Touring the Black Hills

Another early morning for us resulted in sweeping view of the Black Hills.

We started the day with a wildlife drive through Custer State Park. If yesterday was the day to see ALL the bighorn sheep, then today was the day of the Pronghorn. Along with lots of pronghorn, we happened upon a small herd of Bison lounging in the shade of the trees and the small herd of burros that were released into the park years ago when their pack-carrying days were complete.

Next we decided to take one of the scenic drives north from Custer towards Mt Rushmore. The drive is called Needles highway and while gorgeous, it also has vehicle restrictions. The max width of a vehicle allowed is 8 feet. The truck is 96 inches wide at the bed and the mirrors stick out a bit more. They fold though…. The map they gave us says that of the three tunnels we need to go through, the narrowest one (Needle’s Eye) is 96 inches wide. Yes, I was anxious for most of the drive in anticipation of getting stuck. And although he doesn’t show it I know Chris was nervous too.

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This was the kid’s and my first visit to Mt Rushmore. I am definitely feeling more like we are “in season” with both this park and the Badlands NP, people were EVERYWHERE! Aleah had the opportunity to complete another Junior Ranger badge and quickly knocked out all of the activities. She is becoming quite the JR pro.

We ended the day with a fun, drive-through zoo called Bear Country USA. It is home to the largest private collection of Black Bears in the world. We really enjoyed seeing all their animals, but especially enjoyed watching the bears roaming around together and swimming in the water.

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It is no surprise that we got back to the camper late, relaxed in the AC and went to bed early. We were tired!