Sturgis and Mount Rushmore - South Dakota

As we drove east from Wyoming, we noticed a lot of changes in the landscape and scenery - from the Rocky Mountains and grand National Parks to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We also noticed a lot of motorcycles...

She was right there in the road when we came around a corner - that's called "open range."


In 1938, nine motorcycle racers gathered in Sturgis, South Dakota and a crowd of on-lookers watched a race, this week marked the 67th annual Sturgis Rally where between 300,000 and 400,000 riders gather each year. We happened to be driving in the same direction as the majority of these motorcycles and of course took a brief side-trip to Sturgis to check it out.

A few storm clouds behind this billboard

The next stop was the great Mount Rushmore where we learned the history of the granite sculpture in the mountain. The 60-foot carvings were created between 1927 and 1941 by Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers. The carvings of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln represent the first 150 years of American history.
Because we heard so much about it, and because of the many signs, we had to stop at Wall Drug before heading to Sioux Falls for the night - we did find a very special belt buckle we had been searching for - yeah! Every few miles there was another sign for Wall Drug!

Inconspicuous

It was a long day, a very late night, but God was with us on our journey through storms and rain and we made it safely to our hotel in Sioux Falls by 2am! Thank you Lord ...
Next stop - Minnesota - land of the prairie and Mall of America!