Black Hills tourism

We're doing the tourist thing. Yesterday we visited Mount Rushmore. We both expected that we would take a look around, say "that was cool" and be ready to head on down the road. As it turned out the interpretive centre held our attention for quite a while. The story of Gutzom Borglum, the eccentric sculptor who had the audacity to propose carving presidential heads on the side of a mountain is fascinating. Not surprisingly he was ridiculed at first but he persevered and left a memorial to American tenacity that will endure for centuries or possibly eons, "in commemoration of the foundation, preservation and continental expansion of the United States." Borglum was a controversial visionary who spoke his vision in grand terms. His dream was to create a monument that would outlive its creators in the same way the pyramids of Egypt have outlived their creators. Mindful of the history of the pyramids however he was adamant that the history of his mountain sculpture should also be preserved for future generations or even races of people. His original vision called for a grandiose tablature carved into the mountain approximately where Lincoln's head is on which he would have recorded a brief history of the United States in letters large enough to read from the viewing area.

The tablature and hall of records envisioned by Borglum were started but never completed. The history that he craved is however preserved by the current custodians of the monument, the National Park Service.

After leaving Rushmore we took a circuitous route to Deadwood/Lead and eventually ended up in Mystic Hills campground. The owners of this place have carved a little space out of the pine forest and planted about 6 cabins, a bar and about 20 RV sites. Its not fancy but it is quiet and out of the way. And most importantly it is open in late April.