I visited Mount Rushmore, the most interesting part being the museum about the workers who carved the monument. They would have to climb 700 steps to start work and then dangle from harnesses playing with dynamite. Not for the faint heated! The bulk of the carving was done in the 1930's. Originally the design was to have bodies as well as heads but the mountain had other ideas.
There was a short trail through the woods which was a nice shady walk. Apparently mountain lions live in the area but I'm not convinced. It didn't cause me a sleepless night in a tent anyway.
Then to continue the theme I visited the Crazy Horse memorial carving. This was started in 1948 but there is still a long way to go! Only the face is complete. The photo below has a white statue which is the design for the completed monument. You can see the current progress in the background behind the white statue.
Crazy Horse was a famous Lakota Indian. Alongside the memorial is a great museum with crafts, tools, clothing etc from a wide range of Native American tribes and time periods. There is also a cultural centre attached with educational programs on Native American history.
I'm not sure I'd be too impressed if anyone started carving faces around the Lake District but the Black Hills have rock faces a-plenty I suppose.
The black hills is an attractive area, as you can imagine pretty touristy but not too busy early June.
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