9-11-17 Black Hills, Grasslands and Badlands (SD)

Badlands National Park, SD

We left North Dakota and made a long trip directly south, along two lane farm roads through prairie, farm and ranch land, to the western side of South Dakota.  We headed first to the Black Hills, and then to The Big Badlands of SD.  It was a beautiful drive and both destinations turned out to be fabulous places to visit, and we loved it all! 

Buffalo Herd, Custer State Park, SD

We set up camp at Custer’s Gulch RV Park in the middle of the Black Hills, in Custer SD, right outside the west entrance to Custer State Park.  This is one of the best state parks we have ever visited… certainly at the size and content level of a national park.  It has a lot to offer, and we tried to enjoy it all during the 10 days we visited the Black Hills. We still have more to see and do and hike…. Next time. 

State Game Lodge, Custer State Park

Custer State Park has two units, the south with rolling hills and prairie and lots of wildlife:  herds of bison, the ubiquitous prairie dog towns, turkeys, pronghorn sheep, and of course deer – both mule and white tail.   It turns out that the Black Hills is the intersection of eastern and western species for many forms of plants and animals…. You can find both in the same place.    The park also features several small lakes and 4 historic lodges, all very different.  The State Game Lodge, the oldest and most majestic, served as the summer Whitehouse for 2 presidents:  Eisenhower (1953) and Coolidge (1927).   

Bison Male Contest, Custer State Park

 

"Wild" Feral Burro Sniffing Bob's Hand for Food??

Mt. Rushmore through Iron Mountain Tunnel

The north part of the park is dramatically different with towering spires.  The Iron Man Highway is directly south of Mt Rushmore, and was laid out to take advantage of the proximity; two tunnels focus on the faces of the presidents as your drive through the tunnels!  The Needles Highway, which winds through the granite pinnacles and spires, is breath taking; with the added pleasure of seeing mountain goats traverse the vertical cliffs.  More tunnels, most too short and narrow for even a small RV.  The Needles Eye Tunnel even required some larger pickup trucks to pull in their mirrors! 

Mountain Goats, Custer State Park

Sylvan Lake Granite Pinnacles

Sylvan Lake was our favorite hike (to be honest, more of a walk); the small lake was formed by damming a small opening in a series of granite pinnacles that formed an almost solid cliff wall…it was quite spectacular to see.   

Mt Rushmore National Monument

Mt. Rushmore National Monument is just north of the state park.  Several people had told us they were disappointed in the Monument, so we were not sure what to expect.  We were pleasantly surprised…and really enjoyed our visit.  The challenge of designing and then executing the design were incredible (1927-1941). In fact, the head of Jefferson was originally supposed to be to the left of Washington, but half way through the chiseling, the rock was too unstable so Jefferson was moved to the other side of Washington.  We visited late in the day and had “dinner” and some uniquely delicious ice cream (Thomas Jefferson’s personal original recipe) at the Monument Café so we would be there to attend the evening lighting program. 

Mt Rushmore Lit at Night

The evening program started with a movie about the best of America, including an inspiring summary of the battle for Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, with all three verses of the Star Spangled Banner recited by the ranger.  The program ended with the entire crowd singing “God Bless America” with the lighting of the monument as the last word was sung.  All veterans in the audience were honored on stage. The evening lighting program was awe inspiring and definitely added much to our Mt Rushmore experience. We recommend adding the evening program to your visit. 

Washington Profile at Mt. Rushmore

With all the current “discussion” about confederate memorials, and the apparent effort to destroy and/or rewrite some of our history, a visit to Mt. Rushmore would help put all our history into perspective. All presidents are “only men” (or women), and subject to personal failings, and certainly each was a product of their times.  Yes, the early presidents were slave holders, but most wealthy men at that time were.   When you go through the exhibits and the movies, you understand clearly the reasons that each of the four presidents were chosen:   Washington was the founder of our country and risked death to start the union, Jefferson really expanded the country, Lincoln saved the union, and Theodore Roosevelt conserved the best of our nation.  We think the choices were excellent (of course no one after 1920 could be considered since they were not yet presidents).   It is unfortunate that too few of our fellow Americans no longer understand or respect history, and the lessons they tell.   

Devils Tower National Monumnet

Linda is a science fiction fan, so we had to go see Devils Tower, WY (of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind fame).  It is an igneous monolith (granite-like rock but without any quartz), with spectacular columns rising straight up from the plains.  You can see it from miles away.  We hiked the Tower Trail, which circles the tower.  It is a favorite for rock climbers, since the columns provide great cracks and crevices for free ascents.   

