August 12…. Before I write anymore, let me correct two things… first, Cabela's did not originate in Rapid City, SD. they started in Nebraska in 1961 and second, the motorcycle gang from Seattle that had the altercation with the Hell's Angels in Sturgis was not the "Iron Pipes" but the "Iron Pigs."
Agenda for today was Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park and Crazy Horse Memorial. We left at 9:00 a.m. with Joan doing the chauffeuring. Mt. Rushmore was very impressive. We went into the museum and saw a film about the four presidents that are carved into the granite…Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. The drive to Custer State Park was a very pretty drive, the tunnels that were carved into the rock were narrow and some of the vehicles we saw going through would make you shudder… We did the wildlife loop and saw:
Burros, which are not native to the Black Hills. They are descendants from the herd that once hauled visitors to the top of Harney Peak. The rides were discontinued years ago and the burros were released into the park. They are very friendly and I thought Ralph was going to be kissed by one!
Pronghorns, which we first thought were antelope. They were lying down and we were not able to get photos.
Buffalo, which are really North American Bison. The herd we saw we estimated to be approximately 200 head. They can grow to 6 feet tall and weigh more than 2000 lbs. It is estimated that the total number in the Custer State Park's herd is 1500.
After Custer State Park we drove into the town of Custer and had lunch at the Dairy Queen. Jim and Jan, we did see the Mangy Moose somewhere along the way! Left over Sturgis Bikers are everywhere. Next on to the Crazy Horse Memorial which we viewed from the highway before arriving back at Hart Ranch. Estimated Driving Distance in the car 98 miles
August 13…We drove around Rapid City and visited Cabela's…they had a wonderful display of animals… big record setting animals. Ralph enjoyed looking at their display and he also enjoyed the Jeff Foxworthy Beef Jerky that he bought there. I bought both of the National Treasure movies in Rapid City and plan on watching them tomorrow. The second one was filmed in and around Rapid City and Mt. Rushmore.
August 14… Today we drove from Rapid City to Buffalo, WY. This is just a stop over until we cross the mountains into Cody. We're at Deer Park Campground on Highway 16 and the only wild life we've seen are turkeys. They had lunch with us and we found that they like shrimp tails. For those of you who know who Mark was (our oldest, deceased son), today is his birthday and he would have been 45. Driving Distance 222 miles
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