After leaving Hot Springs, SD, we stopped for a couple of days at the Spearfish KOA. What a nice place to stay! I think this is a new KOA, or at least one that has been renovated because it was a very nice campground. And we finally had more than 2 or 3 cable channels. Not that we watch a lot of TV, but it is still nice to get the news in the morning and to be able to relax a little before turning in for the night!
Crazy Horse Monument and Return to Custer State Park 06/26/2019
On our last day in Hot Springs, we decided to take the “Southern Hills” route to see the Crazy Horse Monument. There were some beautiful farms along the way, but not a lot else interesting to see outside the park. We did look around Custer which is a very small town.
Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway 06/25/2019
Today’s trip through parts of Custer State Park and the Black Hills National Forest was everything Randy loves. The twisting roads, vertical drops and cliff walls had my ears popping the entire day and my anxiety levels off the charts. But I loved the ride because the scenery was gorgeous and a must do when in South Dakota.
Continue reading “Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway 06/25/2019”Custer State Park 6/24/2019
OMG the wildlife is amazing! On our 5 1/2 hour trip through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop Road we saw an abundance of animals including bison, antelope, burros, badger, deer, birds, coyote, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, prairie dogs and even a dung beetle. Randy still wants to see bears and a rattlesnake, but they can stay hidden as far as i am concerned. I think we saw a rattlesnake a few days ago when we were on one of the back roads in the Badlands. A hawk was fighting with a snake and trying to take off with it. It was close to us, but still too far away to positively identify the type of snake, but after researching snakes in that area, I think it was a rattlesnake.
The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs 6/23/2019
It was a cool, wet morning so instead of looking for outdoor activities, we decided to visit the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs. This museum and paleontological site is an active excavation site and the world’s largest concentration of mammoth’s in the world. Three woolly mammoths and almost 60 Columbian mammoths have been identified at this site, In addition to the mammoths, camel, llama, giant short-faced bear, wolf, coyote, prairie dog, fish and molluskk shells have also been recovered from the now dry 26,000 year old sinkhole.
Hot Springs: Pioneer Museum 6/22/2019
Instead of going through Badlands National Park to hit I-90, Randy decided to take the shorter, scenic Rt. 44 to our destination of Hot Springs, SD. It was a little bouncy so we took our time but did not have any issues. We passed a small herd of buffalo just before crossing over one small section of Badlands National Park that crossed over Rt. 44. I didn’t get a very good picture as I wasn’t expecting to need my camera. Hot Springs is a little farther out than we wanted to be, but we could not find a spot closer to Rapid City.
Badlands National Park and Prairie Homestead 6/18 – 6/21/2019
I did not realize that the entrance to the Badlands KOA was on the other side of the Northeast Entrance to the Badlands National Park. We got in with no problem since Randy and I now both have a lifetime pass to National parks, but it did cause me some anxiety traveling over the winding, narrow road down to the White River KOA in our large RV.
Mitchell, South Dakota: Corn Palace and Dakota Discovery Museum 6/17/2019
There is not a lot to do in Mitchell, South Dakota, but we still spent the morning sightseeing. We liked the Dakota Discovery Museum on the Dakota Wesleyan University. The University is a small 4-year university, founded in 1885, affiliated with the United Methodist Church with less than 800 students.
Continue reading “Mitchell, South Dakota: Corn Palace and Dakota Discovery Museum 6/17/2019”
Sioux City, Iowa, and North Sioux City, South Dakota: Sergeant Floyd River Museum & Welcome Center, the Sergeant Floyd Monument and the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center 6/15/2019
Because we were a few days ahead of schedule and there were no reservations available for any of the campgrounds that I called in the interior of South Dakota, we stopped in Sioux City for 2 days. We stayed at the KOA in North Sioux City, SD. We also will stop for 2 days in Mitchell, SD.