We made it to South
Dakota …finally getting a taste of the west! My
overall impression is holy amazing vacation destination! I’m going to cover South Dakota in two
parts—first, the amazing sightseeing we experienced, and second, the ridiculous
and unlike-anything-I’ve-ever-done-before climbing we experienced.
I am amazed that I never heard much about vacationing in South Dakota . Maybe
because it’s somewhat inaccessible? Maybe because I grew up on the east coast?
I don’t know. But it is for sure a vacation spot that every family in the
country should visit. It is so rich with both history and culture that were
crucial to the growth and development of our country. I feel very lucky to have
stumbled upon it all. For those who want some quick trip beta, I recommend
flying into Rapid City , SD
(1)
Badlands National Park
Prior to arriving at the Badlands ,
Marco and I both had no idea what to expect. I had heard of the Badlands , but aside from hearing the name, I didn’t know
what it was all about. From the very outset, even just seeing them in the
distance, we were in awe. Maybe our awe had to do with the fact that we had
just traveled endless hours over very flat land, but, even without the
preceding hours of flat, boring land, the Badlands are undeniably striking. The
best way to describe the Badlands is as a mini-Grand
Canyon carved into the prairie lands
of South Dakota .
It stretches for miles (hundreds, maybe, not sure?) and consists of huge rock
formations, canyons, and prairies. As we visited other parts of South Dakota , we learned of various Native Americans and
frontiersmen that got lost or hid out in the Badlands …they
are definitely an easy place to get lost in! The Badlands are explored via your
vehicle—in other words, you drive through the national park and get out at
various points to hike around and check out the scenery. We drove the North
Unit loop, which is the paved and most visited portion of the park. I felt like
I was on a safari! It was a very cool way to experience a national park—around
every turn the landscape and rocks just rose up and demanded your attention. And—my
favorite part—we encountered SO much wildlife (pictures below!). We saw long
horn sheep, bison, prairie dogs galore, and a single, lone pronghorn (we only
snapped a butt shot, he was fast!). I still cannot get over that this place
exists in our country and I hadn’t even realized! You literally can hop in your
car, drive into the park and cruise by some big ol’ bison chilling in their
natural habitat. I felt like I was traveling back in time. As an east coaster
who has spent much of my adult life in a city, I didn’t realize this all still
existed.
In addition to the North Unit, there is a South Unit that is
unpaved, hard to travel, and easy to get lost in...so we heard. There are ample
warnings that it is very difficult to navigate and can cause much wear and tear
on your vehicle. We decided not to brave it in Bean, given our past car
problems when exploring “inaccessible” climbing areas. However, the South Unit
sounds very interesting—it hosts the site of the last Ghost Dance, which was
danced by members of the Sioux in 1890 just prior to the massacre at Wounded Knee .
I imagine the site has extreme spiritual meaning for many people.
This is a good point to note that our entire experience in South Dakota was full of
encounters with Native American history. Prior to this trip, I did not know
much about the history of the Native Americans in this region of the country,
but the history and legends that we recently learned are very intriguing and
moving. For this reason alone, I recommend traveling to South Dakota to experience the Native
American history and culture.
And now for the pictures…meet the Badlands !
And, my favorite…the wildlife!
 |
| Prairie dogs were EVERYWHERE! They are so adorable. They make this real high-pitched chirping noise and it is just the cutest thing ever to watch them scramble around. As they walk their little tails wag super fast. Marco wanted to feed them the entire time! But I explained to him that if you feed the wildlife, they become dependent on humans for food, and when humans stop feeding them, they cannot fend for themselves and they die. I analogized the situation to my current situation with Marco—he does all the cooking and feeds me. If he were to stop feeding me, I likely would not know how to fend for myself and would curl up and die in a little ditch! Essentially, I am a redheaded prairie dog that is dependent on human Marco! |
 |
| Long horn sheep (they had radio trackers on them so that the National Park Service can keep tabs on them). |
 |
| Bison! |
 |
| Pronghorn! |
(2)
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
After we left the Badlands, we drove to the Black Hills to
check out Mount Rushmore . The Black Hills
themselves are endless—the forest stretches all along the western side of South Dakota and into Wyoming . The forest has countless
“Recreation Areas,” which are National Park Service managed areas to hike,
picnic, camp, and enjoy the outdoors. Fortunately, the Wrinkled Rock Recreation
Area, located a couple miles away from Mount Rushmore ,
provides free camping! So that is where we stationed ourselves while in the
area. Now, yes, free camping is great, but it definitely comes with a
cost…namely, the crazy/loco folks who also enjoy free camping just as much as
the rest of us. We encountered two notable persons that were definitely on the suspicious
side.
