Blogs from South Dakota, United States, North America - page 51

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 tour, which gave us lots of different views of the monument. It also included the sculptor's workshop, with a presentation from a ranger about how the work was completed. Emma voluntered to demonstrate how they ... read more

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. ... read more

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. (Sky-piercing granite peaks and forested mountains dominate the skyline of western South Dakota. America's oldest mountains rose above the surrounding flatlands 60 million years ago, at about the time the dinosaurs disappeared. Even after eons of erosion their granite peaks still soar as high... read more

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, this changed within hours of our arrival in Custer. Initially the plan looked like this- Arrive in Custer on Friday , stay the weekend at French Creek Campground/RV park then move on to a primitive ... read more

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. ... read more