Friday September 12, it has stopped snowing, the sky is blue, the air is crisp at 34 degrees as we set out for the Black Hills, Mt Rushmore, and the Crazy Horse Memorial.
The Black Hills have turned white and we are driving through a winter wonderland.
Miles of snow covered trees
As the temperature rises into the high 30’s the snow begins to fall off the trees in big blobs. Look out below!
As I approach the entrance to the Mt Rushmore parking area, the lines are long and it costs $11 to park.
Lines waiting to get into Mt Rushmore parking area.
Since I’ve been there before I decide to view the presidents from pull-overs along the roadside instead.
Presidents in the snow.
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We continue the beautiful drive on to the Crazy Horse Memorial, 10-15 miles farther. No lines here, and parking is also $11. I’ve never been here before so in we go. Dogs aren’t allowed in the buildings or on the bus that goes out to the mountain so I walk them around the grounds first. Joy rolls in the snow every chance she gets and they both get lots of pats and attention.
They wait in the car for me while I go into the huge museum, watch a 20 minute movie of introduction, and wander around the museum.
Though this project was started in 1948 it is still no where near completed. Big problem is that the sculptor passed away. His family carries on the work, but it s a huge undertaking.
Someday it will look like this.
What a beautiful, unexpected treat it was to be able to see the Black Hills in the snow, yet with dry roads and blue skies. Good to Be-Here-Now.
As I post this it’s early Sunday morning and we have spent the night in the tiny town of Fort Laramie, Wyoming. The population here is 300-ish. We are in the plains now….as far as the eye can see…. wind swept rolling hills of grasses. Small towns are few and far between. Think of the scenes from “Dances With Wolves”….it looks the same.
We are right next to the railroad track. A lot of l-o-n-g trains blow their whistles and roll through here during the night. 🙂
Today we will travel on to Cheyenne and spend a couple of days there. Cheyenne captured my fantasy way long ago and I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the place. At a present population of around 60,000 (it’s grown!) it is the largest city in Wyoming and the capitol of the state. It has always held a certain charm….for me anyway. Last time I was here was about 8 years ago and the ‘sprawl’ had really set in.
I’ll be letting you know if I’m still captivated and charmed!
Wandering Spirit 
My niece is a first year law student in Laramie (full ride scholarship) and her comments are similar to yours Micky. Peaceful place, few folks!
“Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play.
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.”
At least that’s the way I remember the words. 🙂
Laramie and Fort Laramie are different places though, just to be clear.
The way I understand it, Fort Laramie was the first settlement in Wyoming. It was a fort. Obviously…but started out under different names and ended my being called “Fort Laramie”.
I am so glad you included a picture of the Crazy Horse memorial. I saw it @ 40 years ago and they have made great progress. Then it was just the basic shape! And I LOVE Mt Rushmore in relief! Great photo!!!
Icrazy Horse is such a huge undertaking. It will be much bigger than the Rushmore heads. The museum is just loaded with things. It would take all day to do it justice.
The head of Crazy Horse is bigger than all of Mt Rushmore. The size of the total sculpture is hard to imagine.
Beautiful pictures! I am really enjoying following your adventures and appreciate that you take the time to write and take photos and share it with so many friends. I feel like I am enjoying it with you. Hugs!
I’m totally enjoying the writing and sharing! When I share it I get to enjoy it all over again too and writing is my ‘thing’. What makes me really happy is that I’m able to do it we’ll enough that you and others can enjoy it.
I probably would have done the same and skipped the official parking lot at Mt. Rushmore and just gone with the pullouts too.
Ah, Cheyenne! I drove through there once and got to watch a really neat thunderstorm come across the plains and hit the city. Well, it was neat up to the point that it got to me and started hailing. 🙂
Enjoy the plains!
Thunderstorms arrived here yesterday shortly after I did. At this location we didn’t see more than a few drops of rain but the winds were whipping up and branches were falling too close for comfort. We pulled through unscathed however!
‘I Can Still Make Cheyenne’ – a song performed by George Strait, is worth a listen. It’s cowboys and lost love, hope and the wind. The lone fiddle at the end, the sound twirling as the plains wind blows…haunting and lovely. I’ll make it to the rodeo there, one day! George Strait’s music is often my soundtrack on long drives through California, there’s just something about his songs that sound right when passing mile after mile of golden hills.
I think I’ll re-post this where I intended it to be – in your post about Cheyenne 🙂
There is probably a song or two about the Black Hills too. 🙂