Month: May 2018
Location: Rapid City, Mount Rushmore
National Memorial and Badlands National Park
It was a nice morning as I left for ‘Mount Rushmore National Memorial’, but I was first stopping at a place
called ‘Colonial House Restaurant and
Bar’. It was quite busy, though I was
able to get a table and looking at the menu, I noticed some unique items. I ordered something called “Cabin Country Adobe Bowl”, which is
what I suppose the locals call the “breakfast
skillets”. Like the spot I had
visited yesterday, the staff was very friendly and soon I was on my way. I was headed into the “Black Hills” and as with the drive yesterday, the landscape was
beautiful. The signs kept announcing
that I was on track and getting closer, though there was no sign of the
memorial. Then I went around a bend and
there it was, the 4 “faces” carved
into the mountain. Even though I had
seen this in pictures and knew what was coming, seeing it for the first time is
a special feeling.
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| The path towards the viewing area |
Of all the public attractions that I have visited, I must
say that this one had some of the easiest accessibility, with multiple entry
lanes, ample garage parking and a short walk to get to the actual place that you
have come to visit. I parked my car and
as I went along the paved path – which was spectacular with stone entrances – I
could see the mountain in front of me.
That was the beauty and the simplicity of the design here, the object
that you have come to see is always in full view and in front of you. Very often you go somewhere, and must then search for the attraction. Not here. The path was called “Avenue of Flags”, since it was lined with US State and Territories
flags, and it led up to “Grand Viewing
Terrace”. This presented visitors
with an outstanding view. Below the
terrace was an “Amphitheater”, which
hosted night time shows with lights shining on the faces on the mountain,
accompanied by music and commentary.
While I would not be doing that, I could imagine it being a fantastic
experience.
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| There it was, my reason for coming! |
There were steps leading down to the “Visitor’s Center”, which was also a museum telling the story of how
this memorial came to be. There was a
short film which talked about the entire project from conception to creation,
including selection of the site, the architect, the 4 Presidents who would be
honored and the actual process. I
learned about the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who considered this the crowning
achievement of his career and started construction in 1927. It took longer than anticipated and upon his
death in 1941, his son took the project to completion. What I found most fascinating was the level
of engineering that was required, with workers using dynamite and having to do
measurements while hanging down the cliff.
The ingenuity with which they overcame all these obstacles and delivered
what is one of the great landmarks of the world is simply amazing. For example, they created small 1/12th
scale models of the head and used those measurements to scale the actual
sculptures on the mountain.
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| On the "Presidential Trail" |
I came outside and there was something called the “Presidential Trail”, that took the visitors
to the base of the mountain for a closer look.
The path coming down the other side was closed, which was a shame, since
it would have taken the visitors to “Sculptor’s
Studio” where Borglum created the models that were eventually transferred
to the mountain. I set off on the trail
and it was a beautiful day to do that.
There was walkway and steps to take us to the base of the
mountain and at one stage I saw a line of people waiting to enter some sort of
a crevasse between rocks. When I did so,
I saw that nestled between the rocks at the top was a narrow opening that put
one right underneath Washington’s face. I continued as far as I could and standing right
below the 4 heads, will be one of the highlights of my travels over the
last few years. And to think I first saw
this in a movie.
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| The beautiful sights on the "Needles Highway" |
I came back and stopped for some information on driving
along the “Needles Highway”. This was a part of the adjoining ‘Custer State Park’ and supposedly, one
of the great scenic drives. It was a
winding road, 14 miles and would loop me back to the memorial in approximately
60 to 90 minutes. Shortly after entering
the park, the road went through a narrow opening in giant granite spires, so
much so that cars on either side had to wait for other to pass. Plus, this was an outstanding spot to pull
over and take pictures. This was going
to be one of those drives, but I wasn’t complaining. It was one of the most beautiful stretches of
road that I have been on, with its sharp turns and bridges and tunnels. At one stage I pulled over and walked a bit
on a trail. Plus, on the way back, there
were spots from where you could see ‘Mount
Rushmore’ in the distance. But
nothing compared to the rolling meadows and lush green fields which continued
to mystify me. I loved every minute of this ride.
