Black Hills National Forest (forest fire in 2000)
The second half of the day was a completely different story. I met up with Nelle, Olivia, and Mel who all had similar mornings and we decided to take an extra long lunch in Custer, SD and browse a local carnival, get some coffee, and then be on our way. The afternoon presented us with Custer National park which unbelievably gorgeous and contained 7 miles of downhill fun (compared to mostly medium grade uphill stretches in the AM). This indeed was a time when I wanted to ride my bicycle.
Custer National Park
This dog showed up at our checkpoint and although he was well trained, he seemed to love oncoming traffic :( (and horses)
Rapid City is pretty cool, I must say, and it is funny how South Dakota has offered the most to do on a rest day. The night we got in, Jeff, Olivia, Nelle and her mom, Luke, John, and I all drove an hour to catch Cowboy Christmas Black Hills Rodeo. The ALA let us get a 15 passenger van to use for the night and the next day, mainly so that people could see Mt Rushmore but we figured the Rodeo is just as good of an attraction. After paying an $18 entry fee, I had high expectations and let me say that they were all met. We watched cowboys rope and tie cows, wrestle cows, ride bucking horses, bull ride, and navigate around barrel (cowgirls in this case). There was also an all female stunt team with members as young as 16 years old (from Australia---shout out!!) that did amazing tricks as they rode in circles on their horses. For example, a woman placed her top leg on top of the saddle and bottom leg under as she side planked parallel to the dirt as the horse circled the stadium---talk about core strength. A scary part in the show occurred as a bull rider was thrown off (as most were before the 8s was over) and kicked in the back of the head by the bull. He was unconscious for quite some time and unlike any other sport, the announcers desperately tried to find the best shot of the replay and show it to the audience over, and over, and over again. I was astounded because in all other athletic injury, the broadcast cuts out as soon as something like this happens. It wasn't mortifying though and the announcers did a wonderful job at calming the crowd, asking for prayers, and explaining the situation and how common injuries are in this dangerous sport. They also stated that many injuries seem a lot less serious than they indeed are and the rider in fact started talking and was able to leave the ambulance (still confused as to why he did not go to a hospital just to be safe) by the time the rodeo was over. The rodeo seemed like a whole 'nother world, a whole community of country folk, with some serious desire for risky entertainment. I loved it though and think it has been my favorite night thus far. There was a long superb firework set at night, which made me feel better about the poor ones we had seen on the 4th in Newcastle.
Full rainbow on the way to Belle Fourche Rodeo
Jeff and myself
Today, Jeff E, Jeff S, Olivia, Kendall, and I took the van to Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse. I would never travel to South Dakota just to see these things, but they were pretty cool. I was mostly impressed by Crazy Horse. The sculpture is still in the works and will be carried on by the 10 children of the original artist. It is much larger than Mt Rushmore (and the Washington monument and the Statue of Liberty) and is not federally funded. This means that the tourist admissions and purchases is what keeps the monument going. The sculptor even turned down 2 offers from the government of more than 10 million dollars to build because he was a firm believer in private interprise and individual drive and desire. So taxpayers, your money is not being sent to this project and you may sleep soundly.
Crazy Horse 'in the works'
The design intended for the finished product
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