Day 5: Black Hills Magic

In which we visit Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer, and more!

The first night in the cabin was lovely despite the bed being quite a bit smaller than advertised. We woke up at 7am local time, which felt like sleeping in. We hadn't yet adjusted to the time change. 

We had a bit of a lazy morning, and I spent some time chatting with Sandy from the wraparound porch.

Eventually, Mike and I headed out in search of coffee. (Fun fact: there are no Dunkin Donuts in South Dakota!) 

I found a place called Lil's Coffee in nearby Lead. We hadn't gone in this direction yet, and we enjoyed the views along the way.

Lil's turned out to be a little shed with a barista inside. This seems to be a common thing out west. 

Adorable.

Faced with an overwhelming number of options, I asked the girl inside for her recommendation. She said she starts every day with a pistachio latte, so that's what I ordered. It was delicious! We also got a pair of breakfast burritos to prevent starting the day on empty stomachs. 

Lil's is located next to the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center. This site was once the home of a massive open-pit gold mine (still visible out the back). It has since been turned into the deepest underground research lab in the US. While we didn't explore the lab, it was still cool to learn about it over breakfast.

As we were wrapping up, a man pulled over to ask us for directions to historic Deadwood. While I was pretty sure I was pointing him in the right direction, I did warn him that we're from New Jersey and don't know the area. I did not tell him that I'm not allowed to navigate. 

Godspeed, buddy. 

Soon we were heading for our first stop of the day: Mount Rushmore. The GPS took us down Route 385, which was quite scenic. There were ponderosa pines and aspens everywhere. My heart was happy.

There were also bighorn sheep crossing signs everywhere, and I hoped to see one so badly! No such luck. 

Soon we passed Pactola Reservoir which offered stunning vistas.

Soon after, the pavement ended. We ended up following a pilot car while a water truck sprayed the road in front of us. Then we hit unexpected traffic. This left us scratching our heads until we realized they were doing rock blasting. 

I was amused by a bulldozer driver who was doing a demo for the kids in the car behind us. I want a bulldozer demo!

See the tiny man near the top of this photo?

As we came closer to Mount Rushmore, we started to see signs for helicopter tours. They were surprisingly cheap! I wasn't sure how I felt about that...

I was feeling brave that morning and probably could have been convinced to go on a helicopter ride. We decided not to because we had Bonnie with us. If we died, nobody would know she was in the car, and that was too awful to think about. (Do you like my logic?)

As we watched one of the tourist choppers get whipped sideways through Custer later that day, I concluded that it was probably best we'd stayed grounded. 

These tunnels were also prevalent in the area.

Soon we arrived at Rushmore. I was hoping the parking decks would be open so we could park underground in the shade. Fortunately... or unfortunately, there weren't many people there on a random Tuesday, so only the regular lots were open. We found a parking spot quickly, but there was no shade. 

Pets are not allowed at Mount Rushmore except in designated areas, so Bonnie had to stay in the car. She was totally fine in there, and there were plenty of other pets in the vehicles around us, but I am a helicopter parent and fret the entire time. 

Our visit to Mount Rushmore took 45 minutes total. While it was cool to see, there's not much to it. It was fun to find the NJ flag on the Presidential Trail. We had a great view of the sculpture from Grand View Terrace, but if you've seen a picture, you've seen all there is to see. 

We did visit the sculptor exhibit downstairs, which was really neat. 

I also stopped at the gift shop, where I picked up wildflower seeds for Sandy, a stuffed prairie dog for Hannah, and a children's book for Taylor. 

We decided to skip the overpriced ice cream on site and headed back to the car, where Bonnie was napping contentedly.

Shame and disgrace indeed.

Having checked Mount Rushmore off the bucket list, we moved on with our day. I thought about hiking the Blackberry Trail with Bonnie, but we had no luck finding the trailhead. She did get to see the profile view of Rushmore, which she obviously cared very deeply about. 

The lesser known view of George Washington.

Bonnie with Mount Rushmore in the background.

We continued down the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and soon passed Horse Thief Lake. Here we saw signs that we were in mountain goat territory. We kept our eyes peeled, but no luck there either. 

Bonnie enjoyed a short walk at the lake. She was really getting into the rhythm of our travel days and seemed to be able to sense when we were taking her out of the car for a jaunt versus when she had to sit tight while we did dumb human things.

The next "dumb human thing" on our list was Crazy Horse Memorial. This site has been under construction since 1948, when blasting of Thunderhead Mountain began. More than 75 years later, it is still a work in progress. Since it is funded entirely by private donations and admissions, it's looking unlikely that it will be finished in our lifetimes. 

Admission to Crazy Horse was pretty steep. I think this was the most expensive thing we ended up doing on the trip.

We declined the $5 bus tour since we were carefully budgeting our time. There is also a seasonal bus tour for $125 per person that takes visitors right up to the face, but it was no available the day we went. 

