Karla's Kronicles #26

The Karla Kronicles #26 The Big Trip - Part 7 - Rapid City, South Dakota
Greetings Kronicle Readers! (Note: Larger and More Detailed Photos are in the Photo Albums Located HERE.)
Rapid City, South Dakota, is a great place to stop and see a lot of nearby sites. In fact, we still haven't seen all there is around this area. We did get a pleasant surprise that as 1000 Trails Platinum Members we were extended a special rate to stay at Hart Ranch, a private membership Resort that we had stayed at 18 years ago. We extended our stay from 3 to 4 days because one of the staff members had ridden the Mickelson Bike Trail and could give us some tips. If we had known about our special rate, we may have stayed longer...there is a lot to see and do in this area and a lot of history and special scenery. We are just going to touch on it in this edition of the Kronicles.
	Of course, if you are near Rapid City, S.D., then Mt. Rushmore is on your list of things to see...this was our 3rd visit to Mt. Rushmore. The crowds really got to us...but that is our problem. If you are traveling in the summer months you are going to be part of the crowd. None-the-less, when you have blue skies and sunshine and the President's looking down at you, it is an amazing site to see....
For those of you who haven't visited Mt. Rushmore in the past few years (probably 18 or more); they've improved the campus significantly. As always, there is no fee to go to Mt. Rushmore, but you DO pay $10 for parking in the commercial lot on site. I remember parking in a free lot and walking to the viewing platform and that was it. It's been a bit "commercialized" in the past decade or more as far as the parking and gift centers, etc....
	...and old viewing platform is still there and the Artist's Studio with the model used for construction of the monument, but now you approach the viewpoints through a walkway of pillars from which State Flags are flown. We are trying to get Florida State Flag here, but the wind is NOT cooperating.
There is a very large outdoor theater with stadium seating and the Presidents in full view...None of this was evident the last time we visited Mt. Rushmore. There is a nightly light show from this theater that I imagine is very spectacular. But we had other stops on our day's agenda that prevented us from returning.
	There is a extended trail now (part handicap accessible, but there are some steps and steep inclines and these are posted) and get very close to the base of the Monument. At different points along the trail, one or more of the President's faces will be more prominent; sometimes one will be totally hidden. We took photos from a few different angles not normally seen on the average postcard. So here are some Mt. Rushmore sightings..
Hello President Washington!
	You get this view by walking down a short stairway into a fold of rocks...the trees are growing so high they block President Lincoln...they may have to do some tree trimming soon. We had several "good views, but blocked by trees". Now that's a real problem as we are tree-huggers....
Okay, see that blue sky??? We can't believe it! But this is proof to my dear Sister-in-law Diana and her Husband Dave; that they really do exist (like the M&M candies)...sorry...have to mention here that D&D came to visit us in Marblemount in 2007; stopped here to specifically see Mt. Rushmore...it was totally clouded in for 2 days... Ouch!!!!! I love the way Roosevelt's glasses were done and the curls for Thomas Jefferson's "hairdo" around his forehead.
	I really like this picture of our Founding Father; of course, he is the most prominent of all four Presidents. Larry took a good photo between the tree branches. These shots are taken from designated viewpoints, so you can almost visualize that in a few years the trees are going to block many good views.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln...quite a monument to 4 great men...
	From the Road ... there are a few roadside viewpoints where Mt. Rushmore can be seen. if you are doing a 'drive-by' and don't want to stop at the actual Visitor's Center.
Obviously, Mt. Rushmore is a lot more than just taking in this view. I found a website that talks about the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum and many other facts that you may find interesting; how the project was started and why these 4 presidents were chosen. For those interested, please google Mt. Rushmore and choose from the many options or go to: Mount Rushmore Facts. I think this website is very informational and well written.
Our day is just starting...after we left Mt. Rushmore, we headed south to Custer State Park. Custer State Park is just South of Rapid City and is 71,000 acres of lots and lots of things to see...not only wildlife, but great rock formations. Just don't attempt to drive through this park with your RV...some of the natural Rock Tunnels are pretty tight!!!! This is when we think "Wow, glad we got the jeep." This is one of the LARGER tunnels...

We followed this motorcycle through this narrow tunnel of rock.
	We saw quite a bit of wild life on our drive through Custer State Park. This buffalo is taking a dirt bath.
These wild Burros were incredibly tame; we were held up here for several minutes because of tourists ignoring the "do not feed" rules by rolling down their windows and feeding these Burros whatever was available inside their vehicles (BAD BEHAVIOR! - the people in the vehicles...not the Burros). These Burros have been well-fed and have no fear of tourists or vehicles...gee I wonder why...(I felt like writing down license plates).

