Needles Highway -Still in South Dakota

The bus tour included a drive on the scenic Needles Highway, Iron Mountain and the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway.  The Needles highway stretches 14 miles through granite structures and pine covered mountains. It cuts through  Custer State Park, known for narrow, windy roads and tunnels.

Signature granite "needles" rise out of the surrounding landscape of the Black Hills.

The Needle's Eye is one of the most memorable granite formations along the drive, formed by years of rain, ice and wind.  This picture is from the internet as my picture didn't turn out.

Many different shapes and sizes of granite formations.

The tunnels are very narrow.

The tour bus is 10 ft high and 8 ft wide.  A 2 inch clearance on each side was too close for me!

People waiting at the end of the tunnel to see if the bus makes it. 

Half way through, the driver stops the bus, turns on his emergency flashers, honks his horn and waves his arms making the spectators think he is stuck.

By the serious looks on their faces, they really do think he can't move.

The driver starts back up and proceeds through the tunnel to smiles,  applause and thumbs up gestures.

As you exit one of the tunnels this is what you see.



Another stop was at Sylvan Lake.  It is a beautiful lake nestled at the base of Harney Peak and surrounded by the impressive rock formations and ponderosa pine trees.  This area is complete with the lake for swimming, boating or fishing, hiking trails, a lodge and campground.

The only wildlife we saw was a few elks and a privately owned herd of buffalo.   We want to explore the area to find free roaming buffalo if we can.

 Hope all is well!

Crazy Horse Memorial

Part of our bus tour was a visit to Crazy Horse Memorial.  Sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski who worked on  Mount Rushmore, met with Chief Henry Standing Bear of the Lakota Sioux and together they decided to undertake a memorial project to Native American Heroes.  Standing Bear's commission stated in part "My fellow Chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes too.".

Construction began in 1948 and is still far from completion. All funding is through the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a private, non-profit organization. It does not receive federal or state funding and has actually refused  2 - 10 million offers in the past from the federal government.  Ziolkowski died in 1982 and never saw the completion of the head which was finished in 1998.  His wife and seven of their 10 children work at the memorial.  A private investor has pledged $1 million a year for five years as matching donations were raised specifically to further work on the horse's head. Much of the earth moving equipment used is donated by corporations.


Crazy Horse was chosen as the symbol to represent all of the fallen Native American Heroes because it is believed his character represented the values that many Native tribes held dear, such as bravery, dedication to his people and a modest lifestyle.  There was some controversy in the choosing of the image of a man who refused to be photographed during his lifetime and who's wish was to be buried  where his grave would not be found.


The next step is completion of the head of the horse on which the warrior sits.  Once finished the 563 foot high mountain carving in the round will dominate the horizon.  Visitors will be able to drive around the spring-fed lake to the other side of the sculpture.  Once completed it will also include a satellite campus of the University of South Dakota.

Outline of where the horse's head will be carved.

Cast of how it will look at completion.  The size of the horse's head will be an overall height of 219 feet, the ears will be 42 feet long, the eyes will be 16 feet wide, 13 feet high, the nostrils will be 35 feet in diameter and 50 feet deep.  The horse's mane will be 62 feet high and Crazy Horse's hand will be 33 feet high.    As a comparison:   Crazy Horse will be 563 feet in the round, the largest Pyramid is 481 feet and the Washington Monument is 555 feet.  The head will be 87 feet high in comparison to the heads on Mount Rushmore at 60 feet high.

The complex now includes a Indian museum,  Native American Cultural Center, view of Ziolkowski's studio and a gift shop.

 Ziolkowski suggested the sculpture to be carved in the Wyoming Tetons because the rock was better for sculpting,  the Sioux leader insisted it be carved in the Black Hills, which are a sacred  burial ground for the  Lakota culture.

"My lands are where my dead lie buried" was reportedly said by Crazy Horse, and that is the symbolism of his extended hand.

Ziolkowski's oil painting of his wife, Ruth and a sculptured bust of him on a pedestal behind her.

Ziolkowski's bronze sculpture of Chief Standing Bear.

