Proud To Be An American

We woke up to blue skies after a torrential thunderstorm last night. It is our first real rain and we feel guilty since it has been raining and flooding at home since we left. Driving toward our next stop we discovered Wind Cave National Park and it is a charmer. First thing were herds of bison very near the roads and extremely photogenic. Next were miles of prairie dogs. These are the cutest and bravest little rodents living in dirt mounds along the plains. At one time there were an estimated 6 billion prairie dogs on the plains. Glad there are some left to enjoy. We also saw mule deer and pronghorn antelopes.

Our campground at Custer State Park was big and beautiful. In any private campground this would have been three sites. But this is rustic camping, no electric, water or sewage. Luckily we have all three on board so we are very comfortable. We also have a little swimming lake with cat tails (punks) - remember them? Custer is a gorgeous park and could easily be a national park, but I guess South Dakota grabbed it first. Anyway they have camping, lodges, cabins and the most gorgeous scenery at every turn. If that isn't enough, the bison graze on the lodge's front lawn.

In the afternoon we took a drive on the Needles Highway. We thought it was for all the pine tree needles, but found it was named for rock formations which had fantastic shapes. The roads are very narrow with one lane brides and S curves keeping your speed slow enough to enjoy the views. We passed Sylvan Lake which looked like a picture postcard and is one of the four man-made lakes in the park.

We decided not to see the fireworks at Mt. Rushmore tonight because you had to be there before noon to get parking. Instead we opted to see the laser light show at Crazy Horse Mountain. This place was one of our fondest memories from our 1978 trip and we were pleased to see how much progress had been made since then. Crazy Horse is a private endeavor byone dreamer, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, and his family. They accept no government money and this project dwarfs the size of Mt. Rushmore.

The site has been built up with museums, gift shops and viewing areas. The carving is huge, 563' high, and Crazy Horse's head is now complete. This project will not be done in our lifetime, but I hope to see it again. When it finally gets dark around 9:30 they start the show and of course the music is "Proud To Be An American" over and over with the theme being the unity of Native Americans and other Americans. Lots of colored lights and cool laser stuff and well worth the drive.