I was surprised to learn that we were at 6000' above sea level! 

While I knew the sculpture was a work in progress, I found it somewhat underwhelming. A peek from the parking lot was enough.

The museum, on the other hand, was amazing! I could have spent the entire day browsing the exhibits. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but there was so much incredible art and history.  

Current status.

The goal.

My favorite name was Kills Pretty Enemy.

Look. It's me driving Booger.

The pottery was just incredible.

This one reminded me of Lucy.

This is Bruno.

I mean no disrespect when I say this guy is adorable.

This was painted on velvet. 

Talk about matchy-matchy tack!

The gift shop was pricey but beautiful. I would have bought some pottery if I thought it would survive the trip home. 

Mike and I were both hungry and agreed to try the restaurant on site. We perused the menu while we waited to be seated. The tantanka stew sounded amazing. Unfortunately, we never got to try it. 

We waited for about 20 minutes in a mostly empty restaurant and were never seated. I'm sure they were short-staffed on a Tuesday, and there were no hard feelings on our end, but we agreed we would prefer to see more sights than waste a long time on lunch. We threw in the towel and headed back to the truck.

Our next stop, and the main event for the day, was Custer State Park. 

There were three scenic byways through the park that we were interested in: Needles Highway, Wildlife Loop, and Iron Mountain Road. They were 14, 18, and 17 miles respectively, with many stops along the way. I knew we might not get to all of them. 

We started with the Needles Highway, which immediately greeted us with crazy turns and more tunnels.

Hood Tunnel.

At the top of the first rise, we came to the Sunday Gulch trailhead. There was nobody at this end, so we stopped to check it out.

The Sunday Gulch Trail is four miles of rugged hiking that includes iron handrails and rock scrambles. We weren't looking for anything that serious, but we walked a short way to get a preview. It was absolutely incredible! The views were unlike anything we have on the East Coast and the trail literally glittered with pyrite. 

Looking out over the Black Hills.

A very happy hiker pup.

There were rock climbers on many of these formations.

We're not in Jersey anymore...

Mike for scale.

This landscape felt like another planet to me.

Aforementioned climbers.

Having glimpsed a preview of magical things to come, Mike and I gladly paid the park entry fee a short while later. The pass was good for one week, and I found myself wishing we had that much time to explore. While I loved cramming so much into a short period of time, there were many attractions that warranted closer investigation. 

I really just need a billionaire uncle I've never heard of to develop a soft spot for me just in time for my 40th birthday...

...or a higher-paying job. 

The Needles Highway wound through the granite heart of Custer State Park. Towering stone spires pierced the sky, while the road curled around cliffs and squeezed through impossibly tight spaces. Around every bend was a view that made us pull over and take another picture. 

We kept repeating the same refrain: "Wow."

How is this real life?

Soon we came upon the Needles Eye Tunnel, which is only eight feet wide, and less than ten feet high. That was a pretty epic part of the drive!

We drove through the tunnel and came face to face with... a bus!!!

Obviously, these buses are made with this tunnel in mind and are exactly the right size to fit, but it was impressive to watch nonetheless.

That's a tight squeeze!

Looking out at the Black Elk Wilderness. 

Our next stop, and my planned hike for the day, was Cathedral Spires. According to my research on AllTrails, this should have been a relatively easy 1.6 mile hike with must-see views. Perfect!

Well... the views were definitely incredible. 

However, the hike was harder than advertised. After one particularly steep scramble, I got a pep talk from some strangers. I think they lied to me though because the trail did not level out after that! 

It was definitely worth it, but we got about three quarters of the way through and decided that was enough for us. Between the heat, the elevation, and our empty stomachs, we were not looking to perform any Herculean feats that day.

Meanwhile, Bonnie was having the time of her life and enjoyed drinking from a clear, cold stream that crossed the trail about halfway up. 

I was enjoying the various plants and rocks, and noticed a minty smell that permeated the air. 

Started out easy enough.

Bonnie leads the way.

As we continued down the Needles Highway, we got to see some wildlife. We saw an elk grazing in a field next to the road. Mike and I have seen elk at Trexler and we have them in parts of Pennsylvania so this wasn't as exciting as seeing a mountain goat would have been. Still, it was neat to see an elk in the wild.

We also saw some bison, but we were getting used to them by then.

With much of the Needles Highway behind us, it was time to navigate to our next stop. 

I had looked up the highest point in South Dakota, Black Elk Peak. Unfortunately for us, the only way up to the summit is a seven-mile difficult hike straight up the side of the mountain. While I would have loved to do this and was intrigued by the fire tower at the top, Mike and I agreed it was not worth giving up an entire day of our trip. (And also, I'm not sure any of us were fit enough to do it.)

Instead, I searched, "What is the closest you can get to Black Elk Peak by car?" That's how I found the Mount Coolidge Lookout Tower. We updated the GPS and made our way towards the tower. 