First, when we arrived on Tuesday evening around 6:00 PM, we
parked next to a car with an Iowa
license plate. Inside the vehicle was a man (late 40’s?) sitting in the
passenger seat reading. Our first thought, “He’s just waiting for someone.” So
we set up for the night, cook dinner, have a couple beers and relax. A few
hours later, when it starts to get dark, we notice he’s still there. Except now
he’s sleeping in the passenger seat. Fine, maybe he got tired? No big deal. We
get ready for bed and call it a night. We wake up the next morning and guess
who is in the passenger seat next to us reading…Iowa guy! And the weird part is, we never
saw him leave the car for anything, nor did we see him eat anything. So, since
we are leaving our van next to this semi-suspicious character all day, Marco
takes down the license plate number…just in case—you never know what may happen
in South Dakota! We head out and hike to the rocks to climb. After a very long
day of climbing, we head back to Wrinkled Rock and Mr. Iowa is STILL in his car just chill-axing.
We decided it was just too odd for us, so we ask a neighboring vehicle if they
know anything about the situation. They said they had been camping in the lot
for 8 nights and he was there THE ENTIRE TIME! Just chilling in his vehicle.
They said he occasionally got out to use the bathroom and walk around—but very
rarely. Super bizarre, right? After a couple nights at Wrinkled Rock, we decided
to hit up a KOA Campground to take showers (we were pushing a week without a shower!).
The following night when we returned to Wrinkled Rock, Iowa guy hadn’t budged at all. And the weird
part was the weather was starting to heat up. When we arrived to the Rushmore
area, it was downright cold—not just chilly, but cold. As the days progressed,
it was getting pretty hot during the day and warmer at night. He must have been
roasting in there! Then, finally, some action! One morning, while we were
getting ready to climb, I noticed he was out and about walking around the
parking lot. “Hmmm…,” I think, “What is he up to!?” Then, after a few minutes,
I hear his car start. At this point, Marco is in the bathroom, so I have no one
to share the breaking news with—I am legit very excited at the breakthrough.
Next thing I know, his car is cruising out of the parking lot. And then he was
gone! Just like that. After roughly 14 days of existing only in his vehicle in
the Wrinkled Rock parking lot, he was gone. Very suspicious! I asked Marco what
he thought the purpose of Iowa
guy’s 14 days of solitude was. His response: “Maybe he was a teacher and he had
some vacation time and that is how he chose to spend his vacation time.” I love
the simplicity of his answer. I had concocted some crazy tale…too intricate and
convoluted to get into. Anyways, if Marco is correct, I hope my children never
encounter a teacher that spends his vacation days in a parking lot in a car by
himself.
Our second odd encounter at Wrinkled Rock came in the
evening after a long day of climbing. We had just finished cooking dinner when
a park ranger drove into the lot and approached us. After making the lame and
predictable joke that numerous people have made when they stumble upon us while
we are cooking (“Oh look, you made me dinner!”), he informed us that he had
picked up a hitchhiker by Mount Rushmore .
