So much to do and so little time – we were only in South Dakota for a week. Hard to see it all, when you’re also working. We took one vacation day to visit the biggies – Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, the town of Custer and drove through Custer State Park.
Mount Rushmore is one of those things, if you’re near, you just have to see it. For us, a couple of hours was enough time as we didn’t visit the Sculptor’s Studio or walk the Presidential Trail. To avoid crowds they recommend you visit before 9am or after 3pm. We were there pretty much at midday, and it wasn’t too crowded but then it was a Tuesday. 😉 We did not use the self-guided tour, so not sure what that has to offer but I’m sure it’s history and background info. We eat an early lunch in Carver’s Cafe and it was typical fare – burgers, hotdogs, etc. I have to say, it was VERY exciting the first time I saw the monument from the drive in and seeing it through the tunnels was a lot of fun – popular stops to stop and photograph! There are lots of places to pull over on the beautiful drive up to Rushmore.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is also something you need to see! The museums inside the welcome center are fantastic with memorabilia and artifacts. It helps illustrate the story of how and when (1948) the monument came to be. If completed as designed, it will become the world’s second tallest statue, after the Statue of Unity in India. I’m also glad we visited Fort Robinson the week before, where Crazy Horse surrendered and also where he was killed, stabbed by a military guard, while allegedly resisting imprisonment. Feel like we went a full circle, so to speak, learning about Crazy Horse, the Oglala Lakota warrior. The man, Crazy Horse, did not like his photograph taken and was deliberately buried where his grave would not be found. He reportedly said, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.” The Memorial is to be the centerpiece of an educational/cultural center to include a satellite campus of the University of South Dakota and is non-profit, not accepting federal or state funding.
Don’t know about you, but we get hungry site seeing! After Crazy Horse, we ate a late lunch/or “second lunch” in the town of Custer, at Bakers Bakery & Cafe. They have retro looking signs that say, “You’ll love our buns!” G and I both loved our choices for lunch, especially the desert – which G ate first. His moto is, “Life is short – Eat dessert first!” I took mine home and had for breakfast the next day – probably the best apple turn over I’VE EVER had. People kept coming in to the bakery counter while we were eating, asking about the donuts. They told us they make them fresh every day and are sold our by around 10am-ish. Stuffed donuts – hate we missed that! Another restaurant was recommended to us by friends, but it was not open – Burger & Bun Co.
I loved the painted buffalo statues on the corners in Custer, especially the one with goats on it’s back! They remind me of the painted bears in Cherokee, NC. Custer is a very cute, touristy type town, with lots of restaurants, bars and shops. Our tip would be, check the times of restaurants before going. They seem to have different operating hours than what we’re used to.
We rode through Custer State Park on the way home and we’re very disappointed we didn’t see any buffalo. So, we set out the following evening to try the scenic route again. Turns out we were not on the scenic loop the day before, just part of Custer State Park! Finally we had success near the wildlife station. We were in a “buffalo traffic jam” and it was fantastic! Seeing these magnificent animals within arms reach is not to be missed! Everyone had their windows down, in their vehicles and we were told many times, “Don’t pet the fluffy cows!” We went right before sunset and along with the huge heard of buffalo, we saw prairie dogs (so cute) and pronghorn deer. The weather was nice and sunset was gorgeous! Would recommend driving through the park either very early or at sunset, like we did.
