Rushmore & more
August 26, 2017

Images: Impossible to gauge how many images we've seen during our lifetime; certainly it's a great many.  We are bombarded with pictures from every side.  It makes me think how different it was for the folks who came not that long before us - the only images they would have seen were artwork of one kind or another and likely precious little of that.

So when I think of visiting Mount Rushmore, I have a firm idea of what I will see there.  Yes, it is a familiar sight, but no photographs compare to experiencing life firsthand.  I am grateful for the opportunities to travel and to savor the countryside and meet the fine folks we encounter along the way.

Learning about the whys and hows of the grand sculpture of four presidents on the mountain was fascinating.  Gutzon Borglum, the man who conceived the massive memorial and who orchestrated its implementation, took the smaller-scale idea of another fellow and transformed it into a monument known worldwide and visited by more than two million people every year.

No random selection, the men portrayed there represent phases of the United States of America: George Washington for its struggle for independence, Thomas Jefferson for its growth through territorial expansion, Abraham Lincoln for preserving its permanent union with equality for all, and Theodore Roosevelt for its development into world affairs and establishing the rights of the common man.

As Prescottonians, we may be more familiar with the Borglum name than some.  Gutzon's brother, Solon Borglum, was the sculptor of the Bucky O'Neil statue on our Courthouse Square.  Clearly, the artistic talent was a familial trait.  When Gutzon died just before his Rushmore masterpiece was finished, his son Lincoln saw the task to completion.  Lincoln also sculpted the bust of his father (below).

At the site, we watched an interesting film about the mountain's transformation into a work of art during the 1930s as hundreds of workers blasted away huge amounts of rock resulting in the talus slope beneath the 60-foot high faces.

Along the foot of the slope, we walked a trail that winds through the forest strategically exposing unique views of the individual faces.

Borglum's studio is near the terminus of the trail and is interesting to visit.  The photo below is the view of the mountain from the interior of his workspace where working models of the sculpture were crafted to guide the process.

Iron Mountain Road . . .

After we departed the Mount Rushmore site, we explored the alluring Black Hills of South Dakota via the twisting Iron Mountain Road.  It was amazing to catch sight of the gigantic sculpture we had just left at nearly every turn and opening through the trees.  The distant views gave an entirely different perspective.

Although not feeling particularly precarious, the Iron Mountain Road is about as circuitous as they come.

Cecil Clyde Gideon and Senator Peter Norbeck visualized a route through the Black Hills that would allow access to the great beauty without detracting from it.  The innovative engineering that allowed the road to successfully maneuver the elevation drops resulted in something called pigtail bridges, unique affairs that curl right back under themselves.

With the inclusion of one-lane tunnels, the route comfortably winds through the hills, the feel of which is reminiscent of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Custer State Park . . .

We had been encouraged by other travelers to see Custer State Park and we are very happy we did - another phenomenal area!

When we arrived at our South Dakota perch, our neighbors were a nice couple from Quebec, Yvon and Nicole.  They had gone to the Custer Park, but had been able to be there for only one day, yet had to purchase a $20/5 day pass, which they offered to us.  Although payment was not requested, we split the cost with them and everyone saved.

In the process of visiting with them, we learned that - yup, it's true - Yvon has a cousin who lives in Prescott.  Very nice folks: they are traveling a loop similar to ours this summer, only in the opposite direction.

Burro jam . . .

We totally enjoyed a drive on Custer State Park's wildlife loop road.  The region was teeming with wildlife, not all of which we expected.  A bevy of burros totally surprised us as they mobbed halted vehicles looking for handouts.  As for those folks who wanted to drive on through - good luck with that!

The moochers were not averse to sticking their heads right into car windows to see what delectables might be in sight.  Most folks accepted the inevitable and mingled through the human/beast crowd, scratching ears and offering nibbles.  It felt just like being back in Oatman, Arizona.

This was a major mutual back-scratching exercise.

In the meantime, a lone pronghorn ignored the goings-on while those who tired of the burros wandered right up to him to snap photos.

There are approximately 1,300 bison in Custer State Park.  We saw plenty of them there, up close and personal like the one below that spent a good bit of time scratching his head on a tree.  Finding that unsatisfactory, he utilized a pine sapling for the purpose until it broke off, at which point he wandered away with it stuck on his head, uncaring that we were laughing at him.

 In addition to lots of smaller wildlife, too, we were wowed by the varied prairie vegetation and views.

Wind Cave . . .

One of several national parks in South Dakota, Wind Cave is another place that we enjoyed immensely and would love to return to for more time.

We began the day with one of the tours of a portion of the 140 miles of underground passageways explored so far.  That is thought to be only ten percent of Wind Cave's total limestone labyrinth!  It is best known for its unusual calcite formations referred to as boxwork.

As our journey has progressed, I have noticed more and more the severity of sight loss in my left eye.  It's frustrating and sometimes makes tricky footing on hikes more difficult, but wandering through Wind Cave's dim interior with uneven ground surface really brought home how blurred Lefty's vision has become.  I trust a medical solution will be found once we get home.

Wind Cave Canyon, a hike . . .

Wind Cave National Park encompasses the largest remaining natural mixed-grass prairie in the United States, and it is awesome!  Unlike many of the better-known tourist destinations, Wind Cave's visitors are few in number and of a more relaxed nature than is common in places with a more frenetic pace.

There are many back roads to wander and miles of hiking trails through the amazing prairie lands.  Similar to Custer, Wind Cave's wildlife is abundant.  Pronghorn and bison are common; prairie dogs are everywhere, it seems.

 We had a splendid hike into Wind Cave Canyon . . .

. . . right up until we came upon a couple of bison reclined in slumber and looking for all the world like a couple of large boulders in the tall grass.  I had in mind to detour up and around them, a plan that was cut short when they finished napping and stood up.  They did not seem threatening; however, I admit to quite a few looks over my shoulder as we exited their territory.

What does this autumn-hued Virginia creeper know that I don't?  It seems too early for such color changes.

Mammoth Site of Hot Springs . . .

Naturally, if there is a mammoth site anywhere in the vicinity, the señor would know about it.  There was and he did.  The place was actually fascinating: a well-done exhibit of a paleontological excavation in progress and equally well-done guided tour and museum.

The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs includes the highest known concentration of mammoth remains in the world.  We are told it happened like this: a cavern collapsed leaving behind a 65-foot-deep sinkhole measuring about 120 feet by 150 feet in width.

As the sinkhole filled with warm water and lush vegetation grew around its perimeter, it was attractive to the animals of the area that would then sometimes fall in and be unable to extricate themselves from the steep muddy sides.

Their bones were covered in sediment and preserved.  Although the dig has scarcely scratched the surface of what is there, already 61 individual mammoths have been found in the pit, most of them huge Columbian mammoths and a few wooly mammoths.  Additionally, many other animals were also trapped there, including shrub oxen, short-faced bears, American camels, llamas, wolves, coyotes, minks, ferrets, prairie dogs, voles and moles.

The site had been slated to become a residential development when excavation uncovered mammoth bones and the stage was set for what is an astounding find.

Columbian mammoth molars.

A Columbian mammoth and an Arizonan humanoid.

The tools of the trade - it's going to take a heck of a long time to reach the pit's 65-foot depth using those.

A complete Columbian mammoth skull (above) and tusks (below).

A short-faced bear.

I was fascinated with the display of a mammoth bone house, something I had never heard of (that's a very long list indeed).  Some found in the Ukraine are said to be between 12,000 and 19,000 years old.

The things you see along the way . . .

I could scarcely believe that this tree was growing out of solid rock.