Thursday, April 30, 2009

Crazy Horse And More

I feel a whole lot more like taking a nap than I do in trying to put a post up. Oh, sure, yesterday we ventured into the Black Hills and had a marvelous day. I got up early this morning (5:30 Mountain Time) to have some fun posting....only to find out that my newest version of Norton Security that I downloaded and had working yesterday, had ISSUES, as they say. Well, long story short, its issues rapidly became MY issues and I spent the next 8 full hours (nonstop) in on line chats and phone calls to get those issues resolved. Issues resolved for now...or so it seems.

About yesterday. Yesterday. All my troubles seemed so far away....oh wait, that was a Beatles song wasn't it? Anyway, we drove past Mt Rushmore (which we visited before). Took a few shots because it is impossible not to! It's pretty neat. But we were on the way to see the Crazy Horse Memorial- a "mountain"sculpture" in progress since 1948, my personal favorite year ever, and it's still a long way from being finished. BUT! It's close enough to finished so that you feel a bit awestruck just being near it. And to think the entire Mt. Rushmore sculpture would pretty much fit in a space the size of just the head of Crazy Horse, which gives you some real sense of how huge this monument will be.

Along the way, we stopped to watch a flock of wild turkeys pick over a grass field before deciding to step into the woods when I decided to step out of the car to take their picture. If only I had had my turkey call...(here, turkey, turkey). We made a stop at the Big Thunder Mine, where you can take a lode mine tour or do some panning, or just chat with some of the guides who are happy to answer questions about the area. We learned a lot about the area during our visit. Out by Horse Thief Lake, in the shadows of Mt. Rushmore, I pulled over to watch some beautiful Rainbow Trout being reeled in. The fishermen were a lot happier to be in my photos than the fish were! In the forest between the two monuments, Spring Cleaning was underway and there were nice, neat , uniform piles of brush all lined up and ready for disposal.

I'm gonna have to let the pictures speak for themselves today. I just can't be at this computer much more today:

2 comments:

Bob S said...

I just woke up and couldn't wait to get to the computer to read about your latest progress. WE will be leaving Fl on Mon heading North to Ak via Denver I am planning to use your trip as a guide. I hope to meet up with you whenever we get up there(the trip is the journey) I hope to make the contact with you in person whenever until then keep the daily postings coming I really enjoy them.

Greg said...

Bob S, Howdy and welcome aboard. Another free panning lesson out the door! Since our trip this year is more about being at the Chicken Gold Camp, suggest you catch up with the 07 trip (use the archives for May, June, July, August, September for that year. If this is your first such trip, please consider the Banff to Jasper run on the way up- simply amazing landscapes and "snowscapes". We did our first trip up and back from Cape Coral, FL. It's a long trip, but the kind you love, not the kind you dread. Have fun. Keep in touch. See you in Chicken!