I like big buttes and I can not lie

On the way out of Mt Rushmore, we could see Washington's Butte..


Crazy Horse Memorial

Near Mt Rushmore, is a monument to Crazy Horse carved from similar mountain rock. It is still a work in progress, but its going to be the biggest mountain carving in the world. The same family has been working on it since 1948. They refuse any government funding, so its all been funded by donations. They really have their work cut out for them- this thing is huge. All the heads in Mt Rushmore combined are the same size as just Crazy Horse's face. Its supposed to be a monument to honor all Native Americans. They also want to build a museum, university and medical center at the base. Unless they bring some lasers in, I don't think its going to be finished for awhile...



This is a scale model of what it will look like, with the real mountain in the background.



A much smaller scale model



The actual mountain. Only the face is finished.



Dexter really got into the spirit and donated to the memorial.



This is a Native American energy bar made from buffalo. Jon said it was delicious, but I refused to eat it because buffalo are too cute.


Deadwood

We stopped at Deadwood, looking for some authentic cowboy history. Sadly, like most things round these parts, it was mostly a tourist trap. If you're looking for slot machines though, this is your town...






Main St



In the basement of the #10 Saloon (not the original which burned down, but the bar which was built in it's place), they re-created the scene where Wild Bill Hickock was shot.



Jon explained it all to Dexter. Its important to pass these stories down to the next generation.



Bullock Hotel (original)

Devils Tower
Next we visited a big Butte!






For all those out there wondering how Devil's Tower was created, scientists have been working on the problem for years. The current explanation is aliens.



On the way up to the butte, there was a Prairie Dog town!



It wasn't a very friendly town though, they were barking at us like crazy



I'm pretty sure Dexter is part Prairie dog..






Its actually an igneous intrusion. Thats a large pocket of magma deep beneath the surface which never quite made it out to become a volcano. As water and wind erodes the land over millions of years, the overall level of the surface drops below the original magma, exposing the now frozen rock. This happens all over the place, Devil's tower is a very steep, dense intrusion which has outlasted most of the others in the region.



You have to watch out for bears, they're really big around here