Another nearly cloudless day made for some great touring around the Black Hills. Our first stop was Mount Rushmore, a mere 45-minute drive from the hotel. It was a magnificent site to behold, especially with the brilliant blue skies as a backdrop. Crowds were small and we got a parking place just steps from the entrance.
Our only disappointment at Mount Rushmore was that the amphitheater area was closed due to construction. This also closed the Presidential Trail loop that we had planned to hike. That forced us to take the Nature Trail to the Presidential Trail to the base of the monument. It was an out and back hike of about 1.6 miles. The Presidential Trail segment had a sign posted stating that the hike was strenuous with 250 steps. Oh, by the way, the Presidential Trail is all boardwalk and the Nature Trail is all concrete or stone.
Offsetting our disappointment was the new trail taking us to the Sculptor’s Studio. There, we learned more about the history and workings of the project.
We left Mount Rushmore to visit Custer State Park. We did not take the direct route but instead chose to drive the scenic Needles Highway. I think the scenery was only visible going the opposite direction because we didn’t see much except for pine trees. Susan’s quote of the day (shown below) related to this drive.
Custer State Park was a different story. The drive through the park is known as Wildlife Loop and we learned why. Of course, the first wildlife we saw was the ubiquitous prairie dog. Nothing special there. Shortly thereafter, we stopped at Heddy Draw, a short hike to a viewing area of the parks hills covered with grasses, trees, and rocks. The landscape of the park is beautiful.
Note that a lot of the park was burned in recent years. That's a regular theme in western parks. They have learned that burning brings natural diversity to the landscape. Instead of putting fires out, they now try to manage them. Otherwise, underbrush grows so thick that future fires become even worse.
The concrete path to the Heddy Draw viewing area did pique our interest. It had a large – and fresh – pile of bison manure on it. They were here. We soon found them down the valley. A herd of a couple hundred bison roamed the fields close to road, allowing for some great photographs. The calves were frolicking and no human being got gored.
Almost immediately after leaving the bison, we crossed paths with a small herd of maybe 8 feral burros. I say we crossed paths but it was evident that this was a strategic decision by the burros. They stood in the middle of the road as people fed them carrots and rubbed their ears. They were in no hurry to allow the humans in cars to get away.
I rolled down my window to get a clear picture of one burro when another came running up to get his head inside my car. I just got the window up in time to see this.
We saw a lonely antelope as we neared the exit and decided to take off on a side road to locate others. The road was dirt and, while hard-packed, was really dusty. The trip was to no avail, though, as no other wildlife was seen. The next dirt road had several cars along it and even more turning. I figured something was up and decided to follow them. I did spy a small herd of antelopes that everyone bypassed. A few miles later we saw why the traffic was there – yet another, even bigger – herd of bison. They were on both sides of the road and I was careful to give them the right-of-way. We stopped at the visitor center on the way out and learned that the park map was updated with locations of bison. That explained the traffic.
We took another scenic road to Keystone for lunch. The Iron Mountain Road was one of the most scenic roads I’ve ever been on. It included vistas, views of Mount Rushmore – even through one-lane tunnels – and one scenic overlook (Norbeck) at 5,400+ ft elevation. There were even 2 bridges called the Pigtail Bridges because they each made at last a 270 degree turn.
After a quick lunch at Ruby House in Keystone, we headed toward Deadwood. My lunch was Bison Stew. It was good but there was so little meat it might as well been jackalope. The drive to Deadwood was scenic as it went through the heart of the Black Hills. A couple of beautiful lakes were along the route.
Before entering Deadwood, we made a quick detour to Lead (pronounced leed) to see the Homestake Mine. It was a gold mine whose pit is nearly 1 mile across and ½ mile deep. And that is just the visible part. It has 370 miles of mine tunnels below it. The gold take from this mine amounted to 41 million ounces. Amazing.
We finally arrived at our last stop for the day – Deadwood, SD and yet another Hampton Inn. Deadwood is known for 2 things. It is historic, being the place where Wild Bill Hickock was killed and the subject of a Showtime multi-year series of which I was a devotee. It also is loaded with casinos. We walked through town this evening and building after building was some sort of gambling business or bar or tourist trap. We ate in a casino restaurant, Mavericks at the Gold Dust Casino. We each had a barbecue plate. It didn’t meet the standards of NC barbecue. Deadwood is a town I would not revisit.
Susan’s quote of the day: “This road should be called needles because of all the pine needles” The Needles Highway was named for rock formations that look like needles pointing to the sky. We never saw those rocks so we needed justification for the name.
The highlights - Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and Iron Mountain Highway.
The regrets - None.
Today's total miles - 151
Today's miles from start to destination - 0
Today's miles on side trips - 151
Today's miles driven by Paul - 151
Today's miles driven by Susan - 0
Today's hours in car - 4 1/2
Total Miles Hiked - 2.2
Cumulative total miles - 1,822
Cumulative miles from start to destination - 1,598
Cumulative miles on side trips - 224
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 1,702
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 120
Cumulative hours in car - 30
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 3.2
Cumulative miles on side trips - 224
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 1,702
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 120
Cumulative hours in car - 30
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 3.2
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