Saturday morning we had a great breakfast and then we were on the road to the north side of Theodore Roosevelt Park. Skies were overcast, but no rain.
We did spot one buffalo not too long after we entered the drive,
but hit the mother lode of buffalo towards the end of the drive.
They were fairly close to the road.
We also saw some lovely wildflowers and a squadron of white pelicans (too far to get a good picture) and some other birds. Once again, some fabulous rock formations and vistas. We were back on the road by late morning heading to Deadwood, SD.
We drove for miles and miles with very little to see in the way of civilization. We saw huge expanses of land, pastures and fields of sweet yellow clover.
We also saw lots of cows and sheep, and one herd of domesticated buffalo. On our drive we did have a coyote cross right in front of us, but both he and our car were moving too fast for a picture. We also saw quite a few pronghorn antelopes in the fields. It was a good thing we left with a full tank of gas.
Once we got nearer to Deadwood, we started seeing more businesses, gas stations and restaurants. Deadwood was not quite what we expected. Home to the wild, wild west and the location of where Wild Bill Hickock was shot and killed, we expected old world charm.
Today, I think many of the buildings are the same, but once you walk inside you would think you were in Las Vegas. Everywhere you looked there were slot machines and gambling. Not exactly our cup of tea. We explored the town, went into some shops and saloons, then made our way back to our hotel. Right out front was a reenactment of a shootout.
Amazingly enough the shot man, got up and walked away! After a mediocre dinner, we were in our rooms early to get the heck out of Dodge the next morning early.
This morning we were on the road before 8 and had a wonderful breakfast at Wanda’s in Sturgis
before heading to Mount Rushmore. We were at Mount Rushmore before the big crowds made it in.
The skies were gray but dry when we arrived, but before we left, the sun was shining. It really did make a huge difference on our pictures.
We hiked the trails and went to the sculpture studio to see some behind the scenes things.
Then after a rest from all the stairs, we were on our way to Crazy Horse.
Crazy Horse is not finished, and from what I can see, won’t be for years to come.
This is the brainchild of Korczak Ziolkowski who began work on it in 1948. He passed away several years ago, but his children and grandchildren are continuing the work. The head is visible and they are working on the arm and hand, plus the horses head.
They had some wonderful displays helping you understand their work, plus highlighting Native Americans handiwork.
Then we headed into Custer for a late lunch and some shopping.
It poured down raining while we were eating, but cleared up as we finished. We picked up a few supplies before heading to our cabin at Custer State Park for the next two nights.
We have a bit of a slower pace tomorrow before we begin the long journey home. It has been an amazing adventure so far.