July 25th - Rapid City, SD

​We got an early start to Mt. Rushmore to beat the crowd. We were second in line for the self-guided audio tour handsets. What an awesome and inspiring sight! We loved the stories of the history, construction and dedication of the monument.

Having just finished "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," there was no way we could miss a visit to the Crazy Horse monument. Only the face and the beginning of the arm and finger are visible at present, but the museum and performance stage were worth a visit on their own. We saw an outstanding hoop dance performed. The dancer took time to explain a lot about Lakota culture and history.

For $8, we got a private guide to ride with us in our truck to the base of the monument. We talked a lot about the history of the government's dealings with the Lakota people and his own personal story as well. The average income of a family on a Lakota reservation is $7,000 per year. To date, the Lakota have no large casinos to help fund social programs for their people. One recent proposal was stymied by local government who refused to extend a sewer system to the proposed site - even though it would have been funded by the tribe.

In the evening we attended a chuck wagon dinner and variety show at the site of the Fort Hays set from the film "Dances With Wolves", which is Angie's favorite movie. We were able to go inside the office where the unhinged Major assigns Lt Dunbar to the Army’s most distant outpost, Fort Sedgewick. We watched part of a documentary about the struggles Costner had to go through to get the film funded as well as the production challenges during filming. His directorial debut earned 7 Oscars and grossed over $400 million.