Good times...

 The tourist picture in front of Mount Rushmore. Lots of rain after I got off Harney Peak (highest point in South Dakota). It is way smaller than you think, but very cool nonetheless.

 The rain did not help the pictures, but I purchased a professional one in the gift shop. As I left the area, I saw snow along the roadside in the higher elevation areas. Yes snow in early September. And I have to come back to Indiana with all of its humidity!?

 The Crazy Horse monument. Nothing is really done on it. I wish they would let the government come in and finish it up or get some big private investors. This project started in 1948! See this wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Horse_Memorial

 Harney Peak highpoint from far away. It was a 6 mile round trip jaunt.

 My self shot picture in the lookout tower.

 Information about the peak that seemed interesting.

 Some of the rock formations in Custer State Park. If you go to the area check out Custer State Park.

 Cathedral Spires in Custer State Park.

Prairie Gopher. Even though it says not to feed them I think people do. They were too friendly. 

I finally have a connection where I could upload the video of the wind on Mt. Reynolds. It made for some dangerous times when it picked up while doing some the hand hold climbing. Near the end you can see one of the little pieces of talus go flying by. Yes, the wind is moving the rock.

As I trekked back through South Dakota it rained constantly. I even made the stop at Wall Drug in Wall, SD. I ate lunch/dinner there and walked around to take a gander at everything they offered. A tourist trap, but a neat story on how they made it on the map. http://www.walldrug.com/t-history.aspx

If you have not been out west to places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Glacier NP, or any of the hundreds of other national parks then you need to plan a trip. You don't have to climb mountains. You can take some easy day hikes and view things that millions of people only get to see on TV. If you take the beach trip every year, you might think about doing something different. It is great to get away and relax, but it is great to be reminded of how beautiful of a country we live in and how fortunate we are to be able to live here.

When people asked me where I was from I said Indiana and usually followed it up with there is not much to see here. A few days into this I changed that and said there is a lot to see here. Driving through the National Forest in Southern Indiana in the fall is gorgeous. Turkey Run and/or Shades State Parks are awesome to see. The Dunes on the south end of Lake Michigan. There is a lot to see in our own backyards. If you live near me there is the Garden of the Gods in Southern Illinois and don't forget Mammoth Cave just down the road in Kentucky.

I will post other pictures as I get things uploaded. I even am creating a fast motion film of the the entire trip with the pictures I have taken and the camera images from the vehicle. I am not sure how long that will be, but hopefully I can do it some justice. I video taped my reaction to seeing Devil's Tower from far away (this movie might be given an R rating for language - haha).