Mt. Rushmore and more.....July 30, 2014

Today, we began our day by visiting the Crazy Horse Monument.  This impressive carving is still a work in progress.  It began in 1948 by the sculptor Korczak Kiolkowski and is continued by his family.  It is funded solely by donations from visitors.  Eventually, it will be home to the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Educational  & Cultural Center and the Indian University of North America.  It honors all Native Americans.  "My lands are where my dead lie buried" - Crazy Horse.

Next, we drove over to Custer State Park, which turned into one of our favorite excursions.  As we rounded the bend of "Wildlife Loop" here's what we saw:

Then, we encountered a traffic jam, as the "begging burros" stopped car after car in hopes of snacks!

While on our drive we saw deer, elk, bighorn sheep, LOTS of buffalo, goats and antelopes.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the State Game Lodge Resort before heading into the little town of Custer for an afternoon stroll.