Day 33 - Deadwood to Rapid City, SD

1/32 scale model of Crazy Horse Monument in the foreground.

The following three pictures were taken on the Needles Highway.

It was another wonderful day. Only 144 miles covered but lots of sight seeing! More clouds than sun but moderate temperatures and only one brief afternoon downpour.

My first stop after leaving Deadwood was the Crazy Horse Memorial. I really like what the Ziolkowski family has done both in keeping the project private (out of government hands) and in promoting the dignity of Native Americans on the memorial site. I have my doubts that this memorial will ever be completed but feel that it is a must see even in its current state. It was well worth the visit and the $6 admission.

I hate to say that I was disappointed by Mount Rushmore but I was. I'd seen it in 1965 and was quite thrilled by it. But now, unlike Crazy Horse which is intended to uplift and celebrate all Native Americans, I see Rushmore more as a memorial to the men depicted than to the country that they served. I overhead conversations between other tourists expressing the same sort of disappointment. Sorry, I didn't mean to wax political!

In between the two memorials I rode the Needles Highway and the Iron Mountain Road. Both roads were fantastic.

The Needles Highway was narrow and twisty with (I think) two 5 mph turns and many 10 and 15 mph ones. Even on the motorcycle these speed limits needed to be respected. There were several narrow passages through the upright rocks that were single lane and narrow at that.

The Iron Mountain Road was also very twisty with drastic elevation changes but it wasn't as enjoyable as there was a lot of traffic. I almost felt like I was going to fall over in some of the tighter turns as the traffic was moving so slow.

I guess that the party is pretty much over at this point. I am in Rapid City, South Dakota about 1600 miles from home. The only attraction that I intend to visit between here and home is the Badlands NP. I will probably be home in 3 or 4 days. I'll keep you posted as to my progress but the travelogue (such as it is) only needs one final post to detail some statistics and overall impressions which I will do once I get home.

My thanks to those who have encouraged me to keep posting. I'm glad that I could share the ride with you.