Custer, South Dakota // 31 August
Our first day at Custer we checked out the gorgeous little town then visited Crazy Horse Memorial and then Mt Rushmore. Custer is a very western-styled town aimed at the large number of tourists who visit. There’s decorated bison statues along the Main Street which are really fun.
Crazy Horse Memorial… This was interesting to see and learn about the native tribes in the area. The memorial is still a work in progress, perhaps because of its huge scale. Just the face is complete and it’s bigger than the Mount Rushmore faces. It has the potential to be very impressive.
Mount Rushmore… We saved Mount Rushmore for the afternoon as we wanted to be there for the evening lighting ceremony. With the long summer days the ceremony was at 8pm. We had time beforehand to walk the trails and get a good view from all angles and stop in at the visitor centre. It was interesting to see the rubble pile below the carving and learn about the planning, choice of location, the process and sculptors involved.
