Crazy Horse in South Dakota

For day 4 of our South Dakota trip we hung around the campground in the morning and then went to Crazy Horse after lunch. Even though it’s still an ongoing project, it’s quite impressive and an educational experience.

Crazy Horse

The Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota is much more than just a big rock sculpture. We learned about some of the Native American culture and history. The chief who came up with he idea wanted people to know that Native Americans have historical heroes too—Crazy Horse was one of those heroes.

Crazy Horse Bus Ride

We paid extra to go on a bus ride to the bottom of the mountain (the visitor center is about 3/4 of a mile away). It’s totally worth the little bit of extra money as it’s not just a bus ride. The tour guide/bus driver was very informative, and we enjoyed learning from him.

Not to mention that it’s a much closer view!

Crazy Horse Visitor Center

This is a 1/34 scale model of what it should look like someday. They’re currently working on the arm and the horse’s head which they’re hoping will be finished in 15 years. That seems like a long time, but our tour guide said to keep in mind that the arm is the length of a football field! We hope to come back every 10 years or so to see the progress of Crazy Horse in South Dakota.

KOA Campground

Jeremy and the boys explored the Mount Rushmore KOA campground earlier in the day. It is HUGE! We’re constantly finding a new area. Even with the map, it’s hard to picture the layout, and that’s not just my lack of directional skills speaking—Jeremy agrees with me.

We quickly realized that the group in the tents I mentioned at the end of this post was of a family reunion or something. While we were annoyed about how close they were, we tried to be a good example for the boys and have a good attitude about it. After all, it wasn’t their fault that the spaces are so tight. Jeremy prayed that we have a Christlike attitude toward our neighbors. Grumpy neighbors can ruin an experience, so we tried to continue with a good attitude for the rest of the day.

Plan for Rain

When you plan a trip to South Dakota, plan for rain. There’s a reason everything is so green. We planned to have a fire in the evening, and the boys even helped carry the wood (for about 10 feet). However, our plans soon changed when we saw a storm coming into the area.

We were proved right about the storm and were glad we had decided to save our firewood for another night. Boy was it a storm! It was a torrential downpour first, and then it rained a steady rain all night. Everything was very soggy when we got up the next day, and the big group had all but disappeared overnight. I felt so bad for them in their tents!

Next, we explore Custer State Park. It’s a beauty and somewhere you could spend at least a week. We wish we had more time!

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