Seeing as hitchhiking is illegal in the area, the ranger picked him up and gave
him a lift to the free campground. The ranger told us that he had run the guy’s
name through their system and there were no outstanding warrants nor was there
a criminal history for the guy. Accordingly, the ranger told us we shouldn’t
worry about this random hitchhiker and he should not give us any trouble. The
ranger’s exact words: “He may hit you up for some water, since he’s been
walking since Oregon ,
but other than that, he shouldn’t be a bother!” Umm, what!? The whole situation
was bizarre. So the ranger leaves and next thing you know this random guy
(mid-20’s?) pops around the corner of our van and starts rambling to us about
how the ranger gave him a ticket for having a pot pipe, even though he had no
pot in it. We attempted to make small talk, but it seemed like the reason his
pot pipe may have been empty when the ranger found it was because he had
consumed all of its contents! Turns out he is from Orange County California and
he is walking/hitchhiking across the country. He intends to be in Florida by the end of
the summer. He decided to set up his tent right next to our van…lucky us! As
predicted, he asked us for some water. We filled up an old cranberry jug with
water and gave him an orange. He also had a really cute puppy with him named
Amen (odd name, but the dog was adorable). Over the course of the next hour, as
we tried to enjoy our meal, he kept popping over to ask us questions…e.g., “You
guys climb? So, like, what’s the most rad climb you’ve done!?” and “Do you have
a fork I can borrow…or any disposable silverware that I can have?” At one point
he asked us for a can opener. He said: “Yeah, I lost my can opener. I just have
a machete, but I don’t think that will work.” Um, okay…so now the random,
stoner hitchhiker camping next to us is armed with a machete. I feel okay about
this situation…no. And he definitely spent the evening having a conversation
with his dog Amen, which was a bit odd, but I get it—he has been walking across
the country alone, he needs company. I saw Castaway…Amen is this guy’s Wilson . I also think he
may have contracted tuberculosis somewhere along his journey—he was hacking up
a lung the entire night. Don’t worry, when he returned our can opener I made
sure to wipe it down with an anti-bacterial wipe immediately! Ultimately, the
guy turned out to be harmless. Amen, on the other hand…during the evening the
hitchhiker let Amen out of the tent to go to the bathroom. The sliding door of
our van was open, and, before we knew it, Amen had run up the hill and jumped
in our van. All I could think was “He’s going to shit in our van! He probably
has fleas! Or even worse, rabies!” But, fortunately, he just wanted to say hi
(and probably hop a ride with us and ditch his hitchhiking sidekick). Sadly, we
had to shoo him out of the van and bid him farewell, fleas and all (I’m
positive him and the hitchhiker both have fleas). So, the hacking hitchhiker
turned out to be a nice guy, just seeking something out of life via a crazy
cross country expedition. And, in the end, I feel bad that we didn’t interact
with him more. NYC just made me so skeptical of people in general, particularly
people that act out of the ordinary, like our friend the hitchhiker.
 |
| Sunset from our campground, which, in full disclosure, was just a gravel parking lot with a pit toilet. But remember…FREE! |
Crazy people aside, Mount Rushmore
itself is pretty stunning. It’s just an overwhelming piece of work. Only
pictures can do it justice (better yet, only a visit in person can do it
justice! Go to Mount Rushmore stat!)
 |
| View from the Avenue of Flags. George Washington was chosen to represent the birth of the nation, since he was the country's first president. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to represent the growth of the nation, since he greatly increased the size with the Louisiana Purchase. Theodore Roosevelt was chosen to represent the development of the nation, since he was instrumental in the creation of the Panama Canal. Abraham Lincoln was chosen to represent the preservation of the nation, since he kept the country unified despite the Civil War. Birth, Growth, Development & Preservation! |
 |
| We went back at night to watch the lighting ceremony, which is performed every night at 9:00 PM. I highly recommend checking it out! Prior to the lighting of the monument, a video is shown that explains the importance of each president and why each was chosen to be featured as part of the memorial. After the video, all former and current service men and women that have served our country were invited onto stage to be honored. It was truly touching. It brought about that same feeling when the National Anthem is sung at the beginning of a major sporting event…there’s just so much pride for our country coursing through the entire crowd! I loved it. I’m also one of those people that loved the movie |
 |
| Profile shot of |
And, of course, any good blog post is not complete without a
Marco story. Check it.
 |
| I caught Marco trimming his nose hair in the |
(3)
Crazy
Horse
Just a short drive from Mount Rushmore
is another rock sculpture that is definitely worth a visit—Crazy Horse. I will
probably get this history wrong, but here is my recollection of Crazy Horse.
