Trip to the Dakotas

Seeing the Dakotas has been on my bucket list forever so when OJ and I got to go last month it was everything I expected and more - It was an inspiring trip on many levels. I've always been intrigued by the name of the city I was born: Man-dan, which is named after a very peaceful Indian tribe. The name means 'river dweller' - which must be one of the reasons I'm excited to be living close to the North Saskatchewan River again :)

A highlight of the trip was visiting two similar, yet also very different South Dakota monuments. One was the iconic Mt Rushmore, and the other was one that most people don't know about - Crazy Horse Memorial. Both monuments are carved in granite, and are meant to be awe-inspiring works of art. One is finished and the other is a work in progress. One to 'celebrate the nation of America;, the other to 'celebrate the past glory of the native Americans'.

Both are the result of the visions of two talented sculptors who each had a grandiose vision of what they wanted to achieve - namely to build a monument for the ages that would inspire and teach.

I was taken aback by how moved I was by their stories. They each had to endure unending challenges, including dangerous working conditions, lack of funding, criticism, illness. But each of them overcame all the challenges to build monuments to people who inspired them, which in turn would inspire people from all over the world. It was an amazing experience.