 Granite self portrait sculpture.

Bronze Fighting Stallions, another Ziolkowski's work of art, grace the entrance of the memorial.

The bus tour really didn't allow  sufficient time to see everything that is there, but we enjoyed what we did see.  We mentioned to each other that we will come back when it is finished, but quickly realized at the current rate of completion we will either be too old or in another world!

Hope all is well!

Mount Rushmore

We have been in South Dakota for a couple of weeks and have seen some of the famous attractions.   We took a tour to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park and Sylvan Lake.  The tour also included breakfast and a chuck-wagon dinner and show.  It was a long day but a great way to see some of the sites and have someone else do the driving.   We thoroughly enjoyed Mount Rushmore.  One of the places you read about and see pictures, but are in awe to look up at this monumental exhibit...we couldn't believe we were really there

Mount Rushmore National Memorial.  A 14 year project by 400 workers, men and women, mostly from the local area.  The work was hard, the hours long, the pay low and periods of employment uncertain.  They started work at 7:30 am and before they could begin, they had to climb the torturous stairway of over 700 steps to the top of the mountain.   Once they reached the top they were strapped into swing seats and lowered over the face of the mountain while managing the heavy drilling tools and blasting equipment.

Why were these four presidents chosen?

George Washington...Birth of the Republic President.    His image signifies the struggle for independence and the birth of the Republic.

Thomas Jefferson....The Expansion President.    Responsible for the territorial expansion of our country.

Theodore Roosevelt,  The Development President responsible for
the 20th century role of the United States in world affairs and the rights of the common man.

Abraham Lincoln...The Preservation President.  Instrumental in the permanent union of the States and  equality for all citizens.

Viewed from a distance.  The carving by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, began in 1927 and was completed in 1941 at a total cost of $989,992.32.    The rock is Harney Peak granite and  dynamite was used for 90% of the stone removal. 

We were 2 of the 3 million annual visitors that come to view this majestic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota.


Hope all is well!

Lost Coast Scenic Byway

We started out to drive the scenic byway called the Lost Coast, but quickly determined we started too late in the day and the fog was coming in early due to weather conditions.  So we scrapped it for that day and went the next day.   We debated whether to drive this 65 mile, 2 hour one way route through climbs and dips and very narrow roads but wanted to see why it made the travel books.  We started at the town of Fernadale, an 1852 town that grew rich from creameries and enjoyed a boom in Victorian houses.

The road zigzags up slopes, through open forested valleys,

and stretches of ranch land 

and into  Capetown, Cape Mendocino and Petrolia - the site of the states first commercial oil wells.

Cape Mendocino - the western-most points in the contiguous 48 states.

Cape Mendocino is the site of many shipwrecks.   No kidding...with all of these protruding rocks.   Here there are 3 large tectonic plates that grind together just off the coast, creating one of the most active earthquake zones.  

All in all a great  drive through beautiful  country.

Hope all is well!

Eureka !!

  Once we left the Santa Rosa area we debated whether to head straight to South Dakota or to take a little more time in northern CA.    We are so glad we decided to spend a few days in Eureka CA about 270 miles north of San Francisco.  It was the perfect place to park the coach and drive the Jeep north to the Redwood National Park and Trees of Mystery and south to the Avenue of the Giants.   It is located on the Humboldt Bay (the second largest bay in California)  and has a very distinguished and active  historic boardwalk and downtown.




Active with seals...

boats....

and kayakers.  Is that a word?

Entrance to the boardwalk displays a mast with nautical flags.  




But what Eureka is really noted for is their Victorian architecture.

Performing Arts Building

and the Carson Mansion.  Built in 1886, 16,200 sq ft on 3 floors  for $80,000 with a Douglas Fir Frame and Redwood exterior for lumber baron William Carson, co-owner of Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Co.
It is considered the most grand of Victorian homes in America and is one of the most written about and photographed Victorian houses in California.  It is now home to a private members only club. 

Eureka also has some neat murals painted on their downtown commerical buildings.

Hope all is well!