Custer State Park — July 29 to Aug 1 (Part 1)

What a wonderful experience! After our hectic arrival day, we spent the next four days exploring Custer, Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and Mt Rushmore. We discovered that Nancy had left her computer charger at the motel in Custer, so we drove back the short distance to Custer and, after securing the errant charger, decided to spend the day exploring the town, which was a delightful experience. We wanted lunch but had the fluffy furry guy (aka Paddington) with us, so couldn’t go into a restaurant. We located what promised to be a good hamburger place but found the outside tables located in the hot sun.

So, we went across the street to the ice cream parlor tables (located in the shade and experiencing a nice cross breeze.) Nancy ordered a smoothie from our host restaurant while Fran went back across the street and ordered our hamburgers from the originally targeted provider (Baker’s Bakery and Café: “You’ll Love Our Buns”).

It wasn’t quite 11:00am, so hamburgers were not yet on the Chef’s menu: all chefs are allowed to be temperamental. We ordered, paid, and said we would wait the 15 minutes or so and come back to pick up the desired fare. Lo and behold, when the hamburgers were ready, the waitress of the hamburger restaurant actually came out to deliver them to us across the street! Only in Custer.

Hamburgers were phenomenal and we spent the next two hours sipping, eating, and talking with a wide variety of folks that passed by and were captured by Paddington. Fran did a little tourist shopping and found a few T-shirts for both Nancy and her. We also enjoyed the painted buffalos on the street comparing them to those in Cody. A great time in Custer.

We headed back to explore the park. We chose to take the Wildlife Loop Drive, which involved a bit of narrow roads, 4-wheeling opportunities, and great scenery. It is a loop road of about 18 miles that covers much of the park’s grasslands and is supposed to showcase much of the resident wildlife. We saw pronghorns, which are gentle and beautiful, and a few wild donkeys, but few other animals…….until……we took off on a dirt road to “explore” much to Nancy’s chagrin (armrests in the pick-up still have imprints). A short distance into the gravel road, we encountered a large herd of buffalo, who decided to converge on our truck and the few other vehicles that had followed us into the area.

We practically petted the herd bull from our windows; watched a mother and calf examine themselves in the reflection off our pickup; and “savored” the heavy odor wafting off the herd. After much huffing and puffing from both the buffalo herd, the herd bull, and Nancy, we slowly, and from Fran’s viewpoint reluctantly, pulled out and headed back to the main road. We explored a few more dirt roads on our way back and arrived back in our welcome camp to enjoy a glass of wine and dinner. A great first day in the park.

Day Two in Custer took us back to that winding road we took so quickly the first day (Iron Mountain Road)….well, we thought it was the same road. Turns out it wasn’t….at least not initially. We took bits and pieces of Iron Mountain called the Needles Highway and the Peter Norbeck Scenic Highway.

The Needles Highway is more than a 14-mile road—it’s a spectacular drive through pine and spruce forests, meadows surrounded by birch and aspen, and rugged granite mountains. The road’s name comes from the needlelike granite formations that seem to pierce the horizon along the highway. The roadway was carefully planned by former South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck, who marked the entire course on foot and by horseback. Construction was completed in 1922.

The Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway complements the park’s three scenic drives and includes some of the most dramatic natural and historic features in the Black Hills. It consists of a loop made up of four numbered highways: SD 87 (Needles Highway), SD 89, SD 244, and US Route 16A (Iron Mountain Road). Sites include the Needles, Mount Rushmore, and a bird’s-eye view of the rocky peaks and forested hills of the Black Hills National Forest. The byway is also named for Governor Norbeck, , who planned and surveyed most of the roads located within the park; and his vision inspired Custer State Park, Norbeck Wildlife Preserve, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial. These drives, and the many stops to ooohhhh and ahhhhhh over the views and the tortuous roads, along with the many photo “opps” , took most of the day and we arrived back in camp happy and tired.

We also took time to sit out a typical alpine summer deluge. Sitting on the side of the road looking at the majestic view through a rain shroud was dramatic and mystical. Following the deluge and again entering upon our mystical and challenging road, we had the opportunity to unexpectedly sneak up on George Washington.

Day Three led us back to tackle the Iron Mountain Road and to look with anticipation toward the Crazy Horse Memorial. Thankfully, by then, Fran had learned how to pull in the truck mirrors at a moment’s notice (Ownership Manuals, despite the horrific writing and incomprehensible organization, do occasionally come in handy.) Therefore, we were old hands at passing through the low, narrow one-vehicle tunnels. Also, since we were out early in the morning, we were able to stop in inappropriate places and take some photographs.

After driving the Iron Mountain Road (Yes, the actual road.) And, taking the time to look at and enjoy the outstanding scenery, we headed off to the Crazy Horse Monument. (https://crazyhorsememorial.org/ ). Awe-inspiring! Amazing! I’m not certain what is more impactful: the granite mountain, the monument itself, the story of how the monument is evolving, or the passion and dedication of the sculptor and his family – Korczak Ziolkowski. There is too much of the story to include it here. I encourage the interesting reader to explore the above website and learn about the monument, its mission, and its financial struggles.

Only the face and part of the arm are done. There is much more to complete. Even though Mr. Ziolkowski has passed on, several of his ten children continue to dedicate their lives, talents, and resources to completing this project, which to date, has received no government funding; nor are they soliciting any. The monument is being constructed solely with private funds. The attached photo overlay shows how much of the monument remains to be blasted, wrested, and sculpted out of the granite mountain. The other photo shows the scale model guiding the mountain sculpture.

We left impressed and overwhelmed. We left feeling deeply that we should all help. We left feeling that we all would benefit and grow from being part of this magnificent project. We left feeling insignificant in the shadow of Korczak and his family, all of whom know so clearly what unwavering dedication to an idea, to a vision, to a life purpose really means.