Oh Give Me a Home, Where the Buffalo Roam

Our final morning at Custer State Park meant breakfast over the fire. Beans, bacon, naan bread, and eggs; a great way to start to the day.  We packed up the "van" and headed through the park, making a stop at the Visitors Center before heading South.  It was perfect timing too because the Buffalo; hundreds of them roaming the state park.  Lola was intrigued and I was teary eye'd seeing them all living a life of freedom.  I can't even explain it.  Males, females, and the newly born grazing the wide open pastures.  It was seriously the perfect ending to our stay at the park.

As we drove to our next destination, Lake Mac in Nebraska, we made a quick run into the Wind Cave National Park to tour the Visitors Center for another Passport Stamp.  We stopped for lunch at the Dew Drop Inn Cafe, another roadside drive-in serving up hamburgers and fries and for an appetizer, we shared a peanut butter chocolate shake.  If you haven't figured it out yet, we love to support these kinds of places, they are few and far between but give us a feeling of nostalgia.

Let's talk about Lake McConaughy, located in the Southwest corner of Nebraska.  The lake is 21 miles in length and offers camping, fishing, boating, and amazing white sand beaches.  Being a holiday weekend, finding a spot to camp was going to be a challenge, but we managed to grab one that gave us easy access to the water and the beaches. Not to mention, we were just in time for the sunset; and it was beautiful.  Staying there was the end of our journey and I have to say, it was a great way to wrap up the weekend.

Thank you S. Dakota, you were something to be remembered!

Shona 

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History in the Black Hills

An early breakfast over the fire and we were off for another day of exploring the beautiful Black Hills of S. Dakota. We couldn't pass up stopping by Ken's Mineral Shop in Custer; filled with some of the coolest Native American carved arrowheads and stone blades I have ever seen, not to mention some pretty amazing skulls over 12K years old.  It def. puts things into perspective!

Next up, the infamous Deadwood.  Mainly filled with casino's so I have to be honest, I wasn't that impressed.  Actually, the best shop there was a place called Chubby's Chocolate.  I managed to score the #4 Black Bar made from the rare rediscovered Fortunato #4 from cacao beans of Peru and def worth the $11.99 it cost me!  The truffles were pretty good too!

After a quick lunch in White Lightening we made our way to Spearfish Canyon to hike to Devil's Bathtub, a moderate 1.1 mile out and back trail.  I am def glad I wore tennis shoes for this hike! It's a short but challenging trek as you climb up, cross rocky paths, and have to wade through some pretty fast water, as least 10x, but so worth finally making it to the "bathtub".  It's a great place to view the waterfall and even cool off, if you can handle the ice cold water!  You should go ahead and add this hike to your list.

Time to take in a little bit of history with a stop at the iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial.  Finished in 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum and his Lincoln, the 60-foot high granite hand-carved Presidential faces will leave you in awe.  I was so happy to finally see this place in person.  It doesn't take long, we were only there about 30 minutes, but it's worth the stop.  Plus, it was another stamp in my Passport Book.

Our drive back to Custer State Park meant taking in the views and squeezing through the rock tunnels of Needles Highway.  Fourteen miles of pine forests, birch and aspens, and towering granite rock formations that pierce the horizon.  Peter Norbeck, a former governor of S. Dakota mapped the entire trail by foot and horseback and the highway was completed in 1922.  Be sure to look for the Needle's Eye as you make your way.

We ended the day with pork chops and hamburgers over an open fire, taking in the fresh air of the Black Hills.

It was a good day!

Shona

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West on I-90 to South Dakota

White Lightening arrived just in time for our first journey; taking I90 West through S. Dakota where we decided to spend Fourth of July weekend seeing a few famous US landmarks, National, and State parks.  Our first stop was in Sioux City, IA at Stone State Park. We arrived late so it was basically a place to sleep before heading out early making the long trek across the state of S. Dakota.

As we made our way along I90, I found a small roadside drive-in called the Frosty King in Kimball.  On the menu, homemade blackberry cobbler, I'll take one please! It was a quick stop and next we needed to think about lunch.  We continued West and decided to take a break at 1880 Town, in Murdo.  Although we didn't do the tour, we did take advantage of the picnic tables so we could make some lunch; nothing better than a ham sandwich, pasta, chips and an ice cold beer on America's Birthday.

Our next stop was the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site; not only another stamp in our passport book, but a quick yet informative tour illustrating the history of the Cold War.  Back in the van and onto The Badlands! One word - incredible.  This place is nothing like I have seen before.  Layered rock formation, towering spires, steep canyons, and views for days leave you feeling in awe and very small.  Just shy of 243,000 acres, you can spend hours here taking in the scenery and wildlife. Be sure to take the Badlands Loop Road and make a stop at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center.  Another passport stamp for us!

Our final destination for the day was Custer State Park, where we reserved a site at Center Lake Campground.  There are many campsites to choose from but since we hadn't reserved in advance, this was the only place that allowed same-day reservations and we managed to book the last spot! Upon entrance into the park, we were greeted with a lone Buffalo walking the highway.  We had had such a good day but then he appeared, and his presence gave us the perfect ending. 

Until tomorrow✌
Shona

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