I left Fairbanks Saturday morning for Deadwood, SD. Due to mechanical issues in Seattle, I missed my connection in Denver and ended up staying overnight courtesy of Alaska Airlines. I arrived in Rapid City, SD, this morning and was met by a wonderful, informative hotel shuttle driver who has 5 Harleys ranging in age from a 1936 model to 1964. We passed through Sturgis and he had a lot of comments about the rally. It was pouring rain the entire 50 mile trip to the hotel so I'm glad that I didn't really try to hard to rent a bike. After checking in, I ran into a colleague who was thinking of heading south to Mt. Rushmore since he had never been there before. It was a relatively short trip down and definitely worth the time.
The Presidential trail headed towards the base of the monument looked pretty short and had some good views of the monument. This was from a small cave with a opening with a view. I learned that there is now a small cavern within the monument that was completed in 1998 that is used to house some valuable artifacts. I didn't know that before. On the trail, there were also several exhibits such as the artists workshop. Due to all of the stairs, it ended up being a cardio intensive walk. Plus it sort of drizzled most of the way.
After leaving Mt. Rushmore, we stopped at the Crazy Horse exhibit. It is a lot more touristy but has an incredible variety of native American artwork and jewelry. It is definitely worth visiting. They had some beautiful motorcycles on display both in the gift shop as well as the museum section.
I have always wanted to go and see this place. One day maybe.
ReplyDeleteRichardM
ReplyDeleteMt Rushmore was the destination of my first "long ride" on a motorcycle, back when I still owned my first one, a 2006 Honda Shadow Aero....hadn't thought about that bike in a while, thanks for the reminder.
Too bad about the weather precluding renting a hog....
As to your unplanned stay at a hotel, I could have brought you home for dinner at least!
dom
Redleg's Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Wasn't this supposed to be a business trip? And now you go sight-seeing? Good for you (I always try to squeeze in a bit R&R, too). Mount Rushmore is also on my list of things to see. Thanks for taking me there.
ReplyDeleteSonjaM:
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a business trip. Meetings started Sunday afternoon. We had a several hours of free time and Mt. Rushmore was so close....
Dom:
ReplyDeleteThat was right about when I started to follow your blog. At the time, I was watching eBay for something like a Honda Shadow then found the old airhead on consignment at the local Harley/BMW/Honda dealer.
I wasn't very serious about renting a hog after seeing the daily rental price in Sturgis. And thank you for your generous offer. Next time I'll have to plan better.
Dear Richard M.:
ReplyDeleteI got side-tracked over the past weekend, and I discovered you posted all these new blog episodes.
I have yet to see Mt. Rushmore, and I was in the neighborhood. I spebt a day in Sturgis. If you ever get the chance, go to the bar in town called the "Knuckle" abd tell "Deb" the bartender I said "Hello."
I rather liked Sturgis. I would have liked to see the Crazy Horse monument too. Nice pictures.
Fondest regards,
Jack/reep