July 7, 2012 -- Mount Rushmore, Evans Plunge, Custer State Park Wildlife Loop and Needles Highway

We started our day by visiting the big guys on Mount Rushmore, electing to photograph the sculpture from outside the Visitors Center compound. Going inside the gates doesn't get you close to the mountain without a mile-long, Ranger-guided foot tour which didn't sound like a lot of fun. So here's a photo:



The road from the Visitors Center gates then leads around the backside of the mountain, where this even more impressive view awaits:



Confession and Disclaimer: These photos are totally nicked from the Interwebs, because ours came out terrible. But we really were there. (If you own these photos, please do not sue us; we are not seeking any profit from their use except the satisfaction of making our families and friends smile.)

From Rushmore, we rushed to Evans Plunge, a mineral bath in Hot Springs, SD. There are no pictures since we were submerged in water most of the time, but the place is really really cool. Evans Plunge is an indoor water park of sorts, built on top of a mineral spring (not really a hot spring, as it's only a little over 80 degrees F). There's a huge swimming pool with river rocks on the bottom, slides, ropes, and a giant alligator for climbing on. (We stuck to the dog-paddle lane with the old folks.)

Refreshed from our dip in the spring, we proceeded to Custer State Park to see what we could see.



Truth in advertising:



To get this last pic, Scott held the camera up and said, "Peekaboo!" Mr. Deer was happy to oblige us with a smile. Sweet.

But the best was yet to come, because we drove over a grassy hill, and there they were:



Tatanka!

Suddenly, they were everywhere. Buffalo, on the hillsides, in the road. There were all ages, sizes and colors (okay, all shades of brown, but anyway). We were so close that we could hear them nomming on the grass by the roadside. The little ones were curious about the cars on the road, but the adults completely ignored us, which was 110% A-OK. Here are some shots we got from inside the truck:



Now, you would think that after all that ungulate-related excitement, that would be enough for two tired tourists. But no, we just had to go and tackle one last thing: Needles Highway, which is named from the tall, skinny rocks which protrude from the mountain. These culminate in the very impressive "Needle's Eye" formation:



(Our first vertical panorama. When we buy a more expensive camera, maybe you won't be able to tell that it took 6 exposures to photograph the whole thing, but until then, bear with us.)

We were also called upon to "thread the needle" a couple of times, by driving through progressively narrower tunnels along the highway. The smallest of these was 8 feet 4 inches wide, maybe. But with a little grease on the sides of the truck, we got through no problem.





Oddly enough, Frodo, Sam, and Gandalf were nowhere to be found.