CRAZY HORSE. BLACK HILLS, S.D.

Had a fantastic day today!
Got to spend some quality time with wife and Crazy Horse... What more can you ask?
In order to get to CrazyHorse we had to drive the same road (Hwy 244) we did yesterday up to Mt. Rushmore, where we stopped at the cutest little cafe/restaurant to have breakfast.... Big mistake! Waited over half an hour before getting a so-so plate of eggs and hashbrowns... People who were there before us actually walked out, and there was a lot of grumbling, but what the hey.... We're retired and had the whole day ahead of us.
After the "wonderful" meal, we continue about 11 miles, to Hwy. 385, where we hooked a left and drove a few more miles to the entrance of C.H. Memorial.... It's such beautiful country that you really don't mind driving here...
The place has changed drastically since we were here last..... There's a huge visitor's complex with galleries, museums, and restaurants, to name a few places to stick your head into, and most of the finished woodwork is done with bleached pine wood.... Very tastefully done.
Of course, the mountain is now in such a state that you can actually imagin it finished... Incredible dimensions (as you can see in the shot I took of the brochure) is the norm here... I mean, all the presidents' heads at Mt. Rushmore, can fit into Crazy Horse's hair!
We spent about 3 hours taking it all in.... Even took an old school bus tour (including a guide/driver) up to the foot of the mountain, where we had ten minutes to shoot all the pictures we could. Pretty awesome sight, which will be an incredible site when it gets done in about 40 years..... I'm glad I got to see it at this stage, and I highly recommend that everyone who travels these parts take the time to visit.
We took Hwys 385 and 44 back to Rapid City.... A drive as pretty as any of the ones we've travelled around here (or anywhere, for that matter)... Since this might be our last trip through here, I'm sad to say good bye, but there's another half continent to see, so I'm sure we'll survive the farewell.
And talking about farewells.... That's it for now.... Check out my pix at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/CRAZYHORSEBLACKHILLSSD#
and keep an eye open for more stuff from the Lummi Island Gypsies.