Still being on Central Time, we were able to get out of bed and get going earlier than usual today. Our plan was to go early to Custer State Park and view the wildlife there, but sometimes the journey is as good as the destination.
That would be the case today. We ended up on Iron Man Road on our way to the park. It took you right past Mount Rushmore for some great views of that. It twists and turns through the Black Hills as you climb higher and higher. Now, in my mind I've always thought of the Black Hills as rolling hills - Friends, the Black Hills are mountains! Beautiful mountains! The pine trees and the granite rock that cover them are stunning. As we drove this road, we came to a small, one way tunnel. We drove through and Dan pulled off into a little pull out right after it. "What are we doing?" I asked, wondering why we were stopping so soon. "Go look through the tunnel," he said. I don't know how he knew it was going to do this because there were no signs, but when we walked back and looked through the tunnel it perfectly framed Mount Rushmore in the distance. It literally made you squeal with excitement. I know I can't describe it accurately here, and I have no idea how they made it happen, but if you ever go this way, stop and see it! We had fun standing there watching other people walk in and see it for the first time and hear their delight. While the grandparents were taking pictures, we hiked up the rocks to the top of the tunnel and enjoyed another spectacular view of Mount Rushmore. The kids started picking up the crystals, mica, and the other rocks native to the Black Hills. We could hardly get them back down the mountain because of all the interesting rocks they were finding. I'm sure Dan's worry about the weight in the van is going to be heightened by the gathering of rocks!
As we continued the drive to the park, there were several other tunnels, each situated perfectly to frame Mount Rushmore. After much stopping at overlooks and rock climbing, we finally made it to Custer State Park. The park itself, even without the wildlife is beautiful. The terrain changes every few miles from hills to plains, to rocks, We saw a herd of buffalo, antelope, prairie dogs, deer, and wild donkeys in the park. The donkeys were my favorite as they are very used to visitors and would come right into your car window looking for snacks. The buffalo herd was hanging out very close to the road and we were able to get great pictures. My dad and Dan's mom got out for a closer look A little too close as we were hopeful they didn't anger the large buffalo! We ended the drive with a picnic lunch and souvenir shopping. (Shopping is the kids' favorite part of every day, I think.)
The next thing on the agenda was to take Needles Highway out of the park and back towards town. If you are ever in the Black Hills, do NOT miss this!!! I don't think I can even begin to describe how amazing it is. You drive up into the top of the mountains to these crazy, amazing rock formations, and then your drive right through them. The roads are a little scary as they are very narrow and right on the side of the mountains. Then you go through tunnels so small that I thought our mirrors might get knocked off. Of course, there are cars going both ways on these roads. The rock spires at the top of the mountain are something like I've never seen before. After we finished this section of road, I wanted to turn right around and do it again. Not only are the rock formations incredible, you are so high up that the vistas out over the mountain range are incredible!
We finished up Needles Highway at Sylvan Lake, which is a beautiful mountain lake high up in the mountains. We climbed the huge rocks here out over the lake . The boys especially enjoyed the rock climbing. The rocks up here are granite, pegmatite, and metamorphic rocks. Totally different than what we have in Arkansas. They give you a much better grip, so the boys looked like little professional rock climbers as they scaled the rocks and jumped from rock to rock. Dan and I did our best to keep up with them and make sure no one fell in the lake.
We finished the day off with the night show at Mount Rushmore. I know I keep saying, not to miss things, but this is a definite not miss!! You sit in a huge amphitheater below Mount Rushmore. The weather was absolutely perfect tonight, and the sky was clear with so many stars. The show began with a park ranger telling a story about her grandfather who was in World War 2. She then expressed her gratefulness to the Veterans who have made our free country possible. After she walked off the stage, they uncovered a huge screen and showed a video on the history of Mount Rushmore. We all learned some very interesting facts that we didn't know. Not only did the video show how it was built, it also highlighted all four presidents and their accomplishments that helped make our nation great. It ended with lighting up the memorial, "America the Beautiful," and then having everyone sing "The Star Spangled Banner." At least we thought that was the end. After everyone sang, a park ranger came out and called for all the veterans to come down to the stage. It was a long walk down, but dad was able to make it. I couldn't believe how full the stage was! You couldn't help crying as you saw men and women from wars back as far as World War 2 make their way to, and then almost fill the whole stage. They lowered the flag and honored each one with a round of applause, a standing ovation,, and a reminder of how we wouldn't be able live in this great nation without the sacrifice of each one. The whole evening was a great reminder that no matter how unhappy you are with things in our country, we truly do live in the greatest nation on earth and we have so much to be thankful for!
After the show, we drove up the mountain to find a dark spot to view the sky. You were supposed to be able to see the Northern Lights from South Dakota tonight if it was dark enough. We thought that would have been a truly amazing way to end the day, but the beautiful full moon was too bright and we finally had to give up and go home.
The kids pretty much just fell into bed when we got back to the hotel.
Tomorrow will be a whole new adventure!
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