Mount Rushmore
I knew that the Waze navigation system sometimes has a sense of humor (impishly sending you round and round so you are back where you started), but I thought it was otherwise pretty infallible.
This proved false as we headed from Deadwood, South Dakota, for the famed Mount Rushmore. There was something posted about a road closure on the principal route, Highway 385. Bbut that was no problem - we had Waze to move us onto the correct track at the appointed time.
We plunged ahead, though at one point Mert commented that she just saw a sign that pointed toward Rushmore. Could not have - we had Waze.
385 got rougher with road crews crowding our pathway, then we were halted for some time by a man holding a STOP sign. The road got in worse shape, and there was another lengthy road stoppage until the "lead car" finally arrived. Mert was not happy. She read that 385 had some rock slides. Instead of just clearing the slides, it was decided to widen this section from two to four lanes. It was going to take a long time. Still later, we were on a section where it looked like narrow potholes had been filled and then topped with toilet paper. Zef said the "toilet paper" was to protect the fill and it would eventually wear off.
Finally, we were allowed to turn just before no cars were allowed at all on a section where there was serious road construction going on. It was not so far to Mount Rushmore, that remarkable achievement carried out by Danish-born sculptor Gutzon Borglum and completed by his son, Lincoln.
There are ample viewing points to admire the 60-foot-tall stone depictions of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
The South Dakota state historian had come up with the idea in order to draw tourists. His scheme was to carve figures of Western heroes over the fantastical Needles formations nearby. Borglum, who also did the Stone Mountain carvings in Georgia, saw that the Needles rock was too brittle. Also, the Western heroes were scrapped for the presidents with a theme of honoring our democracy and freedom. The historian may have been wrong on the location and the featured stars, but it now draws as many as three million visitors a year to South Dakota.
Many local residents took part in the ambitious project with some tapped to hang in baskets far up in the air and work on shaping the presidential heads. Miraculously, none of the men died, though there were close calls. In addition, the workers had to go up 700 steps each day after they reported for duty.
Next, we sought out the Needles Highway, which has been described as one of the most scenic 14 miles in America. Scenic it is, and far more riveting than we had expected. The road with the narrowest of lanes winds among the Needles fantastical spires themselves - sort of like driving in a dune buggy past Balanced Rock and other Rock City landmarks. It's not one way, and you wonder how two cars can possibly pass and stay atop the precipice.
And there are several "tunnels" that have been hacked out of the middle of rock spires. One especially I thought for sure that the paint job on the beautiful red Buick Envision would be thoroughly scraped. But, here again, we were grateful for the sure-handed touch of ex-truck driver Zef.
Going into nearby Keystone, it's apparent that the historian's idea for luring tourists worked. It's a mini Pigeon Forge with almost as many miniature golf layouts.
Mert had been told also not to miss the monument to Chief Crazy Horse, and we headed west. It was our most expensive attraction - $35 a car, but well worth it. There are a number of well-crafted buildings holding exhibits telling the story of the tribes that once claimed this territory. A highlight is hoop dancing by a former female American champion of the almost lost art. Her very agile young daughters and granddaughter take part.
Of course, the highlight is the carving of Crazy Horse, whose forces won the battle of the Little Bighorn in Wyoming in which General George Custer and his troops were all killed. The sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was contracted in 1948 to complete a Crazy Horse carving on an adjacent peak. It was to include the face of Crazy Horse and the form of a horse he was astride. The sculptor died in 1982 with only the Crazy Horse face completed. A museum official said the sculptor had 10 children and the work is being carried on by some of his children and grandchildren using modern day equipment.
A museum security officer passed on the helpful information that Highway 16 to the west was about 30 minutes longer than taking bustling roads to the east and then the freeway. But he said at the rush hour time we were leaving, the time was about the same - and there was much more to see.
So Zef was directed on 16 West that dipped only briefly back into Wyoming at Newcastle. From there it was a straight shot to our second night at Deadwood.
Min caught on to the route choice immediately, quickly consulting her Quigley Down Under version of GPS. He irritatingly said things like "tun" instead of turn. "It's a half hour longer," she lamented.
The route among the Black Hills was both scenic and interesting. It promised much more wildlife with several "Pronghorn Sheep Crossings" and "Elk Crossings." Of course, we saw none of those.
Zef said we had seen more wildlife on road signs than in the actual wilds.
Min was beside herself as we saw signs for Yellowstone and the Tetons and then entered the state of Wyoming - once more.
But we finally made it to the town of Lead, South Dakota, next to Deadwood. We did not know if it was LEED or LED. We sought a colorful local restaurant here, but South Dakota restaurants seem to take off both Mondays and Tuesdays. After we had paused and found another with a Closed sign, Mert ordered an about face. In doing so, Zef could not keep up with the rapid fire Waze directions, and we unfornately wound up on Short Street - the tiniest of thoroughfares on a steep slope with modest homes clinging to it. We rounded blind corners on the narrow track and then Waze pointed us on a route requiring a hairpin turn with about a food drop. We were sure that the Envision would scrape, but, of course, Zef managed it with no harm.
Mert ordered us out at the first open diner we saw after that, and we enjoyed an accommodating staff and tolerable food in Lead, South Dakota.
The Needles rock spires near Mount Rushmore