Black Hills, South Dakota

For years we have heard about Sturgis and their famous annual motorcycle rally,  which takes place during the first full week of August.  The historic event first took place in 1938.  All our years in Iowa for the Knoxville Nationals we would see all kinds of bikers headed to Sturgis.

Black Hills Trailside Campground, Hill City

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain carving depicting the legendary Oglala Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse. Under construction since 1948, the monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain and is also home to the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center.

This is what it's suppose to look like if it ever gets finished.

Mount Rushmore


It took 14 years and 400 men to carve the mountain. Despite harsh and dangerous conditions, no one died during the project.  Mount Rushmore cost nearly one million dollars and was mostly carved during the Great Depression.  Over 90% of Mount Rushmore was carved using dynamite. The blasts removed approximately 450,000 tons of rock. Details were finished with jackhammers and hand chisels.  The faces of Mount Rushmore are 60 feet high. That’s the same size as a six-story building.

Thomas Jefferson's face on Mount Rushmore was originally started on the opposite side of George Washington, but 18 months into the carving, they realized the granite was too weak. His face was dynamited off and carved on the other side.


In the Sculptor's Studio you can see Gutzon Borglum’s original vision for the mountain.

We stayed for the night lighting.
We had an excellent pot roast dinner in the cafeteria while waiting for it to get dark.

Driving some of the back roads in the Black Hills area.

Seen from a distance, these Ponderosa Pine-covered hills appear black and that's how the Black Hills area gets its name.


South Dakota's largest and first state park,

As we travel around we see so many amazing things built by the CCC

The Mount Coolidge Lookout and Fire Tower was one of the last projects completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s. Built of local stone, the tower rests atop a 6,023-foot peak and is still used today as a fire lookout and dispatch center. As the highest point in central Custer State Park, it offers breathtaking 360-degree views from the top of the fire tower. On a clear day, you can see the Badlands nearly 60 miles away in the east.


Lookout and Fire Tower

Midday Wildlife Loop drive

Redheaded Woodpecker

Western Meadowlark

This 71,000-acre state park is home to one of the world's largest bison herds, nearly 1,500 strong.

Each fall, the ground rumbles and the dust flies as cowboys, cowgirls and park crews saddle up to bring in the thundering herd. The annual roundup, held in September, is open to the public.  During the roundup calves are branded, females are vaccinated and approximately 500 animals are sorted for sale stock.

Mama Pronghorn and baby

Sylvan Lake

 Met up for dinner with friends Don and Sherry, now from Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  Don and Dave used to work together for the City.

Prairie Berry Winery
Their family has been handcrafting South Dakota wines since 1876.  They use ingredients native to the American Great Plains


We have never been wine tasting before but with a label like this how could we not.

We bought four bottles.
Red Ass Rhubarb (of course) Their most popular, most award-winning wine.
Gold Digger -  Semi-sweet white wine made from fresh pears
Blue Suede Shoes -  A sweet and lively Zinfandel-blueberry
Wild Bill - Semi-sweet earthy, wild strawberries and lemon

Evening Wildlife Loop drive

Guess this tells you what he thought about getting his picture taken

Buffaloes love their rocks

Burros

Harney Peak Trail


Trail Number 9 to Harney Peak starts from Sylvan Lake and is a 7 mile loop.

That's where we're going. (I hope)

Getting closer

Through the opening

Prayer ribbons

Panoramic view from the fire tower

On clear days you can see the four states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana

The lookout tower, dam, pump house and stairway were constructed upon the highpoint. The reservoir created by the dam supplied water to the living quarters which were located in the lower level of the Harney Peak Fire Tower. The comforts of electricity, flush toilets, and a central heating system were incorporated into the remote Harney Peak Fire Lookout Tower.  Harney Peak Fire Tower was staffed until 1965 by the U.S. Forest Service.

The Harney Peak Fire Tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1935 to 1938. Stones gathered from French Creek were used to construct the tower. All of the building materials were hauled by man and mule along the three and a half mile trail to the summit of Harney Peak.

Once reaching the peak you have climbed 1,097 feet in elevation and reached the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains at 7,242 feet.  The peak is also the high point in the Black Elk Wilderness as well as the highest summit in a line between the Rocky Mountains and the Pyrenees Mountains in France.

That's where we were

Another evening Wildlife Loop drive

Begging Burros is a name used to refer to the donkeys in Custer State Park. For many years, these donkeys have earned this nickname as they approach passing cars through the park begging for food. After earning this reputation, the burros have become famous now garnering the attention of most travelers through the park inside and outside of cars. Many people bring food to the park specifically for the purpose of feeding these animals. The Begging Burros are usually found in one area of the park upon a hill where approximately 50 of them try to obtain any food they can.

This little guy was pretty wobbly on his feet still

Looks like any day now

Black-billed Magpie

Killdeer

Burrowing Owl

Wait who's that hiding out with the deer?

It's an elk

Decided to switch it up with a 6 am Wildlife Loop drive

Daddy Pronghorn and two babies on one side of the road with Mom on the other side

Burrowing Owl

We saw more wildlife on our 6 pm drives than our 6 am drive.

Another great looking CCC building along the shore of Stockade Lake.