Black Hills Custer State Park
July 14, 2021
Drove to Sheridan, Wyoming today
On the road views from Interstate 90 in Montana.
A beautiful day, we certainly have been very lucky with the weather we have had on this trip.
The fuel filter indicator light said it was time to change out both fuel filters. So Jim looked at videos on how to change the filters and was ready to do them himself. We arrived in Sheridan and stopped by the Ram Dealer to see if they had the filters. Amazingly they not only had the filters, they had a mechanic who could change them out right now. So we had some complimentary popcorn, watched the Property Brothers and in 40 minutes we were driving away with new fuel filters installed. Now that was way easier than we had anticipated. Much easier than getting a second key for the truck - that took a trip to 3 dealers before we got a key. Yeah for simplicity!
July 15, 2021
Today we drove to Custer Mountain Cabins & Campground in Custer, South Dakota.
To be honest, a good deal of the ride looked like this.
So when we returned to the land of trees, it was a welcome sight.
While driving thru Jewel Cave National Monument a herd of big horn sheep crossed the road in front of us.
And there were still even more on the hillside grazing still.
Over 30 big horn sheep!
We are very pleased with our nice sized shaded spot only a mile and a half away form Custer State Park. Shortly after this photo I put up a hammock as well.
We drove down the road to get park information and then took a short walk around Legion Lake.
Jim on the trail at Legion Lake.
"Legion Lake was originally built by the American Legion in 1933. Custer State Park purchased it in 1937, and eventually added cabins to create what is known today as the Legion Lake Resort."
Reflection of the rock wall at Legion Lake.
"With excellent views of the lake and rock outcroppings, this centrally located trail makes for a great escape into the woods."
And finally, this Canadian Goose does a head stand to get the tasty tidbits under the surface.
It was quite amusing in person, almost looked like a penguin waddling on the water.
Today we headed to Center Lake.
The Lost Trails: a hike around Center Lake
"The Lost trails are a series of old trails that had been lost and forgotten for many years. Much of their history and routes are unknown but it is believed that they were constructed in the 1930's by the CCC."
Random rock formation on the shore of Center Lake
Water coming over the spillway at Center Lake
Sweet view from the overlook.
You can see how the Ponderosa Pines look dark, giving the Black Hills their name.
Us at the overlook, resting after climbing the steep hill to get here.
Showy Milkweed along the trail.
After our hike, we had a picnic lunch and then kayaked on Center Lake.
Here is the kayak drying in the sun before we deflate and pack it up.
3.2 mile hike and 1.6 mile kayak puts us in the hammocks for some chill time.
July 17, 2021
This morning, I awoke to the sound of a hot air balloon.
It was flying over the campground.
They even landed at the campground.
Today we went to Sylvan Lake to hike the Sunday Gulch Trail.
Sylvan Lake
A little water seeping out of Sylvan Lake.
Rock climbers love the rocks in this area.
View from Sunday Gulch Trail.
The rock formation are called Needles here.
This trail has a lot of rock scrambling in it, this is the trail.
"Following Sunday Gulch through towering trees, huge boulders, and along a gurgling creek, it is easy to see why this is like no other place in the Black Hills."
Another little waterfall
At the end of the trail the ascent back up was tiring even if it was full of fun rock scrambling that came with handrails on the steep parts.
See what I mean by steep?
Happy to have conquered Sunday Gulch Trail.
On to the scenic Needles Highway. There is a back up at the one lane Needles Tunnel.
The Needles Eye, no need to rename it, it really looks like the eye of a needle.
The Needles Tunnel is 8 feet wide and 9 feet 8 inches high,
come drive thru it with us.
View of the Black Hills from The Needles.
Granite
It is an igneous rock, forming underground from magma (liquid rock). As it pushed upward millions of years ago, the molten rock cooled very slowly. At times, this cooling process yields large crystals which tend to be minerals within one of these three. families: feldspar, mica, and quartz.
We tailgated along the Needles Highway for lunch.
A second tunnel, Iron Creek it is still one lane at 8'9" wide and 10'10' high.
Jim drove us thru, no problem.
The hot air balloon this morning was part of Gold Discovery Days in Custer. This afternoon I went to check out the Classic Car Show,
the art and craft show (we don't have conceal and carry purses at our local fairs)
Jim spied the Zipper ride at the carnival.
Gold Discovery Days at its finest.
Rise and shine to try and see some balloons fly over.
Alarm went off at 6:00 am and I thought, eh, and then I heard one. . .
I went outside and saw 11 balloons this morning! Thanks Gold Discovery Days in Custer.
Later this morning (after church and then after watching the end of the Tour de France) we headed off to the wildlife loop and stopped by this overlook on highway 87.
Next stop, the Wildlife Loop.
At first we went miles on the Wildlife Loop without seeing any animals, but these rocks looked nice. Then we saw some burros in the distance, too far to photograph effectively.
