July 9, 2012 -- Rapid City, SD to Devils Tower, WY

Devils Tower (which you may remember from the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) is every bit as captivating as you might expect. We arrived in the late afternoon and took some nice shots of the tower from far and near:



After a night in the Devils Tower National Park, we took some more photos and were stunned at the difference in the feel of the place. Here are two photos taken about 12 hours apart, from the same spot in front of our campsite (fabulous view, yes? and for twelve bucks!):

July 8, 2012 -- No. Activity. Whatsoever.

Why? See July 7.

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.

July 6, 2012 -- Crazy Horse

Our first view of Crazy Horse. Even from a distance, the carving of the great man's face is impressive.

One of the most fascinating things about Crazy Horse is that it is a work in progress. Also that it is not going to be just a face on a surface of the mountain, but a sculpture from the entire mountain. It's hard to imagine the scale of it without being there. In this photo, Scott is standing two-thirds of a mile from the monument:



Here is a photo of the mountain with the outline of the planned sculpture:



On the grounds at the Visitors Center, there are several models of the finished sculpture, so that the suspense won't kill you while they work:



... annnd, here's one with the big guy in the background.

This project has been going on for decades, requested by Standing Bear and a council of Native American elders, to represent all Native American tribes and their achievements. It started with one man, Korczak Ziolkowski, his wife and 10 children, who have continued the work after he passed away. It has many, many years to go, but we hope to see the finished product. :-)

This video tells the story of the monument in Korczak's own words (which, we note, are delivered in a very charming Boston accent).

July 5, 2012 -- Badlands National Park to Rapid City, SD

Before leaving our beautiful campsite in the Badlands, we took one last, long look out the door of our camper:

July 4, 2012 -- Badlands* National Park

Words cannot express. Just look:


The night was gorgeous and QUIET. (No fireworks allowed in the park, because of dry conditions and fire danger.) We sat out late, watching first the sunset, then the stars.

*"Badlands" is the name given to the area in the days before things like paved roads and mass transport of drinking water. While it's understandable to keep the name for historical purposes, we just want to point out that if the area were being named today, it would more likely earn the name The Fabulous Lands.

July 4, 2012 -- Akaska, SD to Badlands National Park (with a little help from Santa)

Our overnight stop in Akaska showed us just how much South Dakotans love their rockets' red glare for Independence Day. It was only July 3rd, but you would never have known it: there was a parade, a barbecue, and LOTS of fireworks, from dark until about 11:00 p.m. Not just firecrackers either ... we're talking real, jump-out-of-your-skin explosives.

In spite of the noise we did end up having a good night's sleep, which prepared us for our first RV tire change. Yep, we wore a hole right through the tread of one of our trailer tires. Figuring that driving on the tire into a place called The Badlands would be pushing our luck just a little too much for comfort, we dragged out the lug wrench and pulled the cover off the spare. Tire pressure? Check. Lug wrench the right size? Check. Jack operational? Check! It was easier than we thought, although Theresa did struggle for a couple minutes lifting the spare onto the lug nuts.

Enter Santa Claus.


No, really!

Okay, not exactly this guy, but he looked pretty much just like this, and when we thanked him for his kindness, he said, “Santa Claus got to be good for something.” The guy never told us his actual name. In the time we talked with him we did learn that he is a retired farmer from Iowa and spends his summers in South Dakota; also that he is going to play Santa Claus in next year's July 4th parade. He will be perfect. Thanks, Santa!