Mount Rushmore Offering Free Sculpting

Try an adventure in Sculpture - heck its free there is nothing to loose!

Mount Rushmore National Memorial will be offering free week-long sculpting
workshops on the Borglum View Terrace throughout the summer. Artist in
Residence Kim Henkel will be returning from New Mexico for a third season
to conduct the following sessions in stone carving and clay portraiture:

June 8-12 Stone Carving
June 22-26 Clay Portraiture

July 6-10 Stone Carving
July 20-24 Clay Portraiture

August 3-7 Stone Carving
August 17-21 Clay Portraiture

September 8-11 Stone Carving


The workshops are held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day and are open
for participants 13 years of age and older. Children 16 and under must be
accompanied by an adult. Families are encouraged to participate so that
parents and children may share the experience and learn sculpting
techniques together. No experience required. Participants will also learn
about the history of Mount Rushmore and the sculpting process of the
memorial.

The workshops are held outside and participants are encouraged to
bring a hat, sunscreen, rain jacket, lunch and drinking water. All tools
and supplies will be provided. There is a $10 annual parking fee that is
good for the remainder of the calendar year.

A 2008 workshop participant said, “The class more than met my
expectations. I not only learned a great deal about clay modeling and
making molds in my first class and stone carving in the second class, I was
given an appreciation and enthusiasm for the art form of sculpture.” A
local wood carver of over twenty years said, “The stone carving workshop
was the high point of my summer.”

Sculptor Kim Henkel has a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from
Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona and has been an instructor of
Sculpture at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University in
Flagstaff, Arizona and Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New
Mexico. Henkel has exhibited her sculptures professionally in art
galleries and museums nationally and at the Apex gallery at the South
Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Participants must register in advance. Registration information is
available at

For more information and a workshop registration form, please visit the
Mount Rushmore website at www.nps.gov/moru, email Kim Henkel at

kimberly_henkel@nps.govThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (605) 574-3178.

- NPS -
www.nps.gov/moru

The last snow man - Great XC Skiing in April 2009

So I'm pretty darn grumpy about this *^&(($#@ snow, but I must say it did deliver the best chance the southern Black Hills XC skiers have had to get out and play in recent history. With the after noon melt, the opportunity has been lost, but this mornings ski was quality stuff.

We live on the Mickelson Trail and it is rarely fit for skiing from my house. Today it was smooth sailing up to Crazy Horse. You gotta love the way snow covers up all the 'mistakes' of man. Shooshing over the top on the is a great way to spend a morning and definatly raised the spirits of anyone gloomy about the snow and cold...esp. when the sun comes out.

Another Black Hills Adventurer had a simular experience this winter...check out Lukes line.

I guess it all goes to show, there is an good time to be had in almost every weather.

Banff Mountain Film Festival

Much thanks to everyone involved in getting the Banff Mountain Fim Fest here in the Black Hills!

I'm sure everyone who was there agrees...and I bet there were a few Black Hills Adventurers..... there was some great footage and inspirational athletes up on the screen. If you don't leave the theater dreaming of your next great adventure or at least promising yourself to get off the couch more often, there might be something wrong with you.

While traveling or even within my close circle of friends, it has been my pleasure to hang out with many extraordinary people that might not make their way onto the silver screen, but sure should. I guess I start to take it for granted and get used to all of them doing wild and crazy things. It becomes the fabric of life. It becomes a normal habit and just the way things are. Sometimes I have to go to a film fest to remember that 'normal' people don't act this way or do these things everyday. Now I don't know what to do with that knowledge, but it has given me food for though today. If you ever get a chance to befriend an adventurer, I'd reccomend you jump at the chance. They will have something special to share with you, cuz they ain't like the rest of the dudes in the trailer park.

We all have our gifts. Now when some of us use these gifts we just end up doing silly things like hucking a kayak off a waterfall or a bike down a trail or climbing up some rock. At times it all seems like a waste. Couldn't we be doing something more productive? Maybe growing a garden or curing cancer or something. Or is doing what makes us happy enough? Being genually happy is a goodness that is worthy of something. Because I for one know that doing these things can make a person feel more alive then anything else....funny how being near death, makes a person feel more alive.

And with that I'll quit, else there will be a multi page circular ramble on the meaning of life that is much better left to the experts.

Black Hills Whitewater kayaking

For the past decade or so there has not been enough water to really even think about whitewater kayaking in the Black Hills. I traveled all over the west adn even to South America in search of great rivers to paddle, but this week some friends and I had to opportunity to run down Boxelder Creek. Perhaps a first decent for some to the run!

Now with all the fresh snow, and more coming down, next weeks melt could provide a record amount of water in the already saturated creeks.