We stopped by the Wildlife Loop Visitor Center and saw this elegant elk head and were told that 2 bison herds were just up the road.
Bingo, the first herd was sighted shortly down the road.
Then further up the loop an even larger herd was making its way across the street.
A couple of calves with their moms.
A mighty bison chilling in the grass.
After lunch we drove the Iron Mountain Highway a winding scenic route.
"Experience the road that engineers once said couldn't be built."
Some Black Hills Scenery along the way.
A second set of tunnels to drive thru the granite hills.
This tunnel was designed to frame Mount Rushmore, and it does.
Along the road the view of Mt Rushmore gets even better.
And after a curve or two, you can see a profile of George Washington.
We had another great day.
July19, 2021
Today we headed off early to Wind Cave National Park
The office opens at 8:00 am, we were there waited 45 minutes in line and were able to get tickets for the Fairgrounds Tour at 10:20 am. Wind Cave only sells tickets the day of the tour in person, I am not sure why, so we waited for our tour time by reading in the shade. You can see others are still in line to buy their tickets at the Visitor Center in the background.
Here is our tour guide Ranger Missy at the elevator that takes us down 200 feet underground. to start our tour.
It is a dry cave with fairly large open spaces on our route.
We were designated as the caboose couple to make sure no one got left behind.
This is Boxwork, and 95% of the world's boxwork is in this cave.
"Boxwork is found in small amounts in other caves, but perhaps in no other cave in the world is boxwork so well-formed and abundant as in Wind Cave. Boxwork is made of thin blades of calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings, forming a honeycomb pattern. The fins intersect one another at various angles, forming "boxes" on all cave surfaces. Boxwork is largely confined to dolomite layers in the middle and lower levels of Wind Cave."
We are fortunate to have lights along the way to highlight the cave's features.
Not all spaces are large, Jim had to maneuver a little in some passageways.
Popcorn Frostwork
"Delicate needle-like growths of calcite or a related mineral, aragonite, are called frostwork. In places the frostwork may grow on top of cave popcorn or boxwork. The origin of frostwork is controversial. In Wind Cave, it seems to concentrate in passages with above average airflow where, it is thought, evaporation plays a role in its formation."
Wind Cave was impressive, stop by if you are in the area.
insert video
On the ride thru Wind Cave we came upon this solo bison walking along the road.
We went down the road and came upon this whole herd. It is time for the annual bison rut - the time of year when "bellows fill the air and incredible displays of nature can be seen while bulls establish their dominance by fighting for the right to mate with cows."
It was quite amusing. We tried to video it but the wind was louder than the bellowing on the video.
Next we drove up Mt Coolidge to check out the view.
Black Hills from all the Ponderosa Pines. You could also see Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse off in the distance. It was a little too hazy to see the Badlands today.
July 20, 2021
Today is a kayak day!
We were able to get ourselves a a great spot in the day use area on Stockade Lake. A grassy area complete with picnic table, a fire ring, trees for shade and huge grassy area.
It is a good sized lake surrounded by rock formations and pines.
Jim inflating our kayak. We launched right here from the picnic area.
After our first paddle around the lake (2.6 miles) we read in the hammocks.
There is a small beach area on the lake that in the morning only had ducks and geese using it.
After a rest we took another paddle this time only 1.5 miles.
It was a great day out on the water. I enjoyed this lake more from the water than from the shore.
July 21, 2021
Tomorrow we travel so today is a rest day and chore day.
Tomorrow is also Jim's birthday so we had a nice late lunch at the Blue Bell Lodge here in Custer State Park.
Rose and the elk mounted above the fireplace mantel.
Jim had the Crow Peak Pile-O-Dirt Porter while I had a hard cider.
We split a bison bacon cheese burger with onion rings
as well as a Bison Brisket Sandwich with coleslaw.
After lunch we stopped by the Gordon Stockade.
"George A. Custer and his expedition entered the Black Hills in 1874. The government ordered his group to map the region and locate a future site for a military post. An underlying goal was to confirm the presence of gold."
"Spurred by rumors of gold, many prospector groups attempted to enter the Black Hills in the 1870s. Without regard to the Fort Laramie Treaty, they planned to enter the region and exploit the untapped wealth."
"A group of 28 people headed west from Sioux City, lowa, and eluded the cavalry across the Dakota Territory. Following the wagon trail of the Custer Expedition, they made a permanent camp in this area in December 1874. Named after its leader, John Gordon, their structure became known as the Gordon Stockade."
They made a nice stockade but did not make a fortune in gold.
"Due to cold weather and sparse findings, six party members deserted the stockade in March 1875. Captured by the cavalry, they were forced to disclose the stockade's location.
Captain John Mix and the Second Cavalry Company discovered the stockade on April 5, 1875."
We enjoyed the Black Hills of South Dakota, plenty of people here on the weekend, but not crowded during the week. Onward to the Badlands tomorrow.
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