We started off the day with horseback riding at the Rafter J Ranch (thanks again to the Grimes for recommending this campground...it is great!). Emma, Rachel and I went...they didn't have enough horses for Shawn to go so he stayed back. Rachel didn't want to wear a helmet because it would mess up her hair. However, I kept having visions of Christopher Reeve, so I made her wear it. It was a nice way to see part of the National Forrest and we enjoyed it. After horseback riding, we headed to Mt. Rushmore. It was very impressive. We took the walking [View Full Entry]

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Well, I finally got my computer and can now update you guys. Tommy & I made it through 10 states (including VA). So, it was VA, WV, KY, IN, IL, MO, IA, NE, SD, & WY. We went to the Badlands National Park and to Mt. Rushmore in SD. We stopped along the way to see Crazy Horse, went to the towns of Custer and Keystone (both SD). We also did a train ride in Keystone with an old engine. We stayed in Omaha, NE our first night at horrible motel. But, when we got to Rapid City, we stayed in [View Full Entry]

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We drove to Pierre, SD via Wall. We stopped at WallDrug for breakfast and to look around. We all enjoyed seeing Wall Drug and arrived at Pierre app 2PM and setup shop. Grandma & Grandpa Moyer drove up to see the kids ad we spent the four days there fishing and enjoying seeig each other. Misti and I managed a morning of prairdog hunting and Adam even got a motorcycle ride. [View Full Entry]

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We left Devils Tower and drove to the Black Hills of SD. We tayed at the beautiful Rafter J ranch. We went to Mt. Rushmore, Custer National Park, Wind Cave National Park and drove the Needles Highway. For the kids we went to Reptil garden and rode the 1880's train from Hill City to Keystone. [View Full Entry]

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Whilst heading into the Black Hills of Dakota, we decided to visit Mount Rushmore, The Crazy Horse Memorial, Bedrock and Four Mile Town. Black Hills National Forest The Black Hills area has a rich, diverse cultural heritage. Archaeological evidence suggests the earliest known use of the area occurred about 10,000 years ago. Later Native Americans, such as the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Lakota, came to the Black Hills to seek visions and to purify themselves. The Black Hills was also a sanctuary where tribes at war could meet in peace. [View Full Entry]

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Today we headed to the Badlands. But first we called into the world famous "Wall Drug". It had to be done! After reading so much about the place and seeing the numerous sign posts for it along the way. We weren't disappointed. Skim got to indulge in a bit of retail therapy for a change. And I got to sit with a couple of long drinks, before taking some fun photos.... (Ted Hustead was a Nebraska native who moved to Wall and opened a tiny drug store in 1931. Five years later, it was still a tiny drug store. Dorothy, [View Full Entry]

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To make these postings more coherent and less spastic I am breaking them up into several different topics... That said, this last week was spent in Custer SD, (15 minutes or so from Mt Rushmore) enjoying a wide variety of experience and adventure- not the least of which was the wonderful people we met. Having never been much of a social butterfly I expected this trip to be defined by its solitude and asceticism- embracing the simple life, living off of the radar so to speak, spending little, and seeing much. Not unlike every other plan I ever tried to make, [View Full Entry]

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Some photos I took of the very beautiful Custer State Park. Located south of Mount Rushmore and home to Lake Sylvan, Cathedral Spires and the Needle's Eye. [View Full Entry]

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Just north of Sturgis, SD is a beautiful drive through Custer National Forest (different from Custer National Park). The white rock just comes out of nowhere in the green rolling hills of northwest South Dakota. Here are a few photos I took on a recent drive to Rapid City. [View Full Entry]

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Today I went to Mt Rushmore in the morning, which was a very cool experience. I have never been there, so I figure I need to go at some point in my life. I walked around there for a little while, and decided to start getting on the road. Mt Rushmore was cool, but I think what happened next just tops off the whole experience. I was just going to leave, when I saw a sign for Custer State Park. I thought what the heck, since I had some extra time before I had to be in Dalton this evening. Right [View Full Entry]

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