We landed in Rapid City, South Dakota. It's a small to medium sized airport and very easy to get through. It also happens to be very close to Mount Rushmore and Deadwood.
Rapid City Airport to Mt. Rushmore — 39 minutes
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Our first destination was the mountainside sculpture created by artist Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum. Construction began in 1927 and was completed in 1941.
It's impressive work — there's no doubt about it. But could it/should it happen today? No way. It's easy to see what an insult this site is to the Black Hills and the Lakota people. We're glad we saw it, but nature just doesn't need our help to be beautiful and awe inspiring.Find out more about Mount Rushmore here.
BONUS :
Near the entrance to Mount Rushmore we came across some fantastic local art — everything from chainsaw creations to alpaca weavings to carved signs — even a blacksmith making jewelry, tools and weapons. If you need a ginormous Sasquatch for your yard or playground, go see Dahl's.
On the way:
From Mount Rushmore, we headed toward Deadwood, South Dakota. We weaved through more of the Black Hills to get there. It's beautiful, rugged and mysterious country. No wonder it is so special to the local tribes.
FYI: As of September 10, 2024. There's a huge stretch of the road to Deadwood (385) that's under construction. It's all dirt and gravel and not easy on a vehicle. Shout out to our trusty Chevy Malibu rental — she bobbed and weaved through the potholes like Barry Sanders through Tampa Bay's defense.
Deadwood arrival
What do we say about Deadwood?
Deadwood was founded in 1876 after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. It became a boomtown, attracting prospectors, miners and opportunists. Mike is a huge fan of the MAX show and wanted to get a feel for the stomping grounds of Al Swearengen, Seth Bullock, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. You can still get the slightest whiff of the old west here but, unfortunately, that spirit is mostly drowned out by the gaming machines jammed into every saloon, store, gas station and hotel.
There is a wild west shootout on Main Street a couple times a day (don't bring your dog, it's loud!) and signs memorializing things like the spot where Wild Bill was shot — kinda cool but the original (real) town burned down in 1879. We didn't make it to the cemetery where Wild Bill was laid to rest.
Yup, things happened around here ... let's call it an easy stopover after a long day of travel.(Oh yeah, Mike lost $80 at the blackjack table)