As we made our way south from North Dakota, we kept passing motorcycles. Motorcycle after motorcycle, coming from every direction it seemed. As we pulled into Sturgis, SD to get some gas it finally dawned on us! We were coming through only days before their huge annual motorcycle rally! As we didn’t have the right equipment to join in the fun we kept motoring on down to Custer State Park where we camped while we explored the national treasures in this scenic corner of the state.
Mount Rushmore
The Black Hills in South Dakota seemed to us to be a bit of a sky island. This heavily forested area, with granite at its core, is surrounded by a sea of prairie land. It’s a beautiful area that would have been very fun to climb and hike in had we made the time! Our first stop in the Black Hills Forest was the famed Mt. Rushmore. This iconic American landmark is so well known that it was easy to feel like we already ‘knew’ it. Turns out seeing it in movies is no substitute for seeing it in real life (duh)!
It was fascinating to learn about the vision for the project and the massive effort that it took to pull it off. As someone with a fairly analytical mind, I can appreciate how precise and scientific their methods were to create the facial details that bring that rock to life. And yet, their dedication and patience with the process confounds me and leaves me in awe.
Badlands National Park
The Badlands National Park lies about 80 miles east of Mt. Rushmore with Rapid City in between. At first glance it is a seemingly barren landscape; rows of striped hills that ebb and flow with the prairie. Of course, once you are walking around you realize they are teeming with life and not barren at all! Here is a video reel of our drive on the scenic loop.
We took short walks on top of the grasses looking out over the hills and gulleys and then into those gulleys. It’s fascinating to know that everything we were looking at started out looking like the grassy prairies we were standing on. And furthermore, if those same prairies at the edges of the hills were to be exposed like a wedge of cake, we would see similar layered patterns and etches of time in the soil beneath, as to the hills that kept drawing our gaze.
Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park was the seventh National Park to be designated as such and is situated just South of Custer, SD. It is essentially two parks in one: a massive cave complex lying deep below the surface and the lush prairie land above that intersects with the edges of the Black Hills. The cave is the third largest system in the US and has unique features that we haven’t seen in other caves. They offer a wide variety of cave tour options. But, as we didn’t have time for one of the guided walks we opted for a hike through the prairie instead and ventured onto the Lookout Point Trail. The views were sublime!
Neither of these Parks were on our original itinerary and we wish we had had more time to explore them; Until next time, South Dakota!