Check out the new Black Hills Paddlers Website for a short trip report from Mr Mike Ray. Sorry I don' t have any photos of this historic event!

I can't believe all the snow in the yard and more coming down....what happened to spring?

Still making mom proud after all these years

Yes, its true, getting your image posted on 5 semi tailors that travel coast to coast every week is enough to make any mother proud! Who would have guessed that a Climbing School owner could rise to such an honorable position. If you see one out on the interstates, I'd LOVE to get a picture of them on the road, but at least please drop me a line. Thanks a lot to the great Tourism Office in the great State of South Dakota. See you in the Black Hills - the best (perhaps the only) midwest adventure destination!

The Rock Climber video Game

OK, So if the snow continues to fall....and falll.....and fall....and fall..... even though spring was to supposed to have sprung awhile back. I suppose you can let yourself play the Rock Climber Game


I didn't find it as addictive as the 'Line Rider' game, but maybe that's because I've not let myself sit here long enough.

Its time to go out and ride the greatest bike I've ever owned.... the Gary Fisher HiFi 29er in the snow.

Stupid Human Tricks

I guess that 'Stupid Human Tricks' could be the title for all my post, or even the blog, but during the last month in the desert of southern California, I had some time to ponder some of the things I do....such as...why do I drive across the emptiness of the Mojave to climb a rock or 2.



Freak Brothers
No matter how many times I turn it over in my head. I can’t figure out why humans are so willing to do dangerous things for a cheap thrill. Are we all really that bored in our day to day life? Take for instance a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park. This beautiful place in the high desert is home to a great amount of granite domes. I like to call the place ‘mile of piles’ as none of them are very tall. Yet, due to the great weather during a time of year when the rest of the climbing areas in the country are under snow wind and cold, Joshua Tree attracts thousands of climbers every year.

I, myself have been spending several weeks or months there every year for nearly a decade. Having climbed many of the classics and even many of the not so classics, I finally had the right partner and head space to go and do one that’s been in the tick list for years. The Freak Brothers Traverse. Imagine (or look at the photo above) three largish stone walls connected together in folds such that they kind of resemble three freaky heads side by side. The traverse cuts straight across them. Now climbing sideways might sound easy, but its actually a rather difficult thing to do when you are on a thin lip just above a largish overhang. The leader and the follower get much the same experience. If there is one little slip, life becomes a big whip as you hurl through space falling down and over to the next piece of portection that might be 10 feet to your right. So if you fall...you get a fast ride 10 feet to the right and 10 feet down. Yeah, and I can tell you...it is exciting. So yes, climbing sideways can be easier because you are not lifting your body as much, but when your only real contact with the rock is a small group of ledges bulges or nubs for your feet, and the consequences are high in the occurrence of a fall, things stay exciting, and the term hyper-focus takes on a new meaning as one gently dances across the void just above the lip with the heels of your feet hanging into space.

The climb starts off with a bit of a bang, the opening moves are as a result of necessity rather then ease. The ‘holds’ such as they are, would at best be considered imaginary. Its all about sticky rubber, and a lot of trust in ones ability. Perhaps that is a starting place as to why we do such things as well. When driving our autos, we trust that we can make each curve, and that the machine we are driving will perform as expected.
Still, why o we trust all those things enough to risk our life to be able to say we did XYZ activity? Now I know that we all need to get off the couch every once in a while, and do something, but why things that can potentially kill us.

We all have a ‘thing’ that gets us going. Something that trips our trigger. Whether I like it or not, on some levels, I’m totally addicted to adrenalin. I’ve told many of my friends that I hope to grow out if this sillyness and learn to enjoy stamp collection, and have stamp collecting or some other more mundane activity fill the hole that action sports currently hold, but so far it has not happened. I even question whether or not I’ve toned it down a notch or just gotten so used to all the crazy things that I don’t notice how crazy they are. Whether its pulling my body through a little hole in a cave, or dropping an 8 footer on a mountain bike, or pulling through the delicate moves of the Freek Brothers traverse, I’m constantly quizzing my self for meaing in all this, but the only thing I can figure out is that is fun for some stupid reason. And FUN is about as deep as it gets.

If I could figure out how to put that mix of excitement fear, and glee into a bottle and sell it as a soft drink, the world would beat a path to our doors. Then again, perhaps its already been done, and its called Cocaine or whatever the drug of choice would be, and its true, the world cannot seem to get enough...FUN.