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| The slightly underwhelming 'Journey Museum' |
I drove back into town and just across my hotel was ‘The Journey Museum and Learning Center’,
which was this town’s “Natural Science
Museum”. From the outside the
building looked promising, with modern architecture, but it was a different story
inside. I mean, for Rapid City it was
decent I suppose, focusing on the regions geology and history. It did not take me long to walk through the
couple of galleries and despite my ticket allowing me entry tomorrow as well, I
knew I wouldn’t be back. It took me even
less time to get to my hotel, where I settled down for a bit before heading out
for the evening.
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| Another foray into town |
I walked back into town and on the side street where I had
found the ice cream place, was a pub called ‘Wobbly
Bobby’. I was out even faster when I
saw that service was non-existent and vibe was like a funeral home. I continued to a place called (kōl), and I had no idea why the
name was titled the way it was. There
were a couple of other patrons at the long bar as I took my seat. These folks were known for their “coal fired pizza”, and people had
started gathering for dinner. I ordered
a drink called “Strawberry Fields”,
which was pink and delicious. Earlier
today I had sent a text to ‘Blind Lion’
and received a similar favorable response with the same passcode and password. During my travels, it has been rare for me to
return to a place 2 days in a row, but Rapid City wasn’t exactly bustling with
choices for cocktails.
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| A drink before 'Blind Lion' |
I arrived back at the alley and through the door with the
code, into the establishment. I sat at
the bar watching Austin and Cody – also the owner – practice their craft. Particularly interesting was their hacking at
the ice to get to a single piece in a glass.
It was scary to see them hold the ice in one hand and go furiously at it
with a pick, especially since there was a machine in the back that made perfect
spheres of ice. Plus, I was getting showered
with the shards in the front row. I had
seen a green colored drink yesterday, “Asian
Jalapeno Daiquiri” and I started with that.
Austin showed me some of the tinctures he had been developing, including
one where he had soaked peppers for a month.
He gave me a taste and yeah, it was hot.
Next up was the drink I had seen being made plenty of times yesterday, “Cotton Candy Bee’s Knees”. Their 3rd colleague Jeremy oversaw
the machine making the candy and he was being kept busy.
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| The now familiar "secret" entrance |
There were a few regulars, including some from last night,
but the place wasn’t exactly buzzing for a Saturday evening. I am all for gimmicks to get into a “speakeasy”, and this one had
several. But that works when you are
trying to limit the crowd in a city like Chicago, not when you are running half
full in a small town. But I wasn’t
complaining since I got to chat with Austin and for my final drink he made me
something called “The Inca with Cognac”. It was a rich whiskey drink which I said
should be had in front of a fireplace while wearing a luxurious smoking jacket
and a dog on a rug. I added that one
should be reading “Charles Dickens”
while doing this and Austin said that I may have just renamed the drink to “The Dickens”. It was a fun evening and I asked if they were
open tomorrow. He said that it was “Industry Night”, for those in the
business and they threw their doors open, meaning I could just come in without
need for a text or passcode. I said that
I would take him up on that.
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| Getting some "craft beer" at 'Independent Ale House' |
A few blocks away was a place called ‘Hotel Alex Johnson’, which has a rooftop bar called ‘Vertex Sky Bar’. I arrived at the hotel and asked how to get
there, and they said that it was only for the residents and I could buy a “day pass” for $50. Once again, this is Rapid City, not
Chicago! I told them I would pass and
instead went to the hotels other bar, ‘Paddy
O’Neill’s Irish Pub & Grill’. This was as “Irish” as it got, and it was quite clear that ordering a cocktail
would probably get me kicked off. So, I
got a “Irish Car Bomb” and then
proceeded to the next stop, ‘Independent
Ale House’. This was a beer haven
with all options listed on a TV screen.
