Go West Old Man – The Black Hills, SD Again – 2012

Thanks to some communication issues, the RV  repairs couldn’t happen for another day so we headed off to the Black Hills – so named because they look black from a distance due to the Ponderosa Pine trees on them.  We went from Rapid City to Keystone, 337 residents per 2010 census,

then on to Mt Rushmore (a first for me)  - since dogs were not permitted, we just looked and took photos from the road.

As we headed down the mountain on the other side this guy (Mountain Goat) was just standing beside the road posing for a picture but went a few rocks higher when Coco went bananas after spying him.

We then headed into Custer State Park for a drive along the Needles Hwy to see some unique rock formations.  The western pine beetle is having the same impact here as it's southern version is having in our area.  There are also some pretty lakes in the hills.

The above formation looks like a head looking out over the mountains. 

We also went thru some very small tunnels – I was glad we were in the little hybrid.

Of couse, time must be made for a potty break.

Between the Needles Hwy and Custer City we saw a bison lying back in the tree line, like the cattle do at home – click on the shot and look hard.

Then a couple of miles later, this guy was just grazing beside the road.

We had lunch at the Sage Creek Grille in Custer, SD, where Bev had  the “7oz Buffalo Burger” and I had “Grilled 6oz Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon”, both with their famous triple roasted potatoes.

Kind of unusual to bury the main item under a mixed green salad.  While both the burger and the salmon were overcooked for our taste, they were still pretty good.  My salad had a dressing I loved and the potatoes were as good as advertised, but we were really disappointed in the service. 

After lunch we drove by the Crazy Horse monument but didn’t want to pay the $20/head to go in and get a closer shot.  The last shot is from the internet showing the ultimate goal - what an untaking, I doubt I'll see it completed.

For some really super pictures of the area (with more animals), please visit the White’s blog – they are friends of ours from home and were in the area three weeks ahead of us.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry 

9/5/12 event date