Motorcycle vs Buffalo in Custer State Park

Motorcycle Man vs Buffalo

When you buy a motorcycle, one must accept that you stand good chance of having the power and speed combined with the Law of Gravity get you into trouble. I know I go too fast at times and all that, but lets be honest here, that’s all part of the fun.
So there I was riding through a nice fall like evening here in the Black Hills, dressed head to toe in motorcycle leathers. Even though it’s still August, change is in the air, and the cool winds are starting to blow. The Wild Life loop in Custer State Park is prime American auto touring, and I’d ridden it a few times before. Two hours of beautiful twisty roads, a few straight-aways with open views, deer and antelope to keep you on your toes….and then there are the buffalo.
Over the hill and ‘round the bend I come and there is a huge herd of them. Stopping near the top of the hill a good distance away, I shut the bike down. It was beautiful. Sitting there watching the buffalo herd, it was as though National Geographic was filming over my shoulder. I could hear the narrator talking in a hushed British accent about the grunting, bellowing and frolicking of the young. The Bulls swaggered about the kids and ladies. The young fought, butted heads, and chased one another around… it was grand to sit there for half an hour or so.
After having my fill of the great show, I rolled on down the road. Another mile or 2 was another small group. Riding along I contemplated the damage a fresh pile of buffalo dung could do if I hit it while leaning deep around a curve at speed. Then, just as I began to round another curve at a narrow spot where the road snakes between a few big hills….. they were there. The third group of big Bison (did I mention that some road signs read ‘wildlife at large’ but the signs in Custer State Park and Wind Cave NP read ‘Large Wildlife on Road’ ……there is a difference!). Now there was more then enough room for all of us, so I sat there for a minute letting things happen, but quickly decided that the big brown masses were going to need more space to pass. So I started pulling the bike backwards. I was very happy that the bike only weighted 500 pounds, and was short enough so I could get both feet on the ground to push…though I cursed the hill I was now pulling the bike up.
I glanced back occasionally, but mostly kept my eyes on the nervous bunch ahead of me. Things seemed to be going well, until one of the biggest of the bunch decided that I was to close. I’m not all that bright when it comes to picking up on animal behavior, but I knew that after he got tired of just starring me down, and started thundering towards me, head jerking around, nostrils flaring and the whole bit…I knew loud and clear what he was saying. Having a buffalo charging you is a terrifying experience. When straddling your motorcycle trying to see a way around the mess…wishing the hill wasn’t so steep…wanting to look over your shoulder, but unable to take your attention off the big brown eyes and pointy horns coming at you…time stops. So I had a few options going through my mind while all this was happening. I could drop the bike and run (Bad idea, as bison can run 30 MPH… lots faster the a dude in leather pants)…bluff charge him with the bike (Silver motorcyce…no horns…700 LBS smaller then him…bad idea #2)…stand my ground and slowly retreat honking my horn and revving the mean motor scooter. I chose the latter… it worked that time, but I’ll be looking at louder horns online tonight.
Now really, I didn’t get toooo scared the first time he charged me. I guess it was the farmboy in me who was used to being around animals…I figured when he headed back to the herd I’d be OK if I just kept backing off. Now the second time he charged me I was getting mighty scared. By then cars had pulled up behind the little herd trapping them in the little valley (tourist hanging out the windows, standing up in the moon-roof taking pictures with the flash on in total daylight complete the comedy). A dude pulled up behind me too…luckily the fellow got the hint when I waived him back, he put it in reverse and gave us all some space. Time was moving at a snails pace….it stood still….my teeth ground together.
The theory was that if I was going to get rammed by a bison, I wanted to have the added weight of the motorcycle between me, and my new enemy. The third time he came, I figured ‘well this is it, he means business now…. I’m in real trouble’. Twice, he’d been close enough for me to reach over the windscreen and touch his nose. Twice he’d backed off and returned to the girls. Never had he lowered his head. As he stormed toward me faster and faster I kept backing off and watching for the head to go down. Blow the horn rev the motor…wet my pants (not really, but close!). Again he stopped, stood, snorted and ultimately backed off.
Finally I’d pushed the cycle back far enough so that the little herd could run off the road…..I didn’t blink….my chance for escape had arrived. Dropped her in gear and hit the gas. No looking back. Happy to be alive, I sped around and away for all I was worth. My jaw still hurts from all the teeth gritting. If only I’d had a helmet cam…you too could feel the thunder and look into the eye of a charging buffalo, and see the reflection of one scared boy from Illinois when he stopped, snorted, and stood there looking at me....for what seemed like an eternity.
Pulling into the drive I contemplated describing that one to the insurance agent. The image of the big brown bison tossing and stomping the bike to bits is not a pretty one. Sure am glad that it wasn’t my day to die. Hopefully the tourist got some great pictures of Motorcycle Man vs Buffalo..heck, I might even be on youTube.

Daryl
www.sylvanrocks.com
Live your vacation - Don't just look at it.