I was warned it would be smaller than I expected but that didn't deter me from wanting to see it. I mean, it's a time honored tourist destination after all, I couldn't be in the Black Hills of South Dakota not see Mount Rushmore. That's just crazy talk.
Dave was right though, in person it's much smaller than you think. This doesn't minimize its magnificence at all though. It took 14 years and the removal of 450,000 tons of rock to create. Quite a feat for the early part of the twentieth century.
One of the things I personally found interesting is that the faces are part of a much, much larger mountain top, something you rarely see in its entirety.
There's a lovely walking path along the base of the monument, allowing visitors to see not only the carvings almost individually but to also enjoy a bit of nature as the pathway is surrounded by trees and rocks.
Our time spent at Rushmore was perfect. Long enough to admire the workmanship, stretch the legs and take photos of this national treasure but not so long as to become bored (there really is only so much one can do here while avoiding the feeling of a canned sardine from the crushing crowd).
Our other for the day was 17 miles away at the nearby large statue currently being freed from it's stony encasement, Crazy Horse.
The Crazy Horse monument was begun in 1948 and is still under construction as the builders rely upon private donations, having refused governmental assistance with the project. Once completed, it's massive dimensions of 641 feet long by 563 feet high will dwarf the 60 foot tall heads of its presidential neighbors.
It's an tremendous undertaking.
As we approached the visitor's center, two objects caught our attention. A large bronze statue of two horses fighting..
... and the iron Nature Gates.
Both of which are simply beautiful to behold.
The complex for this monument is surprisingly large housing five museums, a restaurant, the visitor's center and an outdoor area and takes a lot of time to fully experience it.
It must be said that visiting Crazy Horse has a different feel from Mount Rushmore. There's still tourist milling around everywhere but the museums dedicated to the Native Americans, the artist's home, the visitor's center and the rest of the complex have a less intense feel than one gets when going through the national parks visitor centers and museums. I can't explain why, only to say there it's there.
Whether you're a fan of Native American art or not, Crazy Horse is a wonderfully complimentary site that shouldn't be missed.
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