Advertisement
Published: August 19th 2016
BJ from Golden Circle Tours picked us up at 8 a.m. and for the next 10.5 hours we were escorted to several wonders of Custer State Park and the Blackhills National Forest. On the way to our first stop & photo op, BJ pointed out Harney Peak, elevation 7,242 feet, the highest point between the Rocky Mountains & the Swiss Alps. Sylvan Lake was our stop before we got on Needles Highway to experience the narrow tunnels and hairpin turns. Needles Eye Tunnel is narrowest at 8'4" wide. BJ told stories of campers getting stuck in the tunnel & of others having to back out of the tunnel. The Doane Robinson Tunnel is widest at 14' & two vehicles can pass if they "suck it in!" Needles Eye and Cathedral Spires were two unique rock formations we saw as we made our way through Custer SP to the Wildlife Loop Road. Our wildlife sightings included: buffalo, pronghorn, prairie dogs, elk, white-tailed & mule deer, burros, & goats.
After lunch (which included buffalo stew) at State Game Lodge Dining Room we headed to Mt. Rushmore. Doane Robinson envisioned the memorial and thought it would put SD on the map. Finding the
correct site, the sculptor, the funds, and completing the work took from 1924-1941. The heads on Mt. Rushmore are about 60' tall. Washington's nose is 21' long & the rest 20'. Pralines & cream ice cream was a must before getting back on our tour trail. Our final stop was at the Crazy Horse Monument. In 1948 work began on the memorial and the family of the original sculptor continue the work today. The face is completed & the arm is in progress. As we left the display area we could choose a piece of rock from the blasting as a souvenir. These were not marble-sized rocks--but of course I had to pick one to carry home!
It was 6:30 when BJ delivered us back to Hill City. After reviving a bit with a drink on our deck we went into town to the Alpine Inn where they have 2 items on the menu every night--fillet or pasta primavera. We all had fillets--they were not buffalo!
What an awesome day! We are pretty sure we would not have covered that much territory if we were finding our own way.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 9; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0593s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Shirley
non-member comment
Do 'ya think you could drag one of those abandoned mining carts home..... Great "yard art?