When I stepped out of the airport in Rapid City, South Dakota, a blast of heat pressed down upon me. It had been at the century mark earlier in the day and the land was baking. The sunset took my breath away because, like Montana, it is Big Sky country. The landscape and sky is immense in the same way that the ocean is to Gloucester.
My friend, a Jesuit physician, Dave DeMarco, collected me at the airport and gave me a tour of Rapid City, a city of 70,000 people and growing, before we headed out for dinner. Rapid City is a metropolitan regional city so all of its public services are top-notch. It has quite a good hospital system and a large, active military base. It has a few universities, most notable is the School of Mining. It is South Dakota's second largest city.
We ate at Minvera's restaurant where Dave had a prized bison burger and I had a 6 oz filet. The beef is very tender, so much so that it felt like I was eating dessert.
The next day, Dave gave me a sweeping tour of the Black Hills, which are on the western third of the state. The temperatures were in the 80's so hiking would be fine. We traveled through Deadwood and Sturgis on the northern part of the Hills. Sturgis is a site of a major motorcycle gathering in early August. The city and state are lined with bikers who come to enjoy the extensive natural world. Huge saloons cover the interstate and the township. These saloons are the largest I have ever seen.
Why did I not know that South Dakota was so beautiful? How is it's secret kept from the rest of the U.S.?
We drove to Bear Butte, which is a stand-alone mountain. Prayer ribbons line the trails as it the mountain is considered sacred by the native Americans. It is certainly set apart from the other hills. On our way to the visitor's center and trail head, a small buffalo herd crossed the road with their calves. I was able to get a few photographs of them. Soon afterwards, we continued our sweep through the Black Hills.
An invasive beetle wrecked many of the conifers. The destroy the trees from the inside-out. The branches and needles turn brown and are hollowed out. Vast patches of these pines are wrecked by the beetles. The forestry division cuts down the trees and piles them in clusters to stop the larval cycle of the insects. If the dead trees continue to stand, the beetles can jump from one tree to another. You can tell when you are on private land because most owners do not have the resources to cut down acres of trees. The Park Services maintain the federal and state parks well.
We stopped at Cheyenne crossing for lunch and I tried a bison burger. It was quite good and very lean. Some of the resort towns are emptying out as Labor Day visitors mark the end of the tourist season. Soon these towns will be sleepy villages once again. I bet the people like that.
On the way down to Sylvan Lake, we spotted a mountain goat on the side of the road. I took a few photos of him. I still want to see Bighorn Sheep. I saw Longhorn cows, but I did not yet get a photo of them.
We toured Mount Rushmore. The artist was an amazing man and the process of carving the rock is pain-stakingly laborious, but he did it with a small army of precision workers. It is a marvel to behold once you see the process. Dave and I were talking about which other U.S. Presidents could be etched into the stone. I would expect only FDR would get bipartisan approval.
Rapid City has a neat feature in each major corner of town. They have life-sized statues of each American President symbolized in a particular way that represents his personality. It is fascinating to see each of these sculptures. I wish I had time to photograph each one, but I'll settle for reading about each President once more to gain more of an historical perspective of his contributions.
Mount Rushmore has a very informative educational center. It has a pavilion that lists each of the U.S. states and territories and their incorporation into our federation. A large amphitheater holds the crowds who show up for a Discovery Channel documentary before the illumination ceremony each evening at 8:30 p.m.
There's a monument park that has capitalized on Rushmore. It has carvings about 12 feet tall of each head of the U.S. Presidents. There's also a national cemetery near the V.A. hospital. This place has lots to see and do.
After leaving Rushmore, we passed by the Crazy Horse statue. We did not stop in because it is much more expensive with less to see and do. Some natives are suspicious of the artist/benefactors and some believe that his work is good and legitimate. The slow work of carving the statue is limited because all the funds are private.
We then hiked along Sylvan Lake and its cathedral spires. Many quaking Aspen are beginning their autumnal turn. Their quaking is quite beautiful. It is as if the trees are alive in reflecting the sunlight back brilliantly. After the hike, we stopped in Hill City, which is a tiny western town with big character. To top things off, we saw the latest Batman film. I had no idea it was three hours long.
All of this activity is keeping me away from watching the Republican convention in Tampa. Locals say thought that the winds we are experiencing are from Isaac who stalled in the Gulf.
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