A quick trip to see Ross and Kaysha before he was deployed and then a vacation around Custer, SD. After arriving we picked up our rental….a sweet bright red Toyota 4x4 that was almost brand new and drove to Custer to our little log cabin. The cabin was cute, well equipped and in a great location to explore the area.
Before meeting up the next day we toured the outside display of aircraft at the USAF base. Then we drove over to see Ross and Kaysha, got a tour of their home and improvements. Driving later into Rapid City for dinner together. Good to see them and to give Ross a big hug before he leaves.
During our stay we did the Custer Wildlife Loop several times in search of bison and other critters. We did two crazy drives, one called Needles Highway and the other was Iron Mountain Road. They both had very narrow one way tunnels….both beautiful drives! We made a couple trips up to Sylvan Lake, enjoying a hike. Center lake was also the perfect spot for a picnic lunch. During our stay we saw bison, deer, prong horned sheep, coyote, marmot, thousands of prairie dogs and some cute bunnies at our cabin.
One of our favorites was a return trip to the Crazy Horse Monument to see the progress made since our last trip. The work continues and we did notice progress made in the hand of Crazy Horse. It is a really impressive
We didn’t go to Mount Rushmore but did enjoy the monument several times from a distance. Surprisingly we found one of the narrow tunnels offered a breathtaking view when you emerged….a pretty good engineering feat.
On our last trip to explore the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop we hit the “Bison Bonanza”! Bison everywhere and right next to or on the road. The first big group we spotted were the bulls. They reminded me of big lawnmowers as the moved along munching on the prairie grass and occasionally finding an object to rub on to satisfy their itch! Massive heads and horns make them easy to spot.
Next we located the massive herds of bison cows with their calves. The carmel colored calves were cute and very playful, but never wandering too far from Mom. The warm sun made for an enticing afternoon nap spot in the lush fields of South Dakota. A couple brave young calves even stood in the roadway blocking traffic as if to say this is my home….you go away!
Evidently no trip to South Dakota is exempt from a hailstorm and we got one. Luckily the hail was all pea size and did not harm our rent vehicle. The ground was covered with hail, almost looking like we had been hit with a snowstorm.
Our trip ended with a trip back to Rapud City and a flight to Denver then onto Austin and a drive home.
