Traveling to South Dakota, Day 4

 

The Needle

our Bronco coming thru!

Day 4...Time for the Needles Highway...A 14 mile scenic drive totally inside Custer State park in South Dakota. It has sharp switchbacks, granite spires, and narrow single lane rock tunnels. The most famous tunnel, the Needles Eye Tunnel is 8' wide and 9' 9" high. Big truck? Forget it! Glad we weren't traveling in our former Dodge Ram dually. You have to buy a state park pass to enter Custer State Park. It's 30.00 for seven days and we made it worth it, visiting the park three times! It was 48 degrees this morning when we set out--refreshing!

This guy didn't even pull in his mirrors-- brave!

Here you can see the granite spires....

Here you get a little better perspective of the size of the rock formations....

We continued back into the park on the 18 mile wildlife loop once again....We saw 4 pronghorn close to the bison center. And we encountered the "Begging Burros". Sparky almost said "Begging Burritoes", haha. (she always has food on her mind, laughs E.) The first time through the park, the burros were out in a field and couldn't have cared less about the tourist/drivers passing through. They normally come up to your car and stick their noses in your window. This is one of the few exceptions where you are allowed to feed wildlife in the park. Today.....the burros were up close and personal on the southeastern portion of the loop road. 

You can feed them apples or carrots, but not the baby ones, otherwise your fingers will get nipped! There were a lot of people out of their cars and in and amongst the burros, so we kept going. It was more fun years ago, when people stayed in their cars and the burros came right up to you. Today, little kids out of their cars, were getting scared and unsure of how to feed them as the burros can be quite persistent and follow you around!

We saw a sign for bighorn sheep so we went looking for them and drove around Jewel Cave Monument. We didn't stop there as there were no sightings. Phooey! On we go....

We drove on the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway which includes the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. This is one of America's top ten scenic byways where there are cool bridges and views of Mount Rushmore through tunnels and around bends in addition to the Needles. We did not visit Rushmore, we've done that in previous visits so we kept going. But we did stop for photo ops! More pronghorn...

Here's a view of Mt. Rushmore from the byway...

On the drive, you can see Mt. Rushmore through the tunnel at the other end. We've seen people lay down in the road when there's no traffic coming for a shot of the monument thru the tunnel from a different perspective. Sparky contemplated that for about a few seconds, but cars kept coming behind us so we kept going. (Don't worry, I wouldn't have let her do that, says E.) HA!

Oh! Sparky would be remiss if she didn't share some of the local flora, so here you go....This is called yellow salsify.

A LOT of prairie rose were in bloom all over the park...This is a close up, they are much smaller in the fields.

Sparky was really surprised to see grassland prickly pear blooming everywhere...in South Dakota? Yep. Something you normally see in the southwest desert, but wouldn't think you'd see in a northern state. These were more sparsely scattered, but still everywhere!

There were a lot of thistle poppies blooming as well. Man, do they have sharp, sharp stems! They also have toxic sap, which is poisonous to livestock and humans.

Crazy Horse 2026

On the drive to and from Custer State Park, you pass the ongoing Crazy Horse Monument. We took a shot from the road, again, having visited the monument previously, we had other destinations in mind this time. It's coming along since our last visit. The construction crew has added more modern tech equipment such as robotic track saws which cut through the rock with GIS mapping. This allows them to carve seven times faster than the Mount Rushmore methods. They are now working on the horse's mane and head, Crazy Horse's right shoulder and hairline. No completion date has been set, but the 563 ft. project began in 1948.

Eldy schlepped Sparky around the park and surounding areas for a total of 172 miles today. What a guy! We returned to Rapid City where we were staying, and decided to return to Wild Sage Restaurant next door for a second time, it was that good!

Tomorrow, we head to the Badlands National Park...

Traveling to South Dakota 2026

Sparky had been a little down in the dumps, so Eldo knew the best medicine was to plan another trip! He quietly and patiently researched best points usage for cheaper stays and threw out some ideas...how would Sparky like to go to Custer State Park and South Dakota? Well, that's a no brainer! SURE! Sparky and Eldo both love nature and looking for wildlife so off we went. We decided at the very last minute after thinking about the southwest, (too hot), Bar Harbor, ME-(too crowded), and a few other places. We decided to drive instead of fly, to see the country along the way.

The first day we drove to Des Moines, Iowa, a distance of 422 miles. We stayed at a Drury's Inn, which has not only free breakfasts, but free dinners AND three free drinks at Happy Hour each day. The drive is beautiful farmland, quite flat all the way, but everything was so green and there were a LOT of wind turbines the closer we got to Des Moines. Sparky finds wind turbines interesting and she enjoys looking up facts while we are driving. Onshore turbines are taller than the Statue of Liberty. The TIPS of the turbines reach speeds of 100-180 mph! Sparky had a hard time wrapping her head around that, because they look like they are turning so slowly! If the wind is too gentle, under 7-9 mph, the blades won't turn. If the wind is over 55 mph, they shut down to prevent equipment damage. If the electrical grid is receiving enough electricity, wind farms will curtail the number of turbines operating. Some of them are shut down even right next to another one due to possible maintenance needed. Many modern wind farms use camera or radar monitoring systems to detect protected or migratory birds and that curtails the number in use as well. Did you know that the fourth largest wind "farm" is in Indiana? And lastly, a typical wind turbine generates enough electricity to power an average home for an entire day in about 46 minutes. WOW!