Sometime in the 1940s, the Lakota people were given permission by the federal
government to carve a sculpture into the Black Hills to commemorate the Native American
history of the region (in light of Mount Rushmore being resurrected, they
rightly felt they should be permitted to honor great leaders of their past).
Chiefs of various tribes decided to honor Crazy Horse, a Lakota warrior that
was stabbed in the back around the time of the battle of Little Big Horn. Crazy
Horse is a hero to many Native Americans and, from what I understand,
encompasses and symbolizes the Native American way of life. We viewed a short
video that discussed the importance of Crazy Horse and I would do him injustice
in trying to re-convey his significance (so I won’t try, but Google him or
watch a video on him!)
The sculpture was started in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski. The finished product is intended to
look like the following:
However, the sculpture is taking an exceedingly long time to
make! Thus far, only the head of Crazy Horse is completed!
There are a few reasons why it is taking so long and each is
very interesting. First, it sounds like Korczak Ziolkowski was working single
handedly in the initial phases of construction. He moved to the area on his
own, built a log cabin to live and work in, and got started! Eventually he
married, had ten children, built them a school, and all but three of the
children have stuck around and have chosen to continue their father’s work on
Crazy Horse. So, in summary, it’s a family affair! Ziolkowski passed away in
1996, but his wife and children have continued the work.
 |
| This is a picture of the climbing harness that was on display. Apparently it was used by the men that aided in the earlier days of construction. |
Second, the sculpture is huge! It is said that Mount Rushmore itself (all four presidents) can fit
inside just the head of Crazy Horse! So obviously the large scale of the
sculpture is causing construction to take quite a bit of time.
Third, Korczak Ziolkowski refused to take any federal government
money for the project. On at least two occasions he turned down offers by the
federal government for a substantial sum of money. He feels the sculptor should
be funded by the tourists and people that come to see Crazy Horse and learn
about the history.
 |
| The small version of the sculpture with the actual rock formation in the background! |
(4)
Deadwood,
South Dakota
After we left the Rushmore area, we drove an hour north to
spend the day in Deadwood, South
Dakota . Deadwood is the epitome of the wild west! It
was the center of the gold rush and, back in the 1800’s, was full of casinos,
prostitutes, saloons, and people hungry for gold. Unfortunately, the town
didn’t feel as authentic as Marco and I had hoped. It has become a bit too
commercialized.
 |
| The Main Street in Deadwood, lined with casinos, saloons and restaurants. It all felt a bit too put on. |
But, nonetheless, it’s a very fun and interesting place to
visit. Deadwood is where “Wild Bill” Hickock was shot and killed. He was one of
the most colorful characters of the wild west—think Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday,
Buffalo Bill, etc. I’m a huge fan of the movie Tombstone , so I was really into the
characters of the west for a bit and read about them all. Anyways, we saw a
reenactment of Wild Bill’s death at Saloon No. 10, the bar in which he was shot
in the back of the head by Jack McCall (the actual Saloon No. 10 in which he
was killed had a fire, so the bar has been resurrected in a new location).
McCall was ultimately convicted of murder and hung. One of the more interesting
stops on our visit to Deadwood was Mount
Moriah
We learned about the above events during a visit to the Adams Museum
 |
| As noted in the description, Exhibit 68 is “Shoes owned by prostitute in one of Deadwood’s brothels.” I’m pretty sure they still carry these shoes at WalMart…but I don’t think they market them as “Deadwood prostitute shoes.” |
(5)
Devil’s
Tower/Bear Lodge
Though technically not in South Dakota ,
Devil’s Tower is located just across the border in Wyoming . We left Deadwood in the afternoon
and spent the night checking out Devil’s Tower. Interestingly, as soon as we
crossed the border into Wyoming ,
the landscape seemed to change immediately! The hills turned a bright red color
and the grass was exceptionally green. We hopped off Interstate 90 to take a
more scenic route to Devil’s Tower…it was absolutely beautiful. Here are some
shots from the drive.
