Sturgis - Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer

Crazy Horse Monument

One of the sights Rhonda and I were interested in seeing was the Crazy Horse Memorial.  We had seen a documentary on the history and the plans and when we had a chance to see it in person, we weren't about to miss it.

The ride to Crazy Horse winds down (from Spearfish) through Deadwood and Hill City toward Custer.  We had ridden that route a couple times, but the ride on Friday was the best weather we had while we were in Spearfish and it was much more enjoyable than the last rain filled trip through there.

Driving up to the memorial, it is obvious there is something going on, but it is also obvious that there is a lot more work to be done.  The monument is already magnificent even with just the head nearly complete.  I can only imagine what it will look like when it is complete.  I am not sure I will ever get to see that happen in my lifetime however.  The progress has been slow over the past years, and there is still a lot to be done.

We came in from the north, but I would recommend that you ride up from the south at least once when you are there.  From that direction, the monument is facing straight out toward the road and you get a good look at it from the front.  But even from the side, it is awesome.  There were huge pieces of machinery working the site and they looked like kids toys in a sandbox compare to the overall size of the monument.  Rhonda fed a fixed set of binoculars a couple quarters and we god a better view of the detail in the face.  Sadly, we were 30 minutes late to see the 1000 pound explosion they set off earlier!

There is a huge complex along with the monument.  A lot of Indian crafts and a museum displaying a lot of historical items as well as a couple beautiful Indian motorcycles.

The Planned Monument (with us)

The Crazy Horse Monument is a must see.  If for no other reason it will give you a perspective on the effort that goes into creating these landmarks and give you a better appreciation for Mt. Rushmore.

Past Crazy Horse is the small town of Custer.  We stopped there and waited for the other bikes and took a quick walking tour of the town.  It has some unique buildings, and there are some really neat shops in the town that have some items you will not see in other parts of the country.  There was a General Store that had all the equipment you need to pan for gold!  I thought about getting that and starting a new profession, but I assume it is tough work.  So Rhonda told me to keep my day job!  There is also a shop with a lot of wildlife items such as antlers, skins and skulls.  It was neat to see some things that while they are in a more current setting, were items that the sold in this town in the Old West days!  Make sure you check out the many different painted buffalos around town as well!