Total Solar Eclipse, 3 Flares,  Lusk, WY

During our visit to the Black Hills, we had the opportunity to drive only 100 miles southwest to be in the totality area for the Solar Eclipse.  Based on the forecast for cloud cover, we drove southwest rather than the closer directly south, to Lusk WY (normal population 1567, eclipse population – thousands more).  We left Custer at 4 am because we were unsure how many people would be trying to drive the very limited roads into the target areas.  We arrived before dawn, parked amongst other eclipse seekers, and beat the breakfast crowd for a nice breakfast (the restaurant had a line out the door and around the building when we left). After breakfast we took a nap in the car and woke up to a fun eclipse “party”.  

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Diamond Ring Effect, Total Solar Eclipse, Lusk, WY

he eclipse started at 10:30 am and was at totality about 11:46 for about 2 minutes.  Linda got some good pictures with both cameras.  Several very serious eclipse hunters were near us, and they indicated that the corona looks different each time.  The hallmark for this eclipse was 3 flares…which we got pictures of.  We even got a picture of the hard to get, “Diamond Ring” effect as the eclipse starts and ends.  Once the total eclipse was over, we headed home.  We only had to wait an hour to get through the town of Lusk (only 10 blocks long) and across a two-lane bridge, but once through town, the traffic moved quickly.  We later heard that the people headed south to Colorado took 12 hours to get back home in the northern part of CO (Ft Collins for example); it seemed like half of Colorado and South Dakota was in Wyoming!  The Totality experience was definitely worth the pre-dawn departure and drive. 

Deadwood, SD

We also visited Deadwood SD, the town of Western legends, in the northern part of the Black Hills.  The graves of Wild Bill Hitchcock and Calamity Jane are in the cemetery, along with stories of visits from other western legends (such as Bat Masterson).  The historic buildings are great, and the walking tour gave a great overview of life there during the “wild west days”.  There was an antique car show the day we were there, and the beginning of a 4 day music festival. We left before the festival really geared up…. too many people for us.  

Antique Car Show at Historic Train Station, Deadwood

Nearby, the town of Lead was the site of one of the largest and most profitable gold mines ever – the Homestead Mine, a huge open pit with many miles of deep tunnels. The mine is shutdown, but now hosts the Sanford Underground Research Facility.  The laboratory uses the previously deserted gold mine tunnels, at almost 5000 feet below the surface, to run physics experiments shielded from all types of cosmic “rays” and “noise”.  At this location, they proved the existence of neutrinos (black matter).  The technology was way over our heads, but after going through the visitor center, we understood “a little” about it.  The one compelling fact, the matter we see is only about 20% of the universe, with black matter (which we cannot see) is about 80% of the universe.  Physics has come a long way since either Bob or Linda took it in college over 40 years ago.   

Boxwork Formation, Wind Cave National Park, SD

Just outside the granite of the Black Hills, to the south and west, the sedimentary limestone is riddled with caverns.  We visited two of them.  Wind Cave in the Wind Cave National Park is the third largest cavern in the US, and one of the longest and most complex caves in the world.  It has over 174 miles explored, but based on airflow, it is estimated that only 10% of the cave has been explored. There is only one small opening to the extensive caverns, which can cause extreme air flow both in and out depending on the barometric difference between the air in the cave and outside (which is why it is called Wind Cave).  The highlight of Wind Cave is a calcite formation called Boxwork, a unique formation rarely found elsewhere.  We took a guided tour with normal cave lighting, and then experienced the cave as early explorers, climbing over rocks and up and down steep cave inclines, using only a candle lantern.   

Bob and Linda, Caving, Wind Cave National Monument

Calcite Formations, Jewel Cave NM

Our second cavern experience was Jewel Cave National Monument.  Similar to the complexity of Wind Cave, Jewel Cave is even longer with over 190 miles explored, and a lot more to be found.  The Scenic Tour highlighted the unusual chambers and passages almost completely covered with calcite crystals (thus the name Jewel Cave)….  Something we had not seen before so extensively.  Because of the size of the cave, and the single entrance, this cave also experiences winds due to barometric pressure differences in the cave and the air outside.  The caves are different enough to warrant a visit to both if you have the opportunity to visit them.  



 

 

 

Big Gap National Grasslands, SD

The grasslands and topography of the rolling hills derived from the limestone surrounding Wind and Jewel Caves is especially beautiful, particularly in sharp contrast to the adjacent rugged granite outcrops in Custer State Park. 

Mammoth Bones, The Mammoth Site, SD

South of Wind Cave, we visited “The Mammoth Site” (a National Natural Landmark Site) in Hot Springs SD.  This privately owned paleontological site (discovered during a building construction in 1974) contains the remains of fauna and flora preserved by entrapment in a karst sinkhole during the Pleistocene era. The sinkhole had steep sides, and after the animals went into the sinkhole for a drink of water, they were unable to get out, were trapped in the bottom, died and were buried quickly. Preservation of the bones (not fossilized) was excellent.   It is an active paleontological dig site, which boasts the largest concentration of mammoth remains in the world.  They have already recovered 61 mammoths and have only dug down 22 feet, with another 43 feet to go!   During the month of July they dig out the fossils (you can sign up as a volunteer); it takes the rest of the year, to process, sort and preserve the fossils recovered during that one month.  The Mammoth Site is comparable to The La Brea Tar Pits in LA, where similar ice age animals were entrapped in the tar pits.  

