Day 11: Dual Caves (South Dakota)

Today we woke up and found that it was gray outside and raining, so we decided it was a prime day for exploring caves, namely Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park. Before we started out for these parks, we got breakfast at a small joint in downtown Custer. Downtown is pretty cute, it's kind of a little tourist street, like in Newport, but with a western theme. After eating eggs and pancakes, we first drove to Jewel Cave, which was only 20 minutes away.

By this time, it was pouring rain, and when we got there, it seemed like many people had the same idea as us; all of the cave tours were booked until 3 PM. Other than cave tours, there wasn't much else to do at this Monument, so we decided to just take a look at the above-ground exhibits, then try to book it to Wind Cave and get in on a cave tour. Wind Cave National Park was established in 1903 by president Theodore Roosevelt.

We drove the 40 minutes to Wind Cave and were able to get on a 12:40 tour. The tour was about 20 people, and was 150 feet below the surface. We took an elevator which plunged us to this depth in about 8 seconds. At the bottom, I could hear an incessant high-pitched whining noise, which turned out to be the wind pouring down into the tunnel from above, due to the imbalance in air pressure! Wind Cave, I get it now!

The guide was really knowledgeable, and she took us through passageways and talked about boxwork, popcorn, frostwork, paleofill, etc. The temperature was a cool 53 degrees F, which I was appreciative of - I've been tired lately of the 90+ degree temperatures above ground. At one point during the tour, the guide turned off all of the lights, and lit only one sole candle. This was to give us an idea of what the first explorers used, and it was pretty amazing! Then she blew it out, and we were left in total darkness - I couldn't even see my hand an inch away from my face!

After the tour, we checked out the original hole by which the cave was first discovered over a century ago.

After leaving the park, we stopped at a local "Dakotamart" and picked up groceries for grilling later that afternoon. We got back to the campsite and I did laundry. Fun times. Then I started to prepare the meal; I wanted to use the campfire mostly to cook on because I've seen all kinds of cool recipes. I made jalapeno poppers, grilled peppers, grilled potatoes, corn on the cob, chicken, and mac and cheese.

It was pretty fun to cook - the corn and chicken I just wrapped in foil and buried it into the campfire.

Everything else I grilled, and I think it all came out pretty good!

The only thing that failed was the cake. I read a recipe for campfire cake, which involved pouring cake mix into a fruit rind (I only had a lemon), or a tin can. I tried both.

The can burnt to a crisp, but the lemon cake was pretty decent!

We spent one more night in the same campground. Tomorrow we may try to get some of our RV issues fixed and explore Custer State Park.

Random Fact of the Day: You think dandelion weeds are bad where you are?

Day 10: The Black Hills (South Dakota)

With so much to see here in the Black Hills of South Dakota, we fell a little behind on the blog...

We left Wall in the morning and drove West on I-90 toward Rapid City. The scenery changed quickly from flat prairie to the dark-colored jagged mountain rocks that are known as the Black Hills.

After taking a windy road with tunnels through the mountains we arrived early at our camp site. Later in the afternoon we disconnected the camper from the truck and set out to see some sights.

First, Crazy Horse. This is a monument that is being carved into a mountain to commemorate Crazy Horse, a famous Indian leader. It has been under construction since 1948 and is not even close to being finished. So far only the head is recognizable.

A very impressive visitor center has been built at the base of the monument, which among other things includes this model depicting how the monument will look when it is finally completed. (Sorry Ron, we didn't get to try the Bison Chile you recommended here since the timing didn't work out!)

Next, and very close by, Mount Rushmore.

We planned our visit so we could attend the evening lighting ceremony, a daily 9 PM ritual. Mount Rushmore was very impressive and the whole experience was very well done. We parked in a mountainside parking garage and then walked up a granite walkway containing flags of all the states toward a large ampitheater facing the memorial.

At 9 PM, the ceremony started with a video highlighting the significance of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt and why they were selected to be included in the monument. Washington represented the birth of the nation, Jefferson represented the expansion of the nation across the continent, Lincoln represented the preservation of the union, and Roosevelt represented industrial development and natural conservation.

At the end of the video, the entire audience sang the national anthem as the spotlights facing the monument were slowly turned on.

The park ranger than asked anyone who had served in the military to come forward and participate in the flag lowering ceremony. All in all, a very cool and patriotic experience.

With that, we called it a night and returned to our campground for the night. Tomorrow we'd be checking out some of the caves in the area.

View from the side as we drove home.

Random Fact of the Day: Thomas Jefferson came up with the first ice cream recipe in America and at Mount Rushmore there was an ice cream shop where you could buy Thomas Jefferson's vanilla ice cream. We tried it - pretty good!

Day 9: Badlands (South Dakota)

With our campsite located at the entrance to Badlands National Park, we didn't have far to go this morning. The main way to view the park is to drive the Badlands Park Loop, a winding road with several overlooks you can park at, each more dramatic than the last. You can also hike anywhere in the park. We thought about pitching a tent and leaving the camper parked but changed our mind because of the high temperatures in the upper 90s. We also met a bunch of Swedes from Malmo touring the park.

What's this, a high up view of a canyon below?

Nope!

 

Flat grassland as far as the eye can see on one side of the
road, what you see in the other pictures on other side.

"Yellow Mounds"

The Badlands were very impressive, although we wish we had timed it to see the sunset or rise, or even a night moon, all of which are supposedly very dramatic.

As we exited the Badlands, prairie dogs were everywhere.

 

From the Badlands National Park, we raced over to the Minuteman Missile National Monument, about 25 miles away. This is the first Cold War related National Monument and features one of the thousands of underground missile silos that were built to protect the U.S. in the event of a Soviet attack. If we had arrived earlier in the day, we could have toured the missile control room and underground silo, but unfortunately this late in the day only a self-guided tour of the surface was an option.

Looking down into the silo
through the window.

The facility was secret until the end of the Cold War - other than a chainlink fence visible from the Highway, there is nothing to suggest anything exists here.

Our final destination of the day: Wall, South Dakota, home of the world famous Wall Drug Store. The store is advertised along the highway for nearly a hundred miles in each direction. It began as a small drug store in the 1930s. Facing bankruptcy, the owners decided to offer travelers "free ice water." As a result their store became a huge success and is now known as the "Free Ice Water Store." Today it's the size of a city block, and includes a water park, chapel, restaurants, book store, pharmacy, Western wear store, souvenir shop, and much more. In addition to the famous free ice water fountains, the coffee is still only 5 cents.

Ending the day, we set up camp at an RV park within walking distance from the store. By the way, word of advice: if you're going to go "RVing" be prepared for something new to break each day. Today it was the hot water heater hose connection, along with minor flooding. Here's a list of new damage (not counting existing problems!) since we bought the camper:

• Bathroom vent fan
• Freezer cover
• Bathroom medicine cabinet latch
• Shower faucet
• Vent cover
• Bathroom towel hook
• Outside shower cover
• Window release knob
• Refrigerator propane connection
• Outside storage compartment lock
• License plate holder
• Blown tire
• Gray water sewage tank release switch
• Hot water hose connection
• Truck bumper dent
• Water leak in ceiling corner

By the time we get home it may just be the trailer with our bags taped to the frame!

Next we'll head for the South Dakota Black Hills, home to Mount Rushmore and many other attractions.

Random Fact of the Day: Many of the attractions we've encountered have teenagers from other countries working. Apparently there's some kind of "work and travel in the USA" program that lets them come to the U.S. for the summer, work for a couple months, and then travel before returning home.