Wild Walley’s Blog

The Corn Palace:  A Local Legacy

Imagine a building covered with colorful murals.  Now imagine that same building with an exterior made entirely out of corn and other grains!  This building exist, and we have pictures to prove it.  Mitchell, South Dakota’s Corn Palace ‘Lives’.

Built in 1892 in Mitchell…the Corn Palace was created to dramatically display the products of the harvest of South Dakota’s farmers, in murals on the outside of the building.  The murals are made from thousands of bushels of corn and other grains and grasses such as wild oats, rye, straw, and wheat.  Each year these corn decorations are completely stripped down and entirely new murals are created.

The picture tells the story…Here is a view of the First Corn Palace…

…in 1979…

…Today…

Typical yearly themes are South Dakota Birds or A Salute To Agriculture; this  year it’s Salute to Rodeo 2007.   This years theme is gearing up to the big ol’ rodeo coming to town in late July. 

 

 

Locals take great pride in the Palace’s “corn-septual art” and “ear-chitecture.” Mitchell isn’t called the Corn Capital of the World for nothing.

The Corn Palace has one more title - the World’s Largest Bird Feeder. After Corn Palace Week ends and winter sets it, local pigeons and squirrels make a feast of the tasty murals.

  

Heading back to our Minnesota homebase, Mom and Dad’s house, we drove right into one of the bigger tourist traps.  Amazing yes…uneventful…you’ll have to see for your self.  All I can compare this stop to is the Grand Canyon scene in ‘Vacation’…when they took all but 10 seconds to enjoy the view and got on their way.

 

There is alot to camping.  The planning, packing, the coolers iced, everythings got to have it’s spot.  Loaded for bear…your on your way. 

We found a great campground.  I would give them a shameless plug…but fly’s lived in the port-a-potty that haven’t been sucked and flushed since Memorial Day…No Shameless Plug for them.  Other than that…Great and close to everything. 

We woke up to a mountain of colors…

…Evenings were just as Awesome…

I told you that it got colder than we expected…and we froze our butts off.  My sister in law, Linda, had this hair-brained idea to deflate the air matteress and use them to cover us…and it worked.  *Way to go thinking Linda* The Ground was Hard…but we stayed warmer than the prevous night.

Food was good…feeding 5 boys was like having a ‘mess hall’ outdoors.

To prove we survived…Photos were taken before leaving the campsite.

 Loaded and ready to head back…next stop:  Mitchell - Home of the Corn Palace!

We put on 240 miles, just driving around the mountains and the plaines.  Driving the spectacular Needles Highway…will be one of my favorite drives in the Black Hills. 

          

This drive features some awesome Black Hills scenery…

…Granite spires…

                 

Traveling on this road is picturesque…and we stopped alot.

   

Click on these pictures to get a better view

   

 …narrow shoulders…Hairpin Curves…to narrow tunnels…

Needles Highway to Sylvan Lake…Custer State Park is Awesome!

Smokey Bear Loves this View…

‘The Vaca-Crew’

All is Goooooooood!

When I saw this memorial last it was only a hole blasted through the mountain.  A lot has changed in 30 years.  This memorial, when finished, will be the 8th wonder of the world…The World’s Largest Mountain Sculpture, in the spirit of the legendary Lakota Leader Crazy Horse and his culture.

Quick History Lession:  Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear officially started Crazy Horse Memorial, June 3, 1948.  The Memorial’s mission is to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. 

 Another ‘Clear Blue Sky’ to stare at another mountain wonder…

 Since the dedication of the face of Crazy Horse in 1998…

 

 The work has been focused on blocking out the horse’s head.

It’s cool to get a photo like this…I had to ask alot of people to move for a few shots…

(Don’t you love making your kids pose for picutres

At Night…The Ledgend is alive as well…

 

“Legends in Light” dramatizes the story of the Native Americans’ rich heritage, living culture and contributions to society.

Set to a stirring musical score, the outdoor program shows off dramatic animated images created by laser beams, giant slide projectors and banks of colored floodlights.

By day and night…The Crazy Horse Memorial is another awesome wonder of the Black Hills, and is one to be seen.  If I’m lucky enough to see this again…I’ll be just as excited to see the progress as I was seeing this, 30 years later.

Our Tourist trip has begun…with a stop just outside the entrance to the Badlands.  Here we were amazed in wonder, staring at the 12 feet of paint chipped, weather-worn, prairie dog resembling (in a limited sort of a way) glory!

<>Cactus Flats - Interior, South Dakota - Giant Concrete Prairie DogThe Giant Concrete Prairie Dog is located near the town of Interior, between I-90 and the entrance to the Badlands National Parks. The giant prairie dog stands sentinel for a colony of very obese hand-fed prairie dogs located outside of The Ranch Store. 

You can purchase peanuts inside the store and feed them to the prairie dogs, which have taken up residence in a field just beyond the parking lot.

Here is proof why tourist should just keep there food in the cooler in the back of the car.

 

Like Aunt Linda’s quest for spotting Buffalo…I was determined to find a ‘Muffler Man’.   In Rapid City…he stood tall calling my name…

The Rapid City Muffler Man has received a new “Harley Davidson” paint job. If you look close you can see a Harley Davidson belt buckle and a Harley Davidson emblem on this shirt. He’s still holding the pick and wearing the cowboy hat.

