This is the 2nd of 3 emails I had sent to friends and family describing my trip from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Seattle, Washington in 1999.
Greetings from Whitefish, Montana!
Well, here is a bit more of what had happened since the last time I wrote.
After Badlands NP, I headed over to Wind Cave National Park. Unfortunately, I was rainy and the cave tours were cancelled due to elevator repairs. So Wind Cave didn't have much to offer.
I was planning on camping in the park, but decided to head over to Jewel Cave instead. Camping in the rain just wasn't what I had in mind. Every time I had camped last year, it rained. And to be honest, I'd rather not subject myself to that if I have other alternatives.
It was still rainy when I arrived at Jewel Cave. But they were offering tours! So I did take the hour & 20 minute tour. This cave was named Jewel because many of the formations in the cave resemble jewels. The colors of the delicate formations were amazing. And the park ranger was able to give a lot of information about the cave system and it's history.
Jewel Cave is the second largest cave formation in the US. It is currently a little over one hundred miles long. I say currently because it is still being explored. Imagine that! The people who are exploring the cave are the first humans to see the formations. The light from their headlamps are the first light those rocks have seen in possibly millions of years. And no one knows how long the cave is, or what is left to be discovered! It was enough to make me consider becoming a caver.
From Jewel Cave I went to see Crazy Horse. The monument is a long way from being completed. I believe that they had just completed the head last summer. When completed, the monument will be the largest of it's type in the world. All four heads at Mt. Rushmore could fit inside Crazy Horse's head!
Because of it's size, the visitor center is located fairly far from the monument. It was another overcast day, so I was unable to see any of the monument. I must admit that I was very disappointed. I think that it would be very interesting to visit Crazy Horse during various stages of it's completion.
Even though the monument wasn't visible, the visitor center was worth seeing. They have a Native American museum with artifacts from various tribes across the US. They also have a nice shop and other works by Korczak Ziolkowski, the carver.
Ziolkowski was asked to carve the monument by Chief Standing Bear. The Lakota Chief had said that "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too." The carving of the monument is funded entirely by private donations and admission fees. The federal government had offered to fund the carving with a very large grant. But Korczak wanted the monument to remain a private project. So if you ever find yourself in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, be sure to stop to see Crazy Horse.
After Crazy Horse, I went to see Mt. Rushmore. Because I was able to go much closer to this monument, I was able to see it.
At this point I was running about a day ahead of schedule. So I decided to make an unplanned stop in Deadwood...that infamous town! In the 1980's, the town had legalized gambling. Now the main street is lined with casinos. Fortunately, a portion of the funds received from this business venture go towards the restoration of many of the towns historical buildings. (The buildings, of course, have casinos in them!) The amount of income far exceeded their expectations. As a result, the restoration projects were completed many years sooner than projected.
If you stop in deadwood, be sure to stop in the information center and the Adams Museum. You'll learn that the town has a history that goes beyond bawdy saloons and gun slinging cowboys.
In the town of Deadwood, everything seems to be covered with gritty dust. In my hotel room I could feel a film of dirt. My car was covered with the dirt. I think even I had a film on me. And when walking through the town, I could see whirlwinds of dirt swirl through the streets. The roads are paved now. But imagine what the town was like during the frontier days! That dirt would be in your clothes, your hair, your homes, even the air you breathe!
Even though the weather in the Black Hills was uncooperative most days. I did have a wonderful time. There is really a lot to see and do in the SW of South Dakota. And I'm sure I would have discovered many more things if I had had more time.
Well, that's it for this chapter of notes from the road. Hopefully I'll have the time tomorrow to write about my experiences at Devil's Tower, Grand Teton NP, and Yellowstone NP.
Talk to you all soon!
Michelle