date, we have seen some phenomenal sights and beauty, so South Dakota follows in some big footsteps. We had heard many glowing compliments from fellow travelers, telling us we would love the area. They were correct, we were not disappointed.

Comanchee campground was very quiet with big, secluded lots, but no services. We are self-contained with solar panels, propane generator and furnace. Water and pit toilets were available, none of which we used.

We enjoy camping and the scenic outdoors, but love our comforts of home. Our says of roughing it are long gone.

Like a turtle, we carry our home and comforts with us.

We very much enjoyed our 5 day stay in this picturesque, quiet park, and at $8 per night with our Golden Age Parks Pass, it was a great deal.

Custer State Park

Day one in this area was a drive to Hot Springs to do some banking business at Wells Fargo. The 27mile trip took us through part of Custer State Park, where we got our first bison (buffalo) sighting.

It was neat to see the new additions to the herd.

Hot Springs was a quaint touristy town.

It’s claim to fame is the hot springs that feed the plunge pool and water park. We love soaking in hot pools, but we opted to leave this one to the kids and families.

Crazy Horse Memorial

Located on SD highway 385 north, between Custer and Hill City is the Crazy Horse Memorial.

The actual memorial is 32 times larger than the scale model, and is an ongoing project.

Korczak Ziolokowski, a Polish sculptor and assistant on the Mount Rushmore sculpture, received a letter from Lakota Chief, Henry Standing Bear, inviting Korczak to come to the Black Hills and carve a mountain. The letter stated that Chief Standing Bear and his fellow chiefs would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes also.

Korczak accepted the offer and work began in 1948 with only $174.

Korczak married in 1950 and he and his wife Ruth raised 10 children on the mountain. All contributed to the project in some capacity. Following the deaths of Korczak and Ruth, many of their family are still actively involved in the ongoing carving and daily operation of the monument and museum.

Crazy Horse was the chosen subject for this monument, and is to be carved not as his lineal likeness, but more of a memorial to his spirit and that of his people. His outstretched hand is in answer to the white man’s question “where are your lands now? He is pointing and replies, “my lands are where my dead lie buried”.

One of the greatest challenges to date has been how to create and carve the space beneath his outstretched arm. Currently the main focus of the carving is the work being done on Crazy Horse’s hand and the mane of his horse.

The monument’s final dimensions will be 641’ wide, 563’ high, and the head of Crazy Horse will be 87’ high, compared to Presidents at Mount Rushmore, which are only 60’ high. This is likely to become the world’s largest sculpture. Visitors to the monument and museum support the carving. No state or federal funds are accepted.

Although it is a long way from completion, it is quite a sight to see. The movie at visitor center tells the story of the Ziolokowski family and the carving work from inception.

Needles Highway

Custer State Park's most spectacular scenic drive.

From Crazy Horse, we continued heading north on SD 385 to connect with the scenic Needles Highway, named for the rock spires along the byway. A picture is worth a 1000 words, so I’ll let these photos be your tour guide.

We stopped in Custer State Park at Sylvan Lake Lodge for lunch. The dining room is filled with mountain charm and character. It was such a beautiful, warm day, we couldn't resist joining other diners out on the patio.

Sylvan Lake

Rock spires from which the Needles Highway derives its name.

Yes, the road does make a ninety degree turn!

Immediately followed by this single lane bridge!

This truck entering the bridge demonstrates the tight confines here.

When we turned off the highway to visit the new Visitors Center, we were greeted by a few bison, who were just sauntering around the parking lot, oblivious to us mortals and our vehicles.