In 2004 I went on vacation to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore as well as many other attractions along the way. The drive there and back was long, but was worth it getting to see a lot of places that I've never seen before, especially driving through the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. While up there, I spent two nights in Deadwood, SD which was a really cool place to visit. For reasons unknown, which I now regret, I didn't take a single picture while in Deadwood.
I hope to someday make it backup to that area and spend more time exploring and taking pictures, and hope to visit Deadwood again. If you ever get the chance to go up that way, do it. You will get to experience a lot of the natural beauty that is unique to that part of the country.
I hope to someday make it backup to that area and spend more time exploring and taking pictures, and hope to visit Deadwood again. If you ever get the chance to go up that way, do it. You will get to experience a lot of the natural beauty that is unique to that part of the country.
I ended up taking a ton of pictures during my trip, I went through and picked out just some of the highlights of the trip. Enjoy!
The Rolling Hills of Nebraska is quite amazing to see and be surrounded by. The following pictures were taken up in the NW part of the state and had such an amazing view, it was the perfect spot for setting up a tent and camping, which unfortunately I did not do.
After a long drive, I arrived at Mt. Rushmore. The sheer size of this monument is just spectacular, looking at it in pictures or on TV just can't show how big it is until you're standing beneath it looking up at it.
Not too far from Mt. Rushmore is the Crazy Horse Memorial which is also worth checking out if you're up that way. Crazy Horse Memorial mission is to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. Work on this Memorial began in the 1940's and, at least as of 2004, it still was a work in progress.
On the way back I stopped to visit an old "cowtown" where all the buildings had been relocated and setup to look like an old wild west town, the buildings were also in their original 1800's condition. I can't recall if this was in South Dakota, or if this was in Iowa because I think it was pretty close to the border if I remember right. Either way, if you find out where it's located and you have a chance to visit it, I would recommend it.
