On to Mt Rushmore

Our day started with a visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. A park ranger gave a vigorous account of the battle, including a discussion of the various virtues of Custer's and the Indian's weapons (to which Connor paid close attention).

We passed through the Cheyenne Reservation and made a detour south for a close encounter with Devils Tower (not possessive, so no apostrophe -- long story), or "Bear's Lodge" to the many tribes that regard it as sacred land. We saw lots of Indian prayer bundles hanging in the trees, and June is closed for rock climbing so various tribes can perform ceremonies).

Moving from the sacred to the profane, our next stop was Deadwood, home of Wild Bill Hickok and title of HBO series famous for a word I can't write here. It's still a town of vice, judging by the historic preservation that seems to be funded solely by slot machines (all the buildings contained plenty of them).

We spent the night in Keystone, SD, within sight of Mt. Rushmore. Keystone also cultivates an air of "Old West" cowboys and Indians, and miners and saloons. The cheese factor was high -- neon signs, souvenir t-shirts for Mt. Rushmore and the Sturgis Rally, and old-time photos (yes, we got some of Connor!). We loved it.

The Indian memorial at Little Bighorn National Monument