Two Hams on the Road

Monday, August 12, 2013 Cody, Wyoming to Custer, South Dakota

After another great breakfast at the Southfork B&B, we left Cody to head for Custer, South Dakota.  Steve had tried to make our drive days relatively short, but this one was going to run 7 - 8 hours, not including stops.

The scenery leaving Cody is almost flat with some rolling hills.  Farming is with irrigation.  In the distance you can see mountains to the east.  Occasionally you see a strange outcropping of stone.

We're headed for the Big Horn Mountains, about halfway between Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore.  As we approach, the scenery changes.  We start seeing plateaus and rocks similar to those before Cody.

 

We're having connection problems, and it's late, so I'll finish this tomorrow.  I'm back.

We travel through the Big Horn Mountains, which have suffered forest fires, but not as badly as Yellowstone. The Big Horn Mountains are not as heavily forested as Yellowstone, which helps limit the spread of fires.  As we're driving through, a report comes on NPR (we're listening on satellite radio) about how forest fires are bigger this year than usual.  The Big Horn Mountians are also suffering from the pine beetle, which kills the trees.  If the dead tree is just a skeleton, it was fire.  If the needles are still there, it was the pine beetle.

We leave the mountains behind for the gentle rolling hills of eastern Wyoming.  This is coal country.  We didn't see any open pit mines, but we saw miles of coal trains.

We leave I-90 to head for Custer, South Dakota.  As we near South Dakota, the landscape changes again to pine forested mountains. We've been driving all day, but looking at times and events, it looks like we might be able to see Mt. Rushmore tonight.  They light it in the evening and we've heard that we should see it at night.  Steve has reserved rooms for us at the Rocket Motel in Custer.  I tease him about not being able to pass up the name, but he assures me it was well rated on tripadvisor, but we have to check in by six.  So we drive to the hotel, where a sign says "Rockin' with Jesus at the Rocket Motel."  The motel was built in the 50's and has been kept up and recently refurbished, using a 50's theme.  It's well done.  Bathroom is brand new with black and white tile.  I'll try to take a picture of the outside.

Anyway, we check in and head for Mt. Rushmore.  We pass the large Crazy Horse statue that's still in progress.  The face is done and you can see the top of his outstretched arm.  We don't go into that park, as we want to get to Mt. Rushmore and have dinner before the lighting ceremony at 8 pm.

We miss the turnoff for Mt. Rushmore. I thought we should turn at a certain point, but if there was a sign, we missed it. (This was irritating, as there were many signs for Crazy Horse, which is a private site, but few if any for Mt. Rushmore.)  After checking 3 guide books for maps, we stumble into Mt. Rushmore.  You can see Mt. Rushmore from the public highway, but if you want to get closer, you pay an $11 parking fee.  A private entity, which supports Mt. Rushmore, built the parking garages which were needed and that's how they are payed for.

Mt. Rushmore is well done.  It has a stately feeling to it while remaining open.  The sculpture is visible from almost everywhere.  There are two visitor centers, a short hike around the property, the sculpter's studio, gift shops and a restaurant.  An ampitheater and viewing terrace are situated to view the sculpture. Here's our view at supper.

On our way to the viewing terrace, we have our only wildlife encounter of the day, a mountain goat.

Here's Mt. Rushmore, up close.

And a sunset picture.

They started the presentation at 8.  The ranger introduced a movie, more like a slide show, that told about how the monument came to be and the presidents that were chosen.  Originally, the state historian for South Dakota wanted sculptures of men of the west created to attract tourists and teach about South Dakota history.  He didn't find much support for the idea until he talked to one of the senators from the state, who helped promote the idea and suggested a sculpter be found to help solidify the project.  Gutzon Borglum was carving Robert E. Lees face at Stone Mountain, Georgia and was asked to consider the project.  He agreed and immediately changed the project from regional to national heros.  The project still had many road blocks and it wasn't until President Calvin Coolidge spent the summer at nearby Custer State Park that the project took off.  They persuaded President Collidge to give a speech at the dedication of the project and he surprised them by promising federal funding.  It was still a struggle for funding as the project ran from 1927 to 1941, during the depression.  400 people worked on the sculpture over the years.

Gutzon Borglum also chose which presidents he'd carve - Washington, the father of the country, Jefferson, for expansion (Louisiana Purchase), Lincoln for preserving the union, and Theodore Roosevelt for progress.  Roosevelt was a close friend of Gutzon Borglum.

At then end of the movie, America the Beautifle was sung.  The lights were turned on.

 

My first thought was "When are they going to turn on the rest of the lights?"  Then, "Steve would have done it better."

But the best part of the evening was coming.  The ranger asked us all to sing the national anthem and then he would invite members of the military, both past and present, to help lower the flag.  We sang the anthem and the ranger invited the military down front.  No one left and every one clapped as over 100 service men and women made their way to the stage.  A standing ovation!  After the flag was lowered and properly folded, the ranger asked each person to identify themselves and their branch of service.  The crowd stayed standing and gave another round of applause after the last person was introduced.

As a member of the generation that saw Vietnam and the treatment our veterans received, I was moved by the crowd's response to our military men and women. It was amazing.