What is a ‘Muffler Man’ you ask… 

 

 Here are the Physical Characteristics of a ‘Real’ Muffler Man:

• Material: Fiberglass. Knock on his leg to see if he’s hollow.
• Height: From bottom of shoe to top of head or hat, between 18-25 ft. tall
• Head: Well-chiseled facial bones, prominent brow and squarish “lantern” jaw. Crack a beer bottle over this guy’s noggin and he wouldn’t be fazed. Eyes may appear to stare blankly into the middle distance, or may be painted to leer down at visitors. Exceptions: Halfwits and Indians
• Torso: Broad-shoulders, and familiar design of fake shirt folds. Pockets, suspenders, shirt patterns sometimes painted on. Exceptions: Indian models often barechested.
• Arms: Short-sleeved shirt, well-articulated veins bulge on forearms. Bent at elbow, left palm faces down, right palm faces up — with an open grasp to hold an ax, muffler, golf club, etc.
• Shoes and legs: Big, blocky shoes measure about 4-ft. from heel to toe. Pants exhibit familiar pattern of folds and creases.

Heading out across America this summer… go to www.roadsideamerica.com and be sure you don’t miss this dying breed of roadside attractions.

…coming up “Needles Highway, Custer Park”…and “The Crazy Horse Memorial”.

I have my share of visions of project in my life, nothing like Sculpter Gutzon Borglum saw in the Granite Mountain.  Below is how he envisioned the project…

Gutzon Borglums house…had Rusmore in his view at his house in the foot of the mountain.

So why was the mountain not finished like he wanted…for the final two years of the project ‘Lincoln’, Borglum’s son, was in charge while Gutzon was contantly trying to get more money for the project.  In March of 1941, Gutzon Borglum died.  With the artist gone and the impending involvement of Amereica in World War II, finishing work on Mount Rushmore drew to a close.  On October 31, 1941…the monument was declared complete.

I’ll be honest.  It was hard to leave the mountain.  My sister-in-law, Linda, laughed at me as I kept saying…”I’m a lucky man being able to see this twice in my life, and if I saw this again in my life I would be the Luckiest Man around”. 

 

Then we hopped in the family truckster on to the winding hairpin Iron Mountain Road, where we were blessed with three more times of seeing the Presidents.  We drove thru three short tunnels… that were blasted and designed for a purpose: each frames a view of a distant Mount Rushmore…

Peak-a-boo Presidents…

This was an awesome experence I hope you can enjoy someday with your family.  We drove away…hoping I would be seeing this one more time in my lifetime. 

Now…it’s off to “Needles Highway” and “The Crazy Horse Memorial.”

 As you stare off into the mountain…I found myself ask “How did they do this without screwing up”.  So I went to the internet (thanks Al Gore) and found that the worst set back, involving blasting was the one that blasted a face off and they had to start completely over after two years.  The order of the presidents and how they faced also had to be modified during the 14 years of work to accommodate problems with the rock.  Not a single worker was killed on the carving and there is only one visible mistake.  A drill bit became stuck in a rock, and instead of risking damage, it was decided to leave it in, leaving a small visible rust streak now evident on the memorial.  My eyes could not see it. 

Mount Rushmore gives you lots of Photo Op’s…We took the Presidential Trail that runs for about a mile at the base of the ‘Rushmore’…through some surprisingly beautiful ponderosa forest.   This close up of the memorial really gave you an appreciation of what these men saw while chippin’ away on the mountain.  Awesome.

 

South Dakota’s most famous feature is without a doubt “Mount Rushmore”.  Sculptor Gutzon Borglum, along with 400 workers carved the granite mountain over 14 years (1927-1941).

When visiting Mount Rushmore pay close attention to the Presidents eyes.  You can see the pupils of the Presidents starring off.  You feel like your being watched.

…You walk under all 50 State Flags before you stand in front of the Presidents.  Under each pole you see the year each state became a part of the United States.

Here’s ‘OHIO’ flyin’ high in the Black Hills

Me and My Gang

Aunt Linda and the Gang

 

We live in an amazing country….and we all need to get out of our comfort zone to see it.  I feel like the luckiest man to be able to see this wonder, Mount Rushmore, twice in my life.  The history of these four men, carved in stone, gives you an erie feeling gazing upon the mountain.  The last time I saw this National Monument was in 1979…I just finished my Junior year - heading into the ‘you can’t tell me anything’ stage.  Today I have my kids with me…hoping they felt the impact to one day return with their kids.

Everywhere you stand before the awesome Mount…is a Photo Moment.  We spent the entire day at the park and took a million photos.  Here a few to share with you.

Every Angle…you find yourself just staring and amazed!

…the vibrant blue sky that afternoon made these guys really stand out…

The sun and cloud change the looks.  In the last year they hired a Pressure washing company from Germany that takes are experts at statue cleaning to give the four a good washdown.  The rangers said they can tell a big difference in how white and bright they are now since they did it. 

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

Teddy Roosevelt

Honest Abe

…If your wondering, I use a D-50 Nikon with a big lens (not a shameless plug)

…more wonders in stone to come…keep checking back…