Day 2, a LONG driving day--we drove to Hill City, SD, a distance of 645 miles. Gas averaged $3.49. The most interesting part of the drive was the amazing and beautiful rest stop at Chamberlain, SD right at the Missouri River. There is an amazing stainless steel sculpture there, 60 feet tall, called "Dignity". She represents the courage and perserverance of the Lakota and Dakota Native Americans and is standing right in front of the Missouri River.

At night, there are LED lights in the quilt panel sections that light up. The grounds and the outside designs of the building were so beautiful as well.

The inside of the rest stop was like a museum. It was wonderful and amazing! That boat hanging from the ceiling is a keel boat-a shallow water, freight boat poled or rowed by early settlers. The boats were the heavy haulers of frontier times. We could have spent a lot of time there, but had to move on. In Hill City, we stayed at the Golden Spike Inn...It was dated, but pleasant and comfortable just the same.

Day 3...Exploring Custer State Park...We drove the wildlife loop, the Wind Cave loop, and the Peter Nordbeck scenic byway. We saw LOTS of bison and LOTS of prairie dogs! Get ready for lots of bison and prairie dog photos, haha.

Bison in the fields....bison by the roadside...

Baby bison....

Some dumb lady reached out her window and tried to pet a bison walking right by her truck. Gr-r-r-rr.....Luckily, nothing happened, except he reared back.

Bison visiting the Visitor's Center...

Sparky has about a 100 photos of buffalo/bison and prairie dogs, be glad she isn't sharing more, says E. You've seen one, you've seen them all...OH! What about the bison nursing? Nah, we will protect the mother and baby's privacy but it was cool to see....

By the way, is it bison or buffalo? Sparky, always the teacher, says bison is the preferred term, scientifically, in North America, you are supposed to call them bison, as true buffalo species are native to Africa and South Asia...but ok...locals said buffalo as well, so Sparky gave up trying to correct Eldo on that one! (She was relentless! laughs E.) But guess what? There really are some differences...Bison have the massive hump over their shoulders, thick shaggy coats for winter, shorter curved horns. Buffalo don't have the prominant shoulder hump, have thinner, flatter horns, and shorter hair. (She just has to have the last word! sighs an exasperated Eldo.) Final word--you can call them either one. HA!

We saw quite a few pronghorn...males and females and a baby fawn! We think this is a male....

By the way, they are not pronghorn sheep but sometimes are referred to as American antelope. They are related to goats and antelope. They are the fastest land mammal in North America. They can reach speeds of up to 60 mph and can maintain speeds of 35 mph for up to 4 miles. They are the second fastest land mammal in the world. Within 5 days of birth, they can outrun a human! They have incredible endurance, and unique shedding horns. The horns have a distinct forward pointing prong or branch. Both the males and females have horns. Males have the bigger, more prominant ones, the female's are much smaller, sometimes only a bump. They can spot moving things from up to 4 miles away! One more thing--they migrate 150 miles one way between Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park each year. 

One more photo/video of a nice looking pronghorn...It was interesting that he dug a hole, then appeared to pee in the hole, then pooped! More than you wanted to know, we're sure.

Sparky found out a few new things about prairie dogs...She knew that they were social and have an extensive underground system divided into "neighborhoods", but she didn't know how sophisticated their communications are. They have warning calls that describe a specific predator, a different bark for coyotes, humans or hawks and even the color of a person's clothing! WHA-A-T??!! They greet each other by touching noses--it looks like they are kissing!

Their "bunkers" have different "rooms" for sleeping, using the bathroom, and having babies. The largest colony was in Texas, spanned over 25,000 miles and contained 400 million prairie dogs. 

We were sorry to see Custer State Park sustained a LOT of damage from a very bad winter storm this past December, where winds sometimes reached speeds of over 90-122 mph. The wind snapped off thousands of pine trees right in half and twisted other trees around to the ground. There was really extensive damage to the trees in the Black Hills area. The massive pine trees were snapped off just like matchsticks, twisted, or completely uprooted and slammed to the ground. This photo doesn't even begin to show the extent and severity of the damage. We were shocked at the magnitude of the damage. The damage was caused by high winds shifting opposite directions in 24 hours, loosening the trees and then whipping them back. Sixty to ninety mile an hour winds lasted for 4-8 hours. Glad we weren't in the area then!

