Oct 2

We left Medora around 8 am and headed south towards the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was quite cold in the morning with a forecast of rain. Not very long into the drive we had a bit of lightning and strong rain. It was flat and you could see the road stretching straight ahead as far as the eye could see. Wheat, corn and sunflowers seem to be the crops grown here as well as cattle farming. As we got further south it got much more hilly and cattle farming was predominant. We stopped at the visitors centre in Spearfish to enquire about the area. We were immediately told that the memorial was outside…..ah, what memorial??? Apparently Spearfish is the geographical centre of the United States.

Oct 3

Another very cold and rainy morning L We headed out 50 miles east to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. We did the tour of the Buffalo Gap Grasslands and then did the scenic drive through the Badlands National Park. We were very fortunate in that the Badlands are actually more attractive after a rain storm, which brings out more of the colour of the rocks. The terrain here was much more severe and steep with very sharp peaks. This whole area was once part of a great underwater sea. Bison were absent on this drive but we saw prairie dogs and antelopes who had also decided to make the road part of their thoroughfare.

This trip wouldn't be complete without a stop in Wall. Truly the Honest Ed's of the West. One entire side of the main street was owned by the Wall Drug Store and all of its spinoff "tourist attractions". Definitely a neat spot to wander through.

Oct 4

Another cold and cloudy day L L. We drove south 25 miles to Mount Rushmore. We thought we would be able to see the monument on a cloudy day but we didn't count on the fog which surrounded us as we drove into the mountains. We could not even get a glimpse of the presidents AND it had now started to rain.

As we left Rushmore, we drove - or survived - the Iron Mountain Road, a road with a series of switchbacks, loops and single lane tunnels that would NOT have been good for a travel trailer. It was quite foggy, but we could see the road well enough...very cool drive.

We went to the Custer State Park and drove the Wilderness Loop. The Park had some nice hills and was very wooded. There were no buffalo to be seen. Last Saturday the Park had a "Buffalo Roundup" which is done once a year. The Buffalo are checked out and then released again into the park. We were still able to see the ones not released in their corrals. We also saw white tailed deer, pronghorn, donkeys, prairie dogs and eagles.

At one point we had a very cool donkey encounter. People were getting out of their cars to photograph the donkeys...and the donkeys quite swiftly approached them, chasing them back into their cars and licking their windows. After those people left, some of the donkeys approached us. As we rolled up Kevin's window just in time to prevent a donkey tete-a-tete, another one snuck up on Karen, who hadn't rolled up her window because she was watching the donkey approach Kevin. Harmless, but funny. Before we left, Kevin's donkey had a nice "neck rub" against the side mirror.

Oct 5

Today was our canyon drive, waterfall and adventure tour. We started the day by driving into the Old West town of Deadwood, complete with street lights reminiscent of the Old West. Today it is a series of pubs and casinos, one after another, lined along the cobblestone streets. Quite cool to drive through, but we didn't bother to stop.

We continued into the Boulder Canyon, a short but pretty drive through towering red and yellow cliffs on both sides of the road. A short, scenic drive later, we reached the Spearfish Canyon. We followed the Spearfish Creek along most of the drive. Lots of water in this spring-fed creek, perhaps augmented by the rain from the past two days. Lots of very small rapids, but also a couple of very nice waterfalls. We didn't need to hike much to see Bridal Veil Falls, Little Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls.

We also attempted a couple of side trips. First, we hiked off the beaten path, following a small tributary stream, to find the Devil's Bathtub. It was quite small, but a neat little hike. Later, we tried to find the Community Caves. What an adventure!!! We parked - as instructed - at the turnout beside the road. Next we were supposed to find the path down to the creek, in order to cross to the other side…but which one?, nothing was marked. Karen "dropped in" on a steep bank, and followed a fallen tree over the creek. But there was no path on the other side. Kevin walked further upstream, but had a very difficult time finding a path to cross the creek. Now that we were on the other side, Kevin climbed a short, but steep, and loose path up to what we thought might be the route to the Caves. Nope…should have seen him clinging to that tree as he tried to navigate his way back down. To make a long story short, we spent a lot of time on this adventure…but never did see the caves. Oh well, trips can be memorable for different reasons J.

Oct 6

We headed out early this morning hoping to catch a glimpse of Mount Rushmore before the fogs rolls in. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln looked back at us. The tunnel of UD state flags that you walk through to get to the monument was very sobering.

On to the Needles Highway, a very, very narrow road that winds through the highest peaks in Custer State Park. The drive was very scenic with lots of switchbacks and tunnels that our truck barely made it through - not a place for an RV, but we did see a horse trailer pulled through. We stopped at Sylvan Lake, a picturesque and oft-photographed lake with a hiking trail around the lake.

Next, we hiked the Cathedral Spires, a strenuous 2.2 mile hike, starting right at one of the many switchbacks of the Needles Highway. There were lots of boulders and tree roots to maneuver over, at one point we even had to walk through a crack in one of the spires.