President's Day

Monday, September 21

A lovely sight awaits us when we step out of the cabin. It was too dark to see last night when we arrived, but this morning a vista of rugged hills and stately pines greets us. It is just as beautiful as I remember from our last visit. We are staying in Bluebell Campground in Custer State Park, where Dan and Deb, Tim, Gin, and Sierra, and Dane and I spent one night during our Yellowstone adventure in 2013. We decided way back then that we would like to spend some more time at this park, so here we are.

Mount Rushmore is on our agenda for today, and after a Continental breakfast we head out. The day is gorgeous - warm and sunny with an azure sky and a few puffy white clouds. The scenery is magnificent as we follow the twisty road, full of pigtails, splits, hairpin turns, and tunnels. Our first buffalo sighting elicits a chorus of happy shouts, and naturally we pull over for photos. We are the only car stopped, unlike the hordes of tourists that would be lined up during the summer months. Traveling in the off-season rocks! More stops occur as something catches our attention. We see deer, pronghorn antelope, and more buffalo. A tunnel provides a unique view of Mount Rushmore, framed perfectly through the opening, as well a fun rock-climbing opportunity.
Although most of us have been to Mount Rushmore before, we take our time and really enjoy the experience. We decide on the audio tour, which presents the story of the monument at stations along

a walking path that takes us to the base of the sculpture and through the pines to Gutzon Borglum's studio. It's almost comical how similar our reactions are as we listen to our individual handheld devices, and how our choices of which extra sections to listen to and which to skip are always the same. Our lunch of Buffalo Stew is eaten on the patio in view of the presidents. We spend over 4 hours at Mount Rushmore, and enjoy every second.

Rapid City is our next destination, to see Fort Hays where scenes from Dances With Wolves was filmed. At the office where John Dunbar received his orders, we take turns reenacting the scene. Trust me, we won't be going to Hollywood anytime soon! The rest of Fort Hays is kind of sketchy, consisting of random displays and dioramas of yesteryear. There seems to be no one about, so we make our own fun, snapping photos in jail, an outhouse, and a coffin. Yes, we act like total lunatics!

We attempt to take a tour of the Black Hills Gold Factory, but the tours are already over for the day. There is a short movie that explains the process, so we watch it and shop a little before moving on. We hit the jackpot at Prairie Edge Store. There is a lot to see - authentic Native American crafts, fine art, beads by the thousands, bone and antler notions, Pendleton wool - but most is out of our price range so we look and drool and wish. At an Olive Oil store, we do tastings of oils and vinegars and buy some for appetizers tonight. Then back through the gauntlet of deer (57 tonight) to the cabin where a crockpot of Jambalaya is hot and ready for dinner.

A few drinks around a roaring fire complete the day. We laugh at ourselves, at each other, and at everybody else as we sit with our drinks and dinner in the great outdoors. The wind picks up and finally drives us indoors, but we are still laughing as we fall asleep. Goodnight all!