After a night of uninterrupted, deep sleep, time to hit the road again for groceries and other supplies. Going to Chadron, Nebraska was not an option due to the flooding—the road between Pine Ridge and Chadron was closed due to water over the road the last that I heard. No reason to chance it so Rapid City is the obvious alternative. The day started as overcast and gray with a light rain off and on. Rain is the last thing needed with all of the mud and water. I have never seen the reservation with so much water. All of the creeks are full to the brim, and water is standing in many fields. There is also still snow on the ground in places—a much different landscape than usual.
A trip to Rapid City is always about sightseeing as well as grocery shopping so we started with the sights first. By the time we got to Rapid, the weather had deteriorated further with the clouds quite low and intermittent thick fog. I was told by a student that I was not allowed to use the words damp or moist to describe the weather even though they were most fitting!
The Crazy Horse Monument was our first stop. Since the monument was not able to be seen in the fog, we got a discounted entry fee. The museum is the best part of the visit anyway so we enjoyed walking around and stretching our legs for a bit viewing the Native American art and artifacts. I have become more and more interested in Lakota (and Native American) spirituality with each trip that I take to Pine Ridge. I am fascinated by and respect their views of the creator and beliefs about the equality of all things—whether living or not–and that all have a spirit. I found a prayer and a poem at Crazy Horse that spoke to me:
“Oh Great Spirit, Giver of All Life, You have been always, and before you nothing has been. Look and smile upon us your children, so that we may live this day to serve you. Watch over my relatives, the red, black, white, and brown. Sweeten my heart and fill me with light this day. Give me strength to understand and the eyes to see. Help me Great Spirit, for without you, I am nothing”. –Paul War Cloud
Spirit Helper by Many Crows Woman
“Enjoy your Spirit Helper, and let her be your friend.
She has no eyes so she cannot judge you.
Her feet leave no tracks so you are the only one to know she is there.
She has no hands to meddle in things not about her.
Tell her your hopes, your dreams, your fears, those things that make you happy, things that make you sad.
All these thoughts she will guard very carefully, so when you need them most for strength, this little Spirit Helper will give them back to you.
Take her wherever you go and know that you have a friend”
I find more lessons here than anywhere else about how I want to live my life—as a person who strives to provide service, attempts to understand and see, and stays focused on generosity. No need to see the monument to get the full benefit of this visit!
After Crazy Horse, we did the Wildlife Loop at Custer. At first it seemed that our only wildlife would be the mule deer, but our patience was finally rewarded. We saw buffalo both near the road and in the park’s corrals, prairie dogs, and pronghorn antelope. The most popular—the burros—aren’t around the park during the winter. Our last stop was Mt Rushmore, but again, unfortunately, the fog obscured the view. Oh well! South Dakota is always an adventure!
Nursing Students at Pine Ridge 