A view near our “campsite” in HIll City:
Traveling on the “Needles” highway back to, (thanks for the recommendation, M. Fischer!) we spotted this goat on a side trail. This goat was built, what I would call, STOUT. Must have weighed a couple of hundred pounds. He/She climbed the rocks with aplomb. Got a little worried when it stopped and glared at me as we were about 30 feet apart, out in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, it decided to move on.
On our last day in Hill City, we opted to return to Mt. Rushmore in the evening to see it “Lit”. Arrived early to miss the crowds, secured a good viewpoint, set up and took this photo of the Monument:
Travelled the back road, through Custer, Newcastle and Four Corners in the morning from Hill City to Sundance. Stopped at Jewel Cave National Monument on the way. This is the longest cave network in the world; hundreds of miles with much more to explore and map.
Had to take a shot of this guy. There were several walking side-by-side with some buffalo:
Made the big loop (recommended to us by locals) to Devil’s Tower. The route took us through Aladdin, Alva and Hulett before reaching the Monument. Incredible scenery, hundreds of deer and very little traffic. Visited the Visiter Center and made the walk around the Tower. Picked up some books: “Crazy Horse and Chief Red Cloud”, “Saga of Chief Joseph” (Nez Pierce), and “American Indians-Answers to Today’s Questions”.
Decided to come back to the Tower in the morning to miss the crowds. On the return, we saw hundreds of deer , AGAIN, and had to be very careful not to hit them. We arrived at 0600, watched the sunrise and had the parking lot to ourselves.
Our once clean truck:
Cathy walked around the monument and I ran four laps around it before we saw any other people. On the way out we stopped for a while to watch the prairie dogs. They have “opposable thumbs” (Meet the Fockers) and they “chirp”. Pretty neat how they play, chase bugs, eat, sit up etc. (the farmers/ranchers will hate me). Passed by the Belle Fourche River on the way back:
note: It was from the VVV ranch located on this river that Harry Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid) committed his first crime, theft of a horse, saddle and revolver.
Lots of inbound traffic entering the park as we were exiting. It pays to get up early and enjoy the solitude and scenery without all the people. Had breakfast in a little diner on the main street in Sundance. Interesting conversations from the locals who frequent the diner.
Next stop: Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana
Travelling with the Schinglers 