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South Dakota
The Bad Lands, Mt. Rushmore and more by Linda Kunkel

Everyone should see South Dakota for themselves at least once in their lifetime, if you are like us it will be the first of many trips.

The country side is so different it's breathtaking, you cannot imagine how beautiful the mountains are.

While traveling the interstate in South Dakota we have been fortunate enough to see lots of wildlife along the interstate. Big horn sheep and antelope are around. The badlands are striking, the color changes as the sun moves over them. The exposed earth has so many different colors in it. There are stripes in the stone that looks as though they were painted there. If you enjoy hiking there are several great trails for exploring the area. The massive magnificent mountains can be seen miles before you get to them.

For us, a stop in the town of Wall South Dakota was a treat in itself. There is a unique drug store there called The Wall Drug. They offer lots of things from free ice water ( which is refreshing after a hike) to western sculptures and everything in between. Their ice cream is delicious. If you enjoy treasure hunting or shopping, there are a variety of shops along the main street several offer Black Hills Gold jewelry.

After we took the scenic drive through the park, we headed off to see Mt. Rushmore. When we first saw George Washington’s face on the mountain, we came to the realization of just how majestic and beautiful this place was. We walked through the rows of flags from each state in the union. You can see all 4 of the presidents from this angle. You can also dine as we in the restaurant where you can see the sculptures from your table. Words cannot explain the beauty of all the history that had taken place in order to create this mountain carvings. We walked some of the trails to take in the different angles in order to get the whole picture. We saw mountain goats along the way which was a treat.

Another nice place to stop is a place called Bear Country. Bear Country is a drive through a wildlife park where you can see lots of different animals. We enjoyed watching the bear cubs the best. They were sucking on each other’s ears and it sounded like a swarm of honey bees.

In the near by town of Keystone there is the Rushmore Borglum story where you can learn the interesting history all about how, when and why the carvings were created by Mr. Borglum.

In the town of Custer South Dakota another man has started to carve Crazy Horse the Indian chief and his horse on another mountain. If you visit more than once you can see how slow the progress is to take a mountain and make a picture out of it. We have seen it several times over many years and are amazed at how it is taking place.

Deadwood South Dakota is the home of Boot Hill Cemetery , the burial place for Wild Bill Hickok,Calamity Jane and others . There is also casinos for some gambling fun and great food.

Mitchell South Dakota has the corn palace, a large convention center that boasts a beautiful mosaic design on the outside of the building made from corn and grasses. They change it ever year and it takes about 3,000 bushels of corn and other seeds to accomplish.

As you can tell South Dakota is a great vacation spot, I hope you get to see it soon.

If you are looking for places to camp during your stay here's a few to check out.

South Dakota Campgrounds

Custer, SD.

Flintstones

Box 649

Phone 605-673-4079

flintstonebedrockcity.com

West hwy 16

Mt. Rushmore KOA

5 miles west of Mt. Rushmore on Hwy 244

800-562-8503