[Sturgis / Mt Rushmore / Custer, SD, Jun 17, 2025]

Our only objective for the day was to drive down 4.5 hours to Custer, SD, our home base for the next 4 nights. But since we got an early start to our drive, I decided to throw in a couple of noteworthy places on the way. The first 3.5 hours were really boring though. There was nothing but rolling grasslands and farms.

Finally, we reached Sturgis, SD. This town is famous for hosting the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the beginning of August. The event started in 1938 and it’s only grown over the years. The highest attendance ever recorded was 700,000 in 2015. Sturgis itself is only home to 7,000 people, and its downtown reflected that. I was expecting a little bit more small-town charm than what I found. Luckily, we did stumble upon a mural for photos.

Rapid City, the biggest city in South Dakota, was about 30 minutes away. After a quick stop at a Starbucks, we headed towards Mt Rushmore, which was on our way to Custer. As we approached, we noticed some really dark clouds, but the forecast said the rain was still a couple of hours away.

We got our first glimpse of Mt Rushmore from the highway. For a brief moment, we contemplated not paying the $10 for parking to get into the memorial, but then we realized how silly that was.

We parked in Lot 5, which turned out to be the one right across from the entrance. The place wasn’t busy at all, probably due to the incoming weather. We enjoyed the promenade leading up to the overlook. It featured each state’s flag together with a plaque that marked the year that state joined the union.

I was surprised to see an amphitheater below the overlook. There was also a visitor center and a theater down there, so we headed that way. After I got my passport stamps, we watched the movie, which was super informative. Mt Rushmore bears the name of a NYC attorney who visited the Black Hills in 1884. Calling the mountain Mt Rushmore was a joke by his friend that stuck! Before that, Mt Rushmore was known as Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe or the Six Grandfathers by the Lakota people.

The idea for carving the granite didn’t come about until the 1920s. While the rest of the country was enjoying the Roaring 20s, South Dakota’s economy had taken a turn for the worse. Looking to bring in tourist dollars, state historian Doane Robinson came up with the idea. South Dakota Governor Peter Nobeck secured the funding, and Gutzon Borglum, a sculptor, chose the 4 presidents. Over 400 workers carved the 60-ft heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln (in that order form left to right) between 1927 and 1941.

We came out of the theater to the biggest thunderstorm and hailstorm I had seen since that time I got stuck in one on a trail in Rocky Mountain national park. We were lucky we had already done the outdoor part of the memorial! We waited for the rain to subside for a bit. When we thought we were in the clear, we walked outside but ended up having to run to the gift shop for cover. We spent a few minutes there, then ran to the parking garage. What an adventure!

The rain subsided as we got to Custer. We checked into our hotel and relaxed for a few hours. The rain had come back when we emerged for dinner.

The rain had cleared up completely by the time we walked back outside. This allowed us to take a little stroll through Custer to walk off our dinner and to enjoy the buffalo sculptures at every corner. The sun was even peeking out from underneath the clouds right before sunset!

The forecast said this was going to be the only bout of weather on this trip. The next 4 days are supposed to be back to sunny skies and highs in the 80s.