Onward to the Black Hills of South Dakota

(Mid – late September, 2017) After our short visit with my cousin in Lemmon, South Dakota, we made our way south into the Black Hills for a two-week stay near Custer, South Dakota. When planning this segment of the trip I found another instance where GPS directions and Google Maps differed – the later would have sent on us a shorter route, but down a poorly graded dirt road for some miles. Glad I double checked. This is one case where Google Street View came in handy to check out the dodgy looking section of the route. Opting for the slightly longer route on good highways, our dive was pleasant, taking us through rolling plains country, past crops of sunflowers, pasture land and hay fields.

Camping With Family

Itinerary 2017 – Into the Black Hills

We arrived at our campground, Custer’s Gulch RV Park, without incident and proceeded to get comfortable and explore the area. My sister, Shirley, and brother-in-law, Craig, would be joining us on vacation from Iowa, but not for a few days, yet.

Our chosen campground was set in a picturesque mountain valley of rolling grassy meadows, scattered copses of aspen and pine, and rugged granite outcroppings. The park was conveniently located just a few miles outside Custer for shopping and services, and a short drive to many of the area attractions, including Mount Rushmore National Monument and Custer State Park. The campground was quiet, peaceful and quite scenic. We very much enjoyed our stay here.

While waiting for Shirley & Craig to join us, we caught up on a few chores, laundry, grocery shopping, and visited a few area attractions, including Mount Rushmore National Monument and the scenic Needles Highway.

At last, Shirley & Craig (& their young German Shepard, Katy),  joined us, arriving late after a grueling day’s drive. Over the next six days we had a great time catching up, sharing meals, relaxing, having a few laughs, and taking in the scenery and attractions of the area.

Craig also helped me install a new set of steps for our trailer. The steps only took us about 15 minutes to install and are much more stable than the original fold out steps. (Thanks, Craig!)

Scenic Drives on Needles and Iron Mountain Highways

We took several scenic drives along the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. These highways wind through the heart of the Black Hills, offering stunning vistas of piney national forest lands and jagged rock formations. The roads are narrow, winding, and have many switchbacks and single-lane low-clearance tunnels. Definitely not a road to take high-profile or tow-able vehicles on!

Mount Rushmore National Monument

We visited Mount Rushmore National Monument several times during our stay in the area. We marveled at the effort required to carve the towering presidential heads into the mountainside.

One evening we attended the flag lowering and illumination of the monument ceremony. The event had special significance for Craig, who participated in the flag lowering ceremony, along with other U.S. veterans or active service men from the audience. This was a great event to give recognition to the service men/women and say thanks for their service to the country.

Wildlife Viewing in Custer State Park

One day we all took the scenic loop drive through Custer State Park. We enjoyed the wide open vistas of rolling prairie land and by the roaming herds of buffalo.

Scenic Spearfish Canyon

Another day we took a long drive through Spearfish Canyon, enjoying the rugged canyon walls, rushing river and occasional waterfalls or cascades. Highlights of the drive included a stop at Bridal Veil Falls and a delightful lunch at the Latchstring restaurant in Savoy, SD.

Around Custer

We also had a few down days where we all just rested at camp or took short trips into Custer for grocery shopping or sight-seeing around the quaint, historic town. We enjoyed seeing the many artistically painted bison sculptures scattered around town. One rainy day we took a drive into Rapid City to shop at the local Camping World and Cabelas – two fun stores that are very dangerous to the pocketbook!

A Sad Passing

Sadly, while visiting with Shirley & Craig, we received word that Kim’s mother had passed away. This was not unexpected as she had been in failing health for some years and had been rapidly declining in recent months, but it was still a blow for us. After checking with family we decided to finish our stay with Shirley & Craig, but then cancel the rest of our travel plans and quickly head back to southern California. The memorial service would not be until late October, but we wanted to get back to family and help out in this difficult time

We enjoyed our visit with Shirley & Craig, although it was bittersweet at times. All too soon, their vacation was over, we all broke camp, bid fond farewells and headed out in opposite directions. (Shirley & Craig, we miss you and are looking forward to our next visit, sometime soon!)

That’s all for now. Safe travels and enjoy the journey!