 

Incredible Palette, Badlands National Park, SD

 

Bighorn Sheep, Badlands National Park

We left the Black Hills of SD and headed two hours east through Rapid City to “The Big Badlands” of the Badlands National Park, SD  As you drive east on the plains, you suddenly drive down a “wall” into steep canyons and towering spires.  These Badlands contains dramatic landscapes, along with bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn sheep, and prairie dogs on the extensive prairie surrounding the canyons and cliffs.  

Bob Climbing "The Ladder", Badlands

We enjoyed hiking through several canyons, and loved the hike to the Notch, a cut in the spires overlooking the prairie below, including climbing the steep ladder to get up a vertical cliff.  The vistas and canyon layers and colors are incredible…pictures cannot even begin to capture the majesty.  



Linda at Badlands NP Vista

Last year we enjoyed visiting the Badlands in the Plains of Alberta Canada east of Calgary with the intense thunder and lightning storms.  A few weeks ago we spent several days in the beautiful badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.  Now we understand well why these South Dakota Badlands are truly “The Big Badlands”, as they are really awesome to experience.  

Only Bar in Interior SD

The town of Interior SD, 3 miles from our NP campground and population 67, bills itself as the oldest town in the badlands and where Jim Thorpe played in its fields, where Lawrence Welk played his early music, and the land that bred great Indian chiefs and mighty warriors.  Of course, Bob verified that the Wagon Wheel Bar and Grill has very cold long-neck bottle beer (no taps here).  The bartender, a Columbian, came to Interior to learn English.  He said “I had to learn English – no Spanish spoken here”.  

Minuteman II Missile in Silo

A surprising “hidden” aspect of the area was the proximity and extensiveness of the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) sites.   The SD Air and Space Museum missile silo tour at Ellsworth Air Force Base outside Rapid City and the Minuteman II Historic Sites near the Badlands NP provided insight into the development and management of the Minuteman II ICBM program starting in the 1950 and 60s.  Over 1000 Minuteman II missile silos were spread out in the prairies and grasslands of the Great Plains; that number is now down to about 400 more powerful Minuteman III missiles.    

Minuteman II Missile Launch Control

The Minuteman Visitor Center included an excellent history of the Cold War, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the effectiveness of these weapons as a deterrent to nuclear war.  According to the information provided, North Korea already has 10 nuclear weapons, (and that was dated information), but maybe not small enough to fit into missile, YET.  We had the opportunity to tour a Minuteman II missile in its 80-foot deep silo, and the above and underground Missile Command and Launch Center (each center controlled 10 missiles).  

Antelope Herd, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands

Another unexpected treat was to drive through and experience the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands located in the vicinity of the Badlands NP.  We toured the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall SD; it is the only visitor center for all the 20 National Grasslands, mostly in the Great Plains. We now better understand what the homesteading “Sodbusters” had to deal with and why not many survived the Dust Bowl winds. The desert “farms” were purchased by the government after they failed, and revegetated into grasslands.   Originally administered by the US Soil Conservation Service from 1938 to 1953, and now managed by the US Forest Service.  The US Forest Service is trying to consolidate their patchwork of land holdings, to develop whole ecosystems. Currently, less than 2% of the original grasslands still remain in the US.  The grasslands are managed as multi-use properties, similar to BLM land; the grasslands support cattle grazing and oil and gas wells, but under strict conditions that support the preservation of the ecosystem.  These beautiful grasslands are often overlooked and not celebrated, but they are an important component in the Great Plains ecosystem and economy.   

Wall Drug, Wall, SD

Of course, we had to stroll through the infamous tourist mecca Wall Drug, also located in Wall SD; so named for its location on the western rim of the northern erosive wall of “The Big Badlands” topography.      

The SD weather and people have been super and we have really enjoyed out time here.  We could easily visit the Black Hills again; of course, avoiding the cold winter months.  From our wonderful South Dakota visit, we are headed south through Nebraska and west, to the eastern slope of Colorado.  Here we will spend some time visiting friends in the Boulder/Denver area, and Rocky Mountain National Park, and then down to Colorado Springs.   

We remain thankful and blessed to be able to continue our travels and exploration of this wonderful country.  It is hard to believe we are drawing close to finishing our 3 year adventure.   

Feel free to pass the blog link on to anyone who might be interested.  

Best to all,

Linda and Bob