This is where I nearly had a heart attack. The road up to the tower is narrow and extremely winding. It is also unpaved with sheer drops, hairpin turns, and no guardrails. I spent the entire drive up hyperventilating while Mike rolled his eyes from the driver's seat. 

It was absolutely worth it to see the 360 degree view from the top. We could see Black Elk Peak and all the way to Mount Rushmore in one direction, and all the way back to the Badlands in the other.

We also spotted another car with New Jersey plates. We were going to make it weird and say hi, but they didn't seem friendly. That tracks. 

Quaint.

A glimpse of the road up, but you can't tell how utterly terrifying it is.

Looking back up at the tower from the other side.

On the descent, I kept myself occupied by determinedly updating the notes in my journal and not looking out the car window. It helped that Mike's side of the truck was now along the sheer drop, while mine hugged the mountainside.

Around 5pm, we reached the Wildlife Loop. 

I thought we had gotten used to bison, but it turns out being in the midst of giant herds with babies brought the magic back around. They seemed completely indifferent to the vehicles passing through and we spent a lot of time just watching them be themselves. The calves were absolutely adorable and the sheer size of some of the adults was awe-inspiring. 

Bonnie, who had been mostly ignoring the passing scenery, was quite intrigued by the bison and sat alertly in the back seat with her gaze locked outside. I rolled down her window so she could smell them too. 

D'aww!

Apparently it was group naptime. 

In addition to the bison, we saw more prairie dogs. They also had babies, which were extra tiny and adorable!

Along French Creek we saw pronghorn, which were fun to observe but hard to photograph.

We also spotted black-billed magpies. We don't have these at home and we instantly loved them!

Despite spending an hour on the Wildlife Loop, we did not see bighorn sheep, mountain goats, or the friendly burros!

The dramatic change in the landscape left my head spinning. How is this a stone's throw away from the granite spires we'd just been exploring? South Dakota is wild.

The magpies were really cool.

I love the way Mike captured the wings in this photo.

Red-headed woodpecker.

Pronghorn blending in with its surroundings.

We passed the buffalo roundup area on the edge of Custer. This is when I learned that they take open applications for the annual roundup. I can just imagine our shenanigang signing up for this...

As we left the park, Mike and I unanimously agreed we were HUNGRY. 

While he drove us towards the cabin, I scoured the map for a place to eat. I landed on the Lazy R Bar, which had a hole-in-the-wall appearance. However, the parking lot was overflowing with tractor trailers and farm trucks, which I took as a good sign. Can't go wrong with a place ranchers and truckers love! 

This was one of my favorite meals of our trip. We sat up at the bar where the owner came out and introduced himself. I asked him for his recommendations and ordered exactly what he advised. 

I started with the soup of the day, a rice and burger recipe. We couldn't resist more cheese curds. For my entree, I got the BBQ ribs. 

These were hands down the best ribs I've ever had in my life. The bones literally slid out of the meat, which was so tender and juicy that my mouth actually watered. There was so much meat. South Dakotans really know how to fatten up their livestock.

Even though I wanted to lick my plate clean, I made sure to set aside a little bit of everything for Miss Bonnie. I packed her a literal doggie bag and she savored every bite. (What do you mean I spoil my dog?)

Unfortunately, our day was slightly ruined by my crazy barn owner. On Monday, Eryca reported back that the BO had left for North Carolina at last. 

Apparently, she waited three days to pick a fight with me over the fact that the horses had been out on the grass while it was raining. She sent me a photo of them grazing (under blue skies by the way) and said, "So much for not putting them out when it's wet. Keep them off the grass. I am done. Don't bother with the boys [dogs]. They are being taken care of." 

After fuming and cursing, I texted back, "I would be happy to move my horses somewhere else if you would like. I am traveling and don't know what you want me to do. You don't want me throwing the expensive hay and the round bale is not enough to sustain them. Grain is expensive and it's not good for them to eat a bunch of grain without forage. The whole point of resting and rotating the pastures is to keep the grass sustaining them to save you money."

She left me alone after that, but I had a feeling a shitstorm was coming. I took some deep breaths and tried to compartmentalize. I was over a thousand miles from home. There was nothing I could do about it. Still, Mike and I started talking about moving the horses when we got home. 

This thread would continue throughout our trip. Now, on the other side of losing the girls, I am even more furious that having this crazy bitch in my life put a damper on our vacation.

After that conversation died down, Mike and I stopped at Packhorse for more supplies, including iced coffee for the following morning. 

We arrived at the cabin around 8pm, with plenty of daylight to spare. Bonnie was visibly delighted to be back at a familiar place and played a rousing game of fetch with some pine cones.

That night, while we wound down for bed, Mike and I flipped through the travel books I had purchased before our trip. That's when we realized just how much ground we had covered in only two days. We had knocked a lot of places off our checklist. 

Now we had to decide where we would explore the next day. But more on that later...

Main Street in town.

Lounging after a busy day.