Black Hills and Badlands

Hi! We've been out of cell/internet range for the past few days and are finally able to make a post. On Wednesday, the 16th, we hiked into Slough Creek in Yellowstone...I will let Nick update you on that when he has a free moment. My only words for that hike were flies and mosquitoes...enough said!

We left Yellowstone at about 3:00 p.m. to start our drive for the Black Hills. The drive took us through the Bear Tooth Mountains and the Big Horn Mountains. It was steep, curvy, tough driving for Nick, but it was amazingly beautiful! Nick drove until he couldn't stand it and we slept for a few hours in the Gillette, WY Wal-Mart parking lot. We were up and about at 7:00 and on the road.

First stop was the United States' first national monument, Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Devil's Tower rises 1267 feet above the Belle Fourche River. You can read more about this amazing formation by clicking on this link. As we drove through the park we saw tons of prairie dogs. It was fun watching them scamper around and listen to their "barks." We also saw two badgers.

Next stop was Jewel Cave. I had been looking forward to this stop since our trip began. We chose to do the lantern tour which involved a half mile, 105-minute tour of Jewel Cave's calcite-coated passageways while carrying old-style oil lanterns. The tour didn't disappoint and we were once again amazed! Read more about Jewel Cave.

Our busy day continued as we checked into our campground, Mount Rushmore KOA, which is located 5 miles from the Presidential Monument. As we pulled into to the resort, I told Nick I felt like I was at the Ritz Carlton of RV parks! The park boasted 500 sites and 55 Kamping Kabins, two pools and spas, a water slide, American Indian dancers, miniature golf, hayrides, a restaurant, and even car rentals! After setting up camp and taking a nice shower we grabbed a bite to eat at the resort’s restaurant and headed to Mount Rushmore. The monument was amazing, but the sun was setting in all the wrong places, which made picture taking difficult. We hiked the mile-or-so Presidential Trail admiring the artistic masterpiece and decided to come back in the morning for better photos. After a campfire and a few s’mores we were exhausted and ready for bed!

Heavy rain woke us up this morning, and it was challenging to pack up a wet camper. We were on the road by 7:30 once again headed for Mount Rushmore. After a few miles of driving the skies cleared. We had a nice breakfast overlooking the monument in the Buffalo Dining Room. We took a few pictures and were on the road again headed for the Badlands.

Last night we debated the slight detour to Badlands National Park, and finally decided to make the stop. Wow! We were sure glad that we did! Amazing, crazy stuff! God’s magnificent creations once again leave us speechless!

As our trip comes to a close, I wish I had more words to describe all of the phenomenal sights that we were privileged to view on this trip. The pictures are good, but can’t even come close to defining the 360 degree first-hand views.

Now for the drive home...only 1300 more miles and we'll be back in good-old Atlanta!