We were so excited to explore the Black Hills of South Dakota that we changed our three night booking to five nights at Custer Crazy Horse Campground. We had a bunch of "must sees/dos" on our list, but also had a few days to play around with whatever else looked fun. Turns out, COVID hit Dusty on the first day, so our plans changed. We were about to head out the door for a day of adventures when Dusty tested positive. He felt fine, but was a little stuffy. Normally, he wouldn't have even tested under those conditions, but we knew we had an exposure. So...we reluctantly ditched him at the RV. Symptom free and donning masks, the kids and I set out to see the Crazy Horse Memorial. Crazy HorseIn 1939, while Mt. Rushmore was being built, Chief Henry Standing Bear asked sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create a tribute to show that Native Americans have great heroes too. Ziolkowski mulled the idea over in his mind for several years while he finished up other commissioned sculptures and fought in WWII. It wasn't until he came back from war that he understood his life's calling and dedicated his life to seeing this sculpture come to life. He began with nothing; spent seven months living in a tent, building roads and a rudimentary cabin, and finally began work with a hammer and a few sticks of dynamite. Eventually he got married, had ten children, and spent the rest of his life working on living out the dream with the help of his family. Decades later, the Crazy Horse sculpture is still under way, but has grown to be much more than a carving on a mountain. On the premises is a huge campus consisting of a museum, art and cultural center, and even a college for Native Americans, which help bring in funds for the project, since no federal or state funds have been accepted. Upon arrival, we immediately went to a Native American flute demonstration by Jonah Littlesunday. If that type of art/music interests you, I highly recommend downloading his work. I was moved to tears throughout the whole concert, either by his story or the beauty in his music. Jonah is a great example of the Native spirit, or of Spirit in Native Americans (however you choose to interpret.) Either way, this show was a highlight of our day, along with a presentation we attended about the dying art of porcupine quilling. Custer State ParkSight-seeing just wasn't the same without Daddy, so we decided if we were going to get sick, we may as well all be sick together. Custer State Park is known for its hiking and scenic drives, so we waited for a hail storm to pass, then drove out to Needles Highway, winding around spectacular rock formations jutting up through pine forests and through tiny tunnels that the F350 barely made it through. We finished the drive on Iron Mountain Highway known for it's tunnels that point to Mt. Rushmore. It's a bizarre experience to drive into a tunnel and see good ol' Abe Lincoln peeking out at you as you exit! If you go, don't expect these drives to be short. All together, we probably spent three to four hours on the road that evening. The ice cream we promised the kids ended up being a late dinner, and we almost missed the shop's closing time of 8:00! The next day we decided to hang back and get some chores and school work done and stay away from people. By 3:00, Dusty was getting antsy and decided a secluded hike would scratch his itch. Brickhead read about the strenuous 3.2 mile Sunday Gulch Trail, which promised rock scrambles and water falls, and since Dusty still had plenty of energy, we headed out. Throughout the hike, raspberry bushes lined the trail and glittering slivers of mica lit our path. We also hid our second Geocache Tracker, a little minifig who is looking forward to seeing what adventures await him! We finished the trail around Custer's beautiful Sylvan Lake, clocking five miles that day. On our way to Mt. Rushmore the following day, COVID hit me. I got to see the mountain, then walked back to the car to sleep while the rest of the family explored the visitors center, completed their Junior Ranger badges, and hiked to the base. They really enjoyed the visitor's center video that showed the workers swinging around the noses of the presidents' faces on Bozeman chairs! Fun Fact: Mt. Rushmore was 90% carved with dynamite using a point system of measurement based off a 1:12 size model. You can read more about the carving here. Trying our best to avoid people, we went back to Custer State Park and started out on another three hour drive, this time around Wildlife Loop Road.
By Saturday, the kids were still symptom free and Dusty was feeling great, so they left me at the RV for some more adventuring that didn't involve sitting in a car. Their first stop was Wind Cave where they drove through the park and completed the Junior Ranger badge, but didn't do the cave tour (thank you, COVID.) As a reward, the kids went swimming at Cascade Falls in Black Hills National Forest (where I'm almost certain Brickhead almost drown, but they all assure me everyone was fine. I'm guessing it was touch and go there for a bit though.) Technically, the falls are a hot spring, but the spring stays 67 degrees (which may not be warm on a 90 degree day, but in winter it never freezes, holding tight to that same temperature.) They enjoyed their time walking the streets and wading in the rivers at Hot Springs (city), then they hiked the grounds of Jewel Cave, again skipping the tour. An All-American send off at Mt. RushmoreAn American can't visit Mt. Rushmore without a renewal of American Spirit. Each night they have a lighting ceremony that begins just before sundown with a Ranger Talk and video in the outdoor amphitheater. This ended up being such a special moment for Dusty and the kids. At the end of the video, the National Anthem played and everyone in attendance sang along as they lit up the carving. Afterwards, they asked for all active duty military and veterans to come to the stage. Several were chosen to retire the flag, concluding the ceremony with hearts full of pride for our country. Sunday we left Custer, headed north with a brief stop in Deadwood. Deadwood is a highly commercialized, past home of Wild Bill Hickok and other outlaws that still hold fame status in this shoot 'em up wild west town. While the town is quite a bit more lawful these days (and very commercialized--did I already say that?), it's definitely a party town by night, as referenced by the piles of dried vomit that line the streets. The town was an easy "no thank you" stop for us. Cross that off your bucket list.
Last year I would have imagined South Dakota as being a "flyover state," not worth the stop. Between the fun we had on I-90, the Badlands, and the beautiful Black Hills, my expectations were blown out of the water. South Dakota is a must see and should be on everyone's bucket list. If you can't hike it, you can drive it and there is plenty to see. We'd love to come back.
6 Comments
Nancy Corley
8/24/2022 04:50:11 am
This is such a great description of the same experiences we had there, way back in 2009. Glad you are doing this.
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Joni Ramsey
8/24/2022 08:07:51 pm
We're looking forward to going back sometime and staying longer. We keep running into people in campgrounds who have been full time traveling (like you, but staying stateside.) I think we've decided that the nomad life is for us, but we'll wait another decade to give up everything else. Then we can follow the kids around all over!
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Maxine Holmes
8/24/2022 10:06:34 am
I just Love hearing about your adventures on your trip ! So sorry that Covid invaded your plans though .
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Joni Ramsey
8/24/2022 08:04:49 pm
We've been very fortunate that we haven't had bad symptoms. If this is all we get, I'll take it! Thank you for following along!
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Lorna R Stachowicz
8/25/2022 03:41:44 pm
Enjoyed all the photos and our Banana did a great job on the video of Buffalo crossing the road. It doesn't look like COVID slowed anyone down much. I hope you are all over it now!
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Mabel brunton
8/27/2022 08:57:46 pm
Loved your adventures. Hope you are all well now and ready for a new one.Never been in that area and will never be now. My travel days are basicly over but see it all thru your tours.
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