Devil's Tower and South Dakota

We decided to take a little side trip and visit Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  This is a "then and now" that has not changed a bit!  It was impressive when we saw it with Mike in 1993 and it's still an astonishing sight, surging upward out of the prairie.  Those are huge trees at the base, which give you an indication of it's size.

Also amazing are the number of people ready to accept the challenge of climbing it!  (Click on the picture for a closer look!)

Driving up to Devil's Tower we saw many pronghorn antelope.  When we stopped the car to look, all the ladies ran to their man for protection!

And on the way out, we stopped by the prairie dog village. They were not shy at all, and seemed disappointed when we didn't feed them (which is not good for them).

Our first destination in South Dakota was the Crazy Horse Monument.  We visited here in 1981 and were anxious to see progress, and we definitely could.  Then, you had to use your imagination to visualize what it would be like. Now, you can see it taking shape.  It's a huge undertaking and will be fantastic when it's completed. The artist began it in 1948 and saw it as a 100 year project.  (So if I live to be 102 maybe I'll see the completed project!)  When we visited in 1981 it had a small museum and displays. Now it has a huge complex of Native American art, along with a cultural center, many photographs and models of the work over the years, gift shops, restaurant, and much more.  We could have spent hours there.

The model depicts what the finished project will look like.

The face is complete, and work continues on the rest of it.

After Crazy Horse, we went to Mt. Rushmore. (They're neighbors.)  Always impressive!

South Dakota has some amazing tourist attractions,  those created by God as well as by man!  On the way to drive through the Badlands, we had to stop by Wall Drug Store.  If you've ever driven within a few hundred miles of it, you'll have seen the abundance of billboards. We lost count!  It's a major tourist attraction, but a fun place to visit anyway.

Jim hanging out with the dance hall girl....

I've always had a thing for cowboys!

Mother Nature was at her artistic best here in the Badlands.

More wildlife!

We couldn't drive past Mitchell, SD without at least doing a Corn Palace drive-by.   It was closed on Sunday, but the most impressive part is outside anyway.  It was first built in 1892, and was rebuilt a couple of times after that, enlarging it significantly.  It is redecorated every year with a different theme, using corn, grains and native grasses.

This was our last official sightseeing stop, although we're not home yet, so we'll see...  Final thoughts to follow. Stay tuned!