June 20th - Day 8
Today we started a new chapter of our journey. My Grandmother Joy and sister Gwen, flew to Rapid City, SD to join us for the next few days. My Grandmother Joy, who is 89 years old, spent the first 8 years of her life living in South Dakota. Over the last few years, she has been talking about many of her memories from her early years in South Dakota. So, when we began planning the trip a year ago, I threw out the idea of her joining us as we travel across South Dakota, which she took us up on.
Gwen and my Grandmother arrived in Rapid City late last night (less their luggage) and stayed at a nearby hotel. They met up with us this morning for breakfast at our campground prior to us heading out for the day.
A few highlights of the day:
Our first stop of the day was Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. My Grandmother first saw Mt. Rushmore in the late 1930’s when she was a young girl prior to it being fully completed. My hope is that our kids will have similar memories when they are 89 years old and will have the opportunity to relive some of those memories.
Ilena and Obadiah become Junior Rangers once again. For those of you who are counting, this is #3 so far. And, they both got Junior Ranger vests today to sport all of the badges they are collecting.
Following Mt. Rushmore, we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial and Museum, in Custer, SD. This was a great change of pace following Mt. Rushmore as it focused on Native Americans, who were the original inhabitants of the land. The Crazy Horse monument is still in a work in progress but is certainly starting to take shape.
At the Crazy Horse Museum, there was a painting of Billy Mills. For those of you who don’t know Billy Mills, he is a member of Oglala Sioux Tribe, and a gold medal winner in the 1964 Olympics. Following his running career, Billy Mills started the organization Running Strong for American Indian Youth in 1986. Why this is important in the context of our trip; my Grandmother has been a major proponent of this organization and has supported it financially since its inception. She was very excited to see this painting and gladly posed for a photo in front of it.
Gwen and my Grandmother’s luggage finally arrived late in the day. Unfortunately, they had to drive all the way back to Rapid City to pick up their bags (but they have them now!). They then made their way back to Custer, SD in the Black Hills where we are spending the night.
A few pictures from the day:
