Day 19 Rapid City, South Dakota (81 miles)

The Black Hills

From Chuck's Face Book: Went 46 miles off course today. It was worth it. Now a day off. Looking forward to the Badlands coming up next. WOW


Chuck, Mark and Mike Entering the BRAA's Fifth State


Chuck's Picture of Crazy Horse Memorial


Crazy Horse Memorial Comparison

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument under construction in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in the form of Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance.

The memorial consists of the mountain carving (monument), the Indian Museum of North America, and the Native American Cultural Center. The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain on land considered sacred by some Native Americans, between Custer and Hill City, roughly 8 miles (13 km) away from Mount Rushmore.

The sculpture's final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet (195 m) wide and 563 feet (172 m) high. The head of Crazy Horse will be 87 feet (27 m) high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet (18 m) high.The monument has been in progress since 1948 and is still far from completion. When finished, it will be the world's largest sculpture.

Hi, this is Patty: Chuck said he took the detour so that he could see the Crazy Horse Memorial. The other riders meanwhile, for those who did the Big Ride in 2008, had a 30 mph tail wind for the last 15 miles into Rapid City. They were pushed up the hills going into town. SO UNFAIR!!!!! We had 50+ mph head winds on that same stretch two years ago. They all enjoyed Custer State Park. To me, personally, I think that is the prettiest day on the Big Ride.