That seemed to be the norm over here, with other places doing the
same. I got a beer that was brilliantly
titled, “Tallgrass German Chocolate Cake
Oatmeal”, which was good, though I would have preferred the real cake. Dinner was close by in a place called ‘Delmonico Grill’, which I suppose
passed off as the town’s “fine dining
steakhouse”. The checked the boxes
with a wine selection and pricy steaks.
It was a decent end to the day and rather than walking back today, I
called a ride back to my hotel.
Tomorrow, I was going for a long drive.
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| "Sunday Brunch" at 'Minerva's Resturant' |
It was sunny day and perfect for being outdoors. I was going to ‘Badlands National Park’, which over over an hour away from Rapid
City. But first, there was a small
matter of brunch. I was going to a place
called ‘Minerva’s Restaurant & Bar’
and even though I was following the directions on my phone, I entered a parking
lot which looked more suited for illicit deals than a restaurant. I drove around to the back and across another
parking lot to where the restaurant was possibly located. Fortunately, this was indeed the place,
though it wasn’t anywhere close to where the map indicated. They were having a “Sunday Brunch Buffet”, meaning the worst of humanity was on
display. There is something about a
buffet that brings about a primal nature amongst everyone, as they climb over
each other to get to the food which isn’t going anywhere! The place looked a bit jaded and the food was
average, but I had acquired my fuel for the day and was ready to get underway.
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| My first look at the wonders of 'Badlands National Park' |
When I had first heard about ‘Badlands National Park’, I imagined it to be a desolate place with
ashen fields where nothing grew; kind of like “Mordor”. That had been
years ago, and even now I had limited knowledge of the place, though I had seen
pictures which looked like an alien landscape.
It was a straight forward route to get there and the freeway was also quite
isolated. It also had a speed limit of
80 miles per hour. Now, whenever I have
rented cars, I haven’t bothered much about the size, since it was only for
me. That was until now. I was in a “Compact” car and I soon realized that those do not do so well at
these speeds, especially when heavy machinery is passing by you. I gripped the wheel tightly as I felt the car
shake around me and after an hour of harrowing driving, arrived at a road which
led to one of the entrances to the park.
But I was continuing another 20 miles to the second entrance and as I
took it, nothing around me resembled anything like a park. And then I saw it.
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| What was this place? |
I saw some cars parked on the side of the road and what
appeared to be a viewing platform. Even
before getting out, I could tell this was a magnificent sight. On my drive here, the landscape had been
quite flat and green, with occasional rolling hills. But now it was straw colored and it just fell
in. It was like I had reached the end of
the earth and now there was a canyon with jagged hills. It was difficult to get a sense of scale, on
how deep this was because unlike the ‘Grand
Canyon’, this did not have trails leading down or a river flowing through
it. It just existed. I was feeling a bit dizzy as I took the
narrow walkway to the end of the viewing platform and just marveled at the
sight. And I wasn’t even inside the park
yet.
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| Some people were hiking on this |
I was headed to the main “Visitor’s
Center”, which was located quite deep inside the park. This meant that even before getting there, I
could stop and explore many of the parks trails. I stopped at a parking lot which had
entrances to 3 of those and started on the first one. Just a few steps away, as I got away from the
road, the landscape was just I had seen in the pictures, bizarrely alien. Several hikers were braving the jagged
terrain and going deep inside, well I suppose it was a trail, though I couldn’t
see a clear path. It was truly a surreal
feeling being here, for this was by far one of the most extraordinary places
that I have visited. There were a couple
of other trails originating from this lot and one of them had an outstanding
view from a viewing platform. The other
was a 6-mile hike and I saw some people set off on that.
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| A look at the prairie |
I got in my car and continued, and just before the visitor’s
center, came across another trail leading up into a hill. This on had a wooden walkway for part of the
way and led up to a viewing area with fantastic view of the valley. There were steps involved in going up and
down and the sheer scale of the area was making me dizzy. I did make it up to the end and returned to
my car thoroughly exhausted. I soon
arrived at the visitor’s center, which like similar centers in other parks,
doubled as a museum. I was very keen on
understanding what had happened here to create this spectacle of nature. Apparently, this started about 80 million
years ago, when this place was underneath an inland sea. Over the years wind, rain and erosion led to
the geology that we see today.
