Day 15-THURSDAY-STILL ONE DAY BEHIND-We awoke in the Black Hills this morning to bright sunshine, but a heavy frost and 28 degree F temps. It was fresh here in SW South Dakota. The Black Hills are a sacred place. Rich in history and debate. The area was, and still is, the central location of the Native American Tribe, the Lakota (also known as the Sioux). In the late 1870’s the rumors of gold being discovered in the Black Hills brought thousands of whites to the area, with the U.S. Army sending in General George Armstrong Custer of the 7th Calvary to confirm the gold discovery. Although a newspaper report in 1874 stated gold had indeed been discovered, the gold rush never amounted to much of anything, except permanent settlement of many Europeans on Sioux lands. To this day, the Lakota Sioux still lay claim to the Black Hills.
We had a great day, with an early morning visit to Mount Rushmore National Monument (what I call the Big Heads Park), a cave tour 200’ below the surface in Wind Cave National Monument, close up views of large Prairie Dog Towns in Custer State Park (and Wind Cave NP) and amazing explorations of rugged sandstone formations, and vast grasslands in Badlands National Park. All these sites are located within the greater Black Hills Ecosystem. We also saw a variety of wildlife, including Pronghorn Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Mule and White-tailed Deer, and of course Prairie Dogs-lots and lots of Prairie Dogs. There were towns of the little furry critters in Wind Cave NP, Custer SP and Badlands NP. As they ran from burrow to burrow, whistling their alarm calls, they reminded me of the gopher that Bill Murray was obsessed with destroying in the classic movie Caddyshack! The only thing that made them cuter was the fact that there were young ones waddling all around as well. Many times we would sit and watch them for a few minutes and without notice they would stand on their hind legs and jump up in the air. The young ones would mimic the parents, except they would face each other, jump and do some “belly bucking!”
The landscape of the Badlands (below) is amazing, unique and rugged!
Bighorn Sheep roam through the many rock formations.
Before leaving the area, no visit to this area would be complete without stopping at the world famous Wall Drug. For those who have traveled down south, you could compare Wall Drug to South of The Border, but with an overall western theme. Their signs mark the highway for miles and miles, they offer all kinds of souvenirs and gimmicks, and oh, yea, you can also get a free cup of ice water!
We continue tomorrow with our long trek home. We’re tired, but have had an unbelievable adventure over the past 16 days. One last post tomorrow, then on the home stretch to PA!