Day 13 - 15 - Mount Rushmore Area

It was a long drive today, 19 miles, we moved from the KOA in Rapid City to Heartland RV Park in Hermosa, SD. Whitney and John will be joining us for the last part of our stay here, but first we spent a late afternoon and early evening exploring Custer State Park and the wildlife loop. A beautiful drive around the southern part of the park with varying topography of grasslands, rocky cliffs and lush forests; we didn't see much until close to the end where we came across a herd of buffalo enjoying themselves in a meadow. We were close enough, but not too close, that we could hear the males making a rumbling "singing" sound as they tried to win over the females. Most times unsuccessfully! It was interesting to watch the males first drive the calves from the cows and separate the females. After a rather rambunctious encounter, the little girls sitting on top of the car in front of us asked Daddy,

what are they doing, Dad's response, What? I didn't see a anything!! FYI, Pat was able to capture the shenanigans, but being a G-rated blog, I will not be including them with the other photos. On the way back to camp we came across a herd of big horn sheep at the side of the road licking the salt from the gravel. The herd walked right past Pat as he was taking pictures next to the Jeep. Very beautiful creatures.

We picked Whitney and John up at the airport on Saturday, dropped their luggage at the rig, had a quick lunch and started exploring Mount Rushmore area. Sen. Peter Norbeck, SD, was a sponsor of Mount Rushmore as well as instrumental in the development of Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road to showcase the beauty of the mountains and valleys of the Black Hills. Iron Mountain Road takes you from Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore, the road was specifically designed with a tremendous number of curves, including switchbacks, in order to limit the speed of travelers to 35 miles per hour. As you twist and turn on the 17-mile drive, you encounter breathtaking views, but also architectural features including wooden structures, called pigtail bridges, and one lane tunnels. These tunnels frame Mt. Rushmore National

Memorial like a picture frame and are a spectacular site. It took us about 2 hours to drive the 17 miles with all the stops to view the landscape and tunnels. Iron Mountain Road Facts: 17 miles, 314 curves, 14 switchback, 3 pigtails, 3 tunnels and 4 Presidents.

After completing the Iron Mountain Road, we passed Mount Rushmore with the intention of returning at dusk to see it lite up. Next, we headed to Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake. We walked the 1 ½ mile loop around Sylvan Lake, supposedly an easy walk per AllTrails, they forgot to mention you need to hike around a waterfall, up rocky paths and steep grades, but we prevailed. Onto Needles Highway, this 14-mile scenic drive highlights the slender granite rock formations, forests, mountains and meadows. We even saw rock climbers, daunting to watch as they scaled the high rock formations. This again is a winding road that you drive slow to catch the views as well as stay on the road with all the sharp curves. There are three one-lane tunnels on the road, very narrow and a wonder to see them carved through the mountain.

Both of these drives were spectacular, and we would highly recommend if you are ever in the area. Our time here was a few days before the start of Sturgis motorcycle event, the road was lined with bikers enjoying the ride on a beautiful sunny day. After spending the day driving and seeing Mount Rushmore from the road, with storms moving in, we skipped the night tour and went back to the rig. We enjoyed a nice shrimp and fish dinner on the Blackstone Griddle.
Stats: drive 19 miles
Weather: Sunny, hot, high 90's with thunderstorms in the evening. Cool night, mid 60's.
Pictures: Custer State Park Buffalo, Whitney & John in the tunnel with 4 Pres behind them, pigtail bridge, Sylvan Lake, views from the drives.