Custer State Park has lodging and dining and some beautiful lake/recreation areas. We had lunch at a charming lodge restaurant.


	When we reached the South Entrance/Exit of Custer State Park, we continued south in order to take in the Wind Caves National Park We have done a few cave tours and this one had it's own set of unique "decorations". Glad we made the stop!!!
Our Tour Guide and National Park Service Ranger is explaining how Wind Caves were discovered. He is holding a piece of flagging tape in front the cave's discovery point.. Prior to it's discovery in 1881 by the Bingham Brothers, this area was regarded as sacred by American Indians. The story is that Jesse and Tom Bingham are credited with the discovery of the Cave when they heard a loud whistling noise. They traced the noise to this small opening, where a strong wind knocked off Jesse's hat. Different atmospheric pressures change the course of the breeze; during our tour time, the flagging tape was being drawn inward.
	Here's a closer look at the original cave entrance. Nowadays, tour groups enter the Cave on a much more friendly route than the American Indians and early cave explorers dealt with.
Much of the inner cave's discoveries are credited to Alvin McDonald. He was not even 18 years old when he started exploring and keeping a diary of his cave trips. In 1891 he wrote "Have given up the idea of finding the end of Wind Cave". Barometric wind studies estimate that only approximately 5% of the total cave has been discovered. Alvin died of typhoid fever at the age of 20 and is buried near the entrance of the cave. From here you can access many more photos, history, and read Alvin McDonald's Diary. He would conduct tours charging $2 or $3 to take people into the Cave. Some of his monetary postings and notes from these tours are written in his diary. Alvin Mcdonald's Diary
	I believe they referred to this as the Giant's Tonsils
This cave is not colorfully decorated, but it does have a very unique decoration called "boxwork". If you look at the more detailed photo in our Albums link, you will see distinctive outlines of drippings that have formed "box shapes". These "boxes" cover much of the surface of this particular cave and is unique to a small percent of caves discovered.

There were many yet unexplored nooks and crannies. Over the many years of exploring and mapping, Wind Cave is one of the world's largest known caves with over 132 miles of passages that have been mapped to date. Wind Caves is placed as the 3rd longest cave in the United States and 4th longest in the world.
Our next day was planned for bike riding on the George S Michelson trail that travels through some of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Former Governor Michelson was an early supporter of the trail that follows the Burlington Northern Railroad track from Deadwood to Edgemont; a route abandoned in 1983. In 1991, Governor Michelson dedicated the first 6 miles of trail and when he passed away in 1993, the trail was renamed in his honor. We had picked up a brochure about the trail and then found out that a Hart Ranch Staff member, Stacie, had ridden the entire route of 95+ miles as part of a benefit ride. She told us that the most scenic part of the trail was between Mystic and Rochford Trailheads because you would pass through a tunnel in the Black Hills and over several bridges; she was so right... it was a very scenic and enjoyable ride! The total ride round trip was only about 16 miles, but that distanced allowed us time for stopping and taking photos and just enjoying the scenery.
	We started our ride from the Mystic Trailhead...
The trail is not paved; however, it is a hard-packed dirt and gravel so our Mt. Bikes did just fine.
	Views of the bike path and a scenery we saw along the way, including the tunnel, bridges and waterfalls.



When we reached the Rochford Station, we discovered some historical plaques inside the building describing it as the "Friendliest Little Ghost Town in the Hills" . Founded in 1877, Rochford supported many of the area's mines. The town was named for M.D. Rochford, a member of a prospecting party that discovered gold near this area in 1876. In Dec.1878, the town of Rochford had 500 residents, 200 houses, 2 hotels, a drugstore, butcher shop, school, 2 doctors, wooden sidewalks with canopies and a few saloons. History indicated that by July 1881, there were only 3 men left in town; the population varying with the success of the area mines.
Time to head back to the Mystic Trailhead and our jeep. It's been a great ride and will be more downhill going back to Mystic, except for that last mile...
Time to pack up and leave South Dakota. We're still heading Northwest and have a lot more traveling and visiting to do. Upcoming Kronicles will cover Devil's Tower and Yellowstone, two of our favorite places to visit!!
Wishing you all health, happiness and safe travels... More later...Karla and Larry

Comments to Webmaster

See the USA the Internet Way!