Our purpose of visiting Devil’s Tower was namely to climb
it. It’s a huge destination for climbers across the world. Here’s some history
on Devil’s Tower, straight from a “Point of Interest” pull-off on a highway in Wyoming !
 |
| Shot of Devil’s Tower from the pull off. Even from a distance, its enormous and towering presence is undeniable. |
 |
| We're getting closer... |
As I was saying, our purpose was to do one of the classic
routes on Devil’s Tower. However, unbenounced to us prior to our arrival, the
National Park Service has asked all climbers to voluntarily refrain from
climbing Devil’s Tower in the month of June. The voluntary closure is requested
because Devil’s Tower is a very sacred and symbolic place for many Native
Americans, and Native Americans view climbing on Devil’s Tower as an extremely
offensive act that is the equivalent of defiling a sacred place. They feel this
way about any climbing on Devil’s Tower regardless of the month, however, the
month of June happens to be very symbolic and important in Native American
culture due to the summer solstice, so the National Park Service has chosen
this month in particular for voluntary closure. During June, there are numerous
Native American ceremonies and observances that occur at Devil’s Tower. In the
literature we read, climbing has dropped 80% in the month of June. In other
words, 80% of climbers comply with the request not to climb, however, 20%
choose to climb regardless of the request. Marco and I chose not to climb and
I’m very happy with our decision after spending more time at Devil’s Tower and
learning about its importance.
 |
| Climbers who chose to disobey the voluntary closure and climb…bad climbing juju for them! |
Devil’s Tower, actually called Bear Lodge by Native
Americans, was created according to the following legend (the short,
regurgitated version). Eight siblings (seven girls and one boy) were playing in
the forest. Suddenly, the boy started turned into a large bear and chased the
girls. The girls came upon a tree that spoke to them and told them not to move.
The tree then rose up out of the ground, forming a large tower, with the girls
on top. The bear clawed at the tree, trying to get the girls, but they were
safe. The bear’s claws formed the many columns that mark the side of Bear
Lodge.
 |
| The tower does look like it was clawed out of the earth by a bear! |
The girls were saved from the bear and were later rescued
from the top of the tower by birds. Marco particularly liked the legend of Bear
Lodge! He bought a poster that depicts a bear clawing its way up Bear Lodge.
With respect to the name, apparently Native Americans do no
appreciate the name Devil’s Tower. They do not like that such a negative being
(the devil) is equated with such a sacred place. However, when Devil’s Tower
was first discovered, the man who discovered it allegedly said that Native
Americans called it Evil
Being Tower
So, back to our trip. Given that we opted to comply with the
voluntary climbing closure, we did not get to climb Devil’s Tower. Instead, we
took a very scenic and lovely “hike” (read = stroll) around Devil’s Tower—it
was a 1 ¼ mile paved trail with little to no elevation change. There were two
other hiking options that were a bit more rugged, however, when I asked the
ranger about ticks, he said that his partner picked off 35 ticks the prior day.
He said we were likely to encounter something similar if we took the more rugged
hikes. Paved trail it was! Here are pictures from our hike.
 |
| On the “hike” we encountered a redheaded squirrel. My long lost relative! |
 |
| View from the hike. |
 |
| Marco reading about Devil's Tower. |
We camped at the same campground
as them just outside Deadwood in Spearfish, SD. We saw them leaving the
campground early one morning. Shortly after, we left the campground and ended
up parking next to them at Mount
Moriah South
Dakota !
Okay, enough for now. Stay tuned
for South Dakota Part II—an account of the ridiculous climbing at the Needles
in Mount Rushmore ! Lots of love from Wyoming ! We miss
everyone dearly, especially all of our NY friends. Despite the incredible
scenery and fun places we are visiting, a night out with everyone in NYC sounds
pretty phenomenal! Wish you all could be here enjoying this with us.
No comments:
Post a Comment