As an added perk to our job, we get a VIP pass that entitles us to free or discounted entry to some of the area attractions. This week we decided to do the Ft Hays 8.5 hour Southern Black Hills Tour and Cowboy Music Show which includes entry to Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, Breakfast and a Chuck Wagon Dinner ($74 pp) It starts at Ft. Hays where they have some of the original set of Dances with Wolves which was filmed in the area.
We start out at 8 a.m. with an all you can eat Pancake Breakfast with sausages and biscuits.
We get a little time to visit the set and demonstrations of making rope, knives and tinware.
Time to board the bus!
First stop Mt. Rushmore - for those that saw our previous post - a Drive on the Needles Highway - the Presidents faces were completely hidden by fog. Better view today!
I figured we wouldn't get much excercise today being on a bus all day - but we did get to use the Mt. Rushmore Stair Master!
The Presidential Path offers many beautiful views of the Monument.
The Sculptor - Gutzon Borglum - had intended for the sculpture to be from the waist up - but he died before completion and there were problems with the rock. The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally intended to appear in the area at Washington's right, but after the work there was begun, the rock was found unsuitable, so his figure was moved to Washington's left.
They have expanded the sculpture to add 2 explorers:
Just checking to make sure you were paying attention!
Walking back to the bus we encounter a Mt. Goat
We follow the Iron Mountain Road. Three Tunnels were built to frame Mt. Rushmore as you drive through them - that was the easy part. Next a road had to be designed to connect the tunnels (keep in mind the road was laid out by horseback)
Corkscrew spiral bridges were devised that are known as Pigtail Bridges. The road was completed in 1933 with the help of 16 men.
We stop at the State Game Lodge for an optional Lunch
Back on the Bus and off to the Needles Highway. In 1919 Peter Norbeck mapped out a scenic byway which by conventional engineering standards was impossible. 2 years and 150,000 lbs of dynamite later the Needles Highway was completed. It has narrow tunnels the one just before the Needle's Eye rock formation is the smallest.
The Bus is 8' wide and the Tunnel is 8'4" wide
Not alot of room to spare!
The Needle
Next it's on to Crazy Horse!
We only get an hour here and you need 2-3 hours to do it all. We plan on returning a couple more times. We hope to make it on June 6th for the Volks March where we will be able to hike out to the arm! To give you an idea of size the Mt. Rushmore sculpture would fit in the head with room to spare.
This is the model - the sculpture will be 3 dimensional
This is the Mountain in 1948
1982
and today with an outline of the final sculpture superimposed on it.
and this is what the final complex is to look like.
We hope to get to see one of the Night Blasts while we are here. They say the arm will be worked on and the hand detailed this Summer. They have to redo the design for the horses mane to better support the arm after a study of the rock was done. Stay tuned!
Back to Ft. Hays for the Chuck Wagon Dinner and show. It was a Country Western Musical Review. The girl that played fiddle was excellant.
8:30 p.m. time to go home!
Till Later,
Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n
Melissa and Gary
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