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| The incredible road through the park |
There was a short film on the wildlife in the park including
the “Prairie Dogs”. This is also one of the few parks which is
completely “open”, meaning visitors
can go anywhere they please, if they respect the land and the animals. I looked at the road to get me back and it
lead through the heart of the park, meaning that at some stage I would be going
through the cliffs to get to the side of the expressway. If I wanted, I could take a dirt road to
something called “Roberts Prairie Dog
Town”. However, that would have
added considerable amount of time to my return journey and so I decided to exit
the park at the first entrance that I seen this morning. There would be other sights to see prior to
getting there.
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| This could well have been another planet |
I started my drive and once again, for a second day in a
row, it was one of the most scenic routes that I have driven on. However, unlike the lush green hills of
yesterday, this was a path through these reddish-brown cliffs dividing the
prairie. This got especially beautiful
during the crossing from south of the park to the north, as the road curved
through the peaks. There were other
trails and viewing areas on the other side and especially interesting was one
where I got out of the car and went between some rock formations and looking
around me, there was no sign of the road, my car or any indication of which year
I was in, or even which planet. It
reminded me of some of the scenes from “Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade” and if I had the time and company, I would have
ventured further. But I came back and
after a few more stops to enjoy the view, got back on the expressway to Rapid
City. It was bit more confident ride
back, having gotten used to the car’s handling.
I returned to the room and relaxed for an hour or so before setting out
for the evening.
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| The doors were open today |
Just like the last 2 evenings, I was going to ‘The Blind Lion’, though this time there
was no need for any text message or passwords etc. I walked into downtown and through the back
entrance, and sure enough, the main door was open. There wasn’t anyone in there, including
Austin. There was a young gentleman who
introduced himself as Drake, and he mentioned that he was the “Heroic Hamster” in their password. He said that the others usually let him
practice his skill on Sunday’s and he started by making me an excellent
reproduction of my favorite cocktail here, “The
Colonel”. We were chatting as Austin
came in – wearing shorts since it was his day off. This truly was a more relaxed evening than
last 2 and for the next hour, it was like old friends in a bar. We had a fantastic time, exchanging stories,
including some of Austin’s “exploits”
with the ladies. Soon one of the regular
ladies came in and she had made a homemade “Tiramisu”
for the boys, leftovers of which were in the refrigerator. The fact that she went and got it out
herself, showed how familiar everyone is over here and I was now a part of the
squad. Soon we were joined by a
rambunctious gentleman who was a chef somewhere and he regaled us with stories
as well. It was one of the best evenings
that I have had during my travels and I left my number with Austin, asking him
to look me up if he was ever in Chicago.
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| Last dinner in Rapid City |
With goodbyes said, it was time for dinner – I had in fact
pushed it back by 30 minutes since I was having such a great time. I was going to a place called ‘Tally’s Silver Spoon’ and it was the “trendiest” restaurant that I had seen
in Rapid City. With a lively ambience
and a fantastic “Tasting Menu”, it
was a perfect ending to my stay here.
Next morning, I checked out and drove to the ‘Millstone Family Restaurant’ for brunch before my flight. I had started with a “family restaurant” and I was ending with one. It was your typical diner and I sat at the
countertop and ordered something that read better than it tasted. But it was fine, and now it was time to
leave. I filled up gas on the way to the
airport and after one last look at the beautiful landscape, returned the car
and walked into the terminal. South
Dakota had surprised me; not least in its natural beauty. From the lush green countryside to the
bizarre but brilliant ‘Badlands National
Park’. Plus, I had fulfilled another
one of my childhood fantasies, visiting ‘Mount
Rushmore’. Add the best bar
experience that I have had and you have a visit that may end up in the “Top 10” list when I am done.
