My favorite part of South Dakota was the Crazy Horse Memorial. For those of you who don't know, Crazy Horse was a member of the Lakota tribe, part of the Sioux nation. He refused to ever sign a treaty giving away his land, and as a result was stabbed in the back under a flag of truce. He was asked about his land and he stated, "My land is where my people are buried," pointing at the land that he would fight for throughout his short life. After Mount Rushmore was built, the Indians asked Korczak, a man who worked on the monument to build them their own monument for one of their leaders in the Black Hills. Korczak moved with his family into the hills to build this memorial, and so far his head is finished. Currently it looks like this:
It is so much larger than Mount Rushmore, and it is supposed to look like this when it is finished:
Can you imagine that? I think this was my favorite part of South Dakota (besides just the beautiful landscape) because it inspires you to believe in the dedication of an individual. One man decided to dedicate his life to building a memorial of Crazy Horse, and his dream is still in the process of being fulfilled. The entire project is funded by donations because Korczak refused to take government funds. Still the builders refuse to take this money even after Korcak's death. To me, this is beautiful. It shows the strength and spirit of a group of people who hoped to never truly have to give up their land. I think that it is entirely right that Crazy Horse should be built as larger than Mount Rushmore because the lands we live on used to belong to him and his people. The spirit of the memorial was so powerful, and it felt as if the future was ours. The future of the memorial is unknown, and the builders won't even give a prediction for its completion. This is what I loved the most - because just like the future of the Crazy Horse Memorial, my future is entirely unknown. I like to think I know how my life will turn out, but lets be serious - you never know what curve balls life will throw at you. Take this road trip for instance, I never in my life would have pictured myself traveling through South Dakota. But my best friend asked me to drive with her to Seattle, and I said yes. I never pictured myself loving the lands of the west, but I do. I love the feeling of freedom that accompanies the Black Hills, and I can't imagine how the Native American Indians must have felt when they first saw them. I hope to come back here one day with my family, and I hope they can feel the spirit of freedom that the land promises. I know it sounds crazy coming from a girl who loves New York City, but it's true. The Crazy Horse memorial made me feel as though all my dreams could come true, even the ones that I didn't even realize I had.
Wyoming was a whole different story. And we are still here! Our first stop in Wyoming was at the Devils Tower. Literally you see this giant rock jutting out of the earth and you wonder, how the hell did this get here. for miles land is composed of flatness and hills and then out of nowhere a giant rock appears. No wonder the American Indian tribes came up with all different legends to explain how it got there. The legends vary, but most of them include a bear trying to get to the top of the rock, but never succeeding. This would explain the giant scratch marks along every side of the rock. One legend says that the rock grew as tall as it did to protect three little girls who were running from a bear and were hiding behind the rock. I like this legend the best. We got to hike around the enter tower, and as we hiked we actually got to see people trying to climb it! There were rock climbers sprinkled all over Devil's Tower, some way up close to the top, and others just beginning at the bottom. It seems crazy, but honestly one day I would like to do it. Imagine how incredible the world would look from the top of this tower:
After the Devil's Tower we drove through Big Horn National forest to get to Cody, home of the rodeo. Big Horn blew us away - the mountains were incredible, and you could see for miles below. We initially thought they were the Rocky Mountains, but of course we were wrong. Again I feel like I am at a loss of words when I try to describe to you the feeling of awe we all felt as we drove up, down, and around these mountains. The views were sick, and I don't think any of us have ever seen anything like it. What about you:
Cody, Wyoming was an awesome town. It made you truly feel the spirit of being a cowboy. Honestly it made me want to give up my job in NYC so I could go buy a horse and become a cowgirl. But if I did that I know my dad would be super jealous, since he always loved cowboys and Westerns. He never understood why I didn't see the glory behind the cowboy life. Now I do. The rodeo we watched really proved how being a cowboy is actually a way of life, and how it is threatened every day by people like me. People who don't understand them. I hope to be more understanding in the future, since it seems as though I have a bit of cowgirl in me - something I never would have expected. Honestly I never thought I'd say this but I love Wyoming. It's beautiful. You should come. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone!!!
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