Day 11

June 27 (Custer State Park, SD)

Evelyn and Tilda met Vashti at the pond in the morning and exchanged information for keeping in touch. I hope they do! We drove a tight, windy road to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial in the morning

(and saw some friends along the way).

When I told Evelyn and Tilda where we were going, Evelyn exclaimed, "I never thought I would actually get to see Mt. Rushmore in person" - it was quite a consoling sentence to hear from your child. To fulfill a desire believed unattainable - what a glorious gift and example for the future…

It was crazy crowded and overwhelming at the park, and I thought we got there early!

The crowds only increased as the day we on, too (obviously). This place inspired those mixed emotions again; from amazement in the artistry to unhappiness at the destruction required to bring it to be. These were sacred hills that were forcibly taken and irrevocably changed, and I felt strong conflict over that. Yet, the beauty and artistry of this site is absolutely undeniable - it is a stunning feat of artistic ingenuity and creativity.

We left Rushmore somewhat deflated by the density of people and the heat, and we drove to the Crazy Horse Memorial. It stands in fascinating contrast to Rushmore - a memorial for and by Native Americans inspired, in concept, by the desecration of Rushmore and meant to critique and surpass it. That no federal or state moment is used in this memorial is significant because it has taken many years for its modest progress (compared to the quick completion of Rushmore many decades ago). I can't wait to see it complete in my lifetime. 

The mountain sculpture will eventually look like this

Ev and Til both loved Crazy Horse (more than Rushmore...) and spent a lot more time getting to know it. We saw Lakota dancers and amazing artwork, including all kinds of really cool and inspiring bead art,

and the children learned how to make dream catchers using yarn and popsicle sticks.

They explored the entire museum completing their Crazy Horse packets, and earned, among other things, some pieces of rock from where they are sculpting the memorial! We also learned about the extermination of the bison in the midwest and how General Sherman promoted this as a method of destroying the nature people - what an asshole and awful decision in so many ways. I have great reverence for the largest tree in the world, located in Sequoia National Park, and, after learning about that atrocity, I believe name should be changed! 

On the way back, we did our first big grocery restock, which was much needed. We were now stocked up until the Grand Tetons!

We got back to our campsite feeling refreshed and rejuvenated by Crazy Horse (he never signed a treaty or even used a pen, according to tradition) and Cassandra rode her bike to the State Game Lodge to get some work done on reliable wifi, and we drove to the Visitor Center to learn more about the park. We learned that this park is all about its bison (it has the second-largest bison herd in the country?) and we haven't stopped mimicking the bison "stand back" sound and face that demonstrated the meaning behind different bison responses based on your proximity. We grabbed Junior Naturalist packets to complete later on the trip because there was no way we could do all necessary activities to earn the badge, but we can't say no to children wanting to learn information and earn rewards! We plan to head back to again, so when we do, we will be ready to earn our badges! We popped into the campstore to grab some ice and check out their wares, and I bought a long-sleeve shirt that was absolutely necessary for me in the cold weather. 

We spent a glorious evening at the campsite, playing, whittling, and just being silly in nature. We have plans for a pretty fun and active day tomorrow, so it was nice to keep it simple and early tonight. 

Move back to Day 10

Proceed to Day 12