Crazy Horse and Windy Cave NP
I turned into the Crazy Horse Memorial on a whim, wanting to see how it had changed since my last visit there in 2000. By eye, I couldn't see much difference at first, but then I saw that the
mountain was thinner, where they had removed rock to more closely follow the shape of the horse's head.
Most of the rest of the area was the same, with some very nice artwork in the Orientation Center. A couple of areas had been refurbished, and the Native American Cultural Center seemed to
have more people in it. There was some very nice craft work for sale in the cultural center, and the food in the restaurant was pretty good.
I was then planning on going to Jewel Cave National Monument but I missed the turn I needed to take in Custer. I was a few miles beyond the town before I realized I was going the wrong way, but I decided to keep heading south to Wind Caves National Park instead of turning around.
The National Park was very nice, but I missed the cave tour I decided to take by being one too far back in line for a ticket. I spent too much time looking around the Visitor Center and park store
before going to get the ticket. So I decided to look around above ground as I drove north toward Custer State Park.
There was some nice scenery, and plenty of wildlife in the park to stop and see as I drove. The hike up to the fire lookout tower was not bad, with some beautiful views of the surrounding
country. The guide booklet said that it was okay to climb up the lookout tower for an even better view, but there was a sign at the bottom of the stairs saying it was off limits.
After getting back to my car, it was north through Custer State Park, where I was disappointed to only see one antelope. When I was through the park in 2000, there was an abundance of bison and antelope and I was hoping for the same on this trip. But I guess I was in the wrong place this time.
Then it was off to Wall, South Dakota to visit Wall Drugstore. I didn't have very long to wander through the store, but it was still worth the stop even without finding a new hat.
|