We headed back to town (Rapid City) and found a wonderful restaurant right next door to our hotel, called the Wild Sage. It was terrific!  Most beautiful salad I have ever seen and the rest of dinner was just as great! 

A great way to end a great day, with a wonderful meal. And with that, we will see you later...Up and coming....The Needles scenic drive, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, more Custer wildlife, the begging burros and the Badlands!

We Take a Fall Trip to Yellowstone Part 2

Day 2...Here is the map that shows where we started the first two days while we stayed outside the park. We entered Yellowstone National Park through the West Yellowstone entrance each day as shown on the left side of the map directly west of Madison. Today we were headed north to Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner, a very small town just right outside the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

We left early in the morning, around 8:00 AM.

The temps were in the twenties, the trees and brush were coated with frosty ice crystals. It was beautiful!

Along the way were many wonderful geysers and wildlife....And a lovely river running alongside the roadway, the Gibbon River. The bison were often spotted alone and not with a herd. 

The elk were plentiful....and could be seen in herds in the distance or in small groups close to the roads..

young bull elk

We stopped at Gibbon Falls, which had a beautiful stone cropped viewing point....The photo doesn't do it justice...It was a major, roaring waterfall.

We traveled through the Monument Geyser Basin, and the Norris Geyser Basin....

We passed Sheepeater Cliff (don't you just love that name? Is it because they fall off the cliff to their deaths sometimes?) No photo of that one, but on we went, continuing north....

We traveled the Golden Gate Bridge of Yellowstone, quite the engineering feat for its time. Bridging the canyon was one of the most expensive early road building projects back then. The view is of the canyon and Rustic Falls with pullouts to look for wildlife and mountain goats.

We arrived in Mammoth Hot Springs. There is a small local herd of elk in town that is supported with protective enclosures and here the elk lounge around town wherever they feel like it! Like this big guy. He was in somebody's yard for several hours, just soaking up the sun.

Right outside the town of Mammoth Springs, you can see a geological formations called the travertine terraces. Interactions of water and limestone coat rock cliffs that creat chalk white travertine. They are among the fastest changing features in the park. They emerge quickly and can dry up just as fast. They look like snow covered cliffs. 

In town you can see Fort Yellowstone and take a self-guided tour to see how the Army protected the park in the early days.

From there, we continued north to see the Roosevelt Arch which is the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. There are two little doorways, one on each side for people to walk through and get their photo taken. 

As we drove closer to the north park entrance, we spotted herds of pronghorn.

Pronghorn are neither sheep nor antelope as people commonly believe. They are unique North American mammals. They do resemble both sheep and antelope, because of their deer shaped bodies and their speed. Their horns are different from deer antlers and they are more closely related to giraffes (!) than goats or sheep. Their antlers have a hairlike sheath called keratin, and they are shed and regrown annually. They are the fastest land animals in the western hemisphere! When Sparky kept seeing more and more of them, she just HAD to get out of the car and get just a LITTLE BIT closer to get this photo....At which point, a ranger came out of the Roosevelt Arch entryway and chastized Sparky (very nicely) to get back in her car and move along, much to Eldo's chagrin. Sparky knows better! (But you can't tell her anything when she's trying to get a photo! laughs E.)

Back in the car we went, continuing on to Gardiner, a very small town of about 750 people. There didn't seem to be much there to explore, so we headed back home as it was now getting to be much later in the day. We thought we would top off the day with a visit to Old Faithful, probably the most famous geyser in the world? which was south of Madison on the map. Back we retraced our drive with lots of wildlife along the way to keep the repeat trip from being boring. Eldy is so great about stopping frequently to get multiple shots of elk and bison, and he watches the landscape continually to help Sparky find photo ops. He's a great driver, too.

Old Faithful erupts about every 90 minutes, but can vary from 50-127 minutes or 60-94 minutes. The visitor's center posts on a board about when they think it will erupt. Longer eruptions lead to longer waits so the time predictions change often. The visitor's center was gorgeous! Old Faithful is visible through the main window if you wanted to stay inside. We went outside and sat on benches and waited. It was a chilly afternoon!

Twenty-three minutes later than the scheduled time, "thar she blows!"

There was another geyser that blew before Old Faithful, and it was a fairly big one farther away, so that was a treat as well! We think it was the Lone Star Geyser. 

It was getting late, time to find something to eat! The town was gradually closing down for the season, and a lot of places had closed. Bullwinkle's was a restaurant right downtown in West Yellowstone that was open and Sparky wanted to go there just because of the name. (She LOVED the show Rocky and Bullwinkle when she was young and she can do a mean imitation of Bullwinkle's voice.) The moose theme was everywhere, and a model train ran around the perimeter of the ceiling inside the restaurant. The food was very good, and we highly recommend it.

Tomorrow, we head into the park itself to stay at the Canyon Lodge for our last two days of exploration. We'll see you there! (Part 3)