Black Hills
I owe another state an apology.
South Dakota…I’m sorry.
I’ve always wanted to visit you just to see what’s not there only to find out it is one of the most beautiful states I’ve ever been to.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to go back to all the places we’ve been, but there’s something about the Black Hills and South Dakota that is alluring and makes me want to go back.
Custer State Park
It was a nice short drive from Devils Tower over to the Black Hills, which was a nice change of pace.
We set up camp in Custer State Park and at first, weren’t so sure about it.
It was nice and all, but we’ve just come from the Tetons and Yellowstone. There’s no way this place could hold a candle.
But once we got off the main roads, we realized yet again, we had found ourselves in the heart of God country.
And now Justin doesn’t want to come home.
If you know Justin, you know his love for boulders and climbing. He sees a rock on the side of the road, and I kid you not, he will pull over to climb to the top of it.
Case in point…
Justin is like a kid in a candy store on this trip, but Custer State Park was the cherry on top.
So. Many. Rocks.
And unfortunately for me, my kids have taken on their dad’s love of climbing. (Which I do love for them, but my anxiety over one of them falling off gets the better of me sometimes.)
All that said, I do love seeing them all fearlessly climb to the top and flex their muscles like the brave kids they are!
I mean, how can you not love seeing your kids do this wherever you go?
And notice I’m always the one on the ground taking the picture. Climbing boulders is not for me!
They might not look like they’re that far up, but trust me, they are…
What I love even more, is when they are all back on solid ground again!
We hiked to the top of Cathedral Spires and around Sylvan Lake.
We watched a fisherman catch a rainbow trout and tell us how just a few weeks ago the lake was surrounded by hundreds of people, each fighting for a spot to fish.
Not this day.
Only 3 people were fishing and we passed just a handful of people on the trail.
Coming in the off season definitely has its perks!
We drove Needles Highway and thru Needles Eye Tunnel - the thinnest tunnel we have ever driven through!
You know how you duck in a parking garage thinking somehow that will lower the roof of your car?
It was like that, only this time you try to duck AND pull in both sides of your body at the same time.
I honestly think my mom would get out of the car and walk it just to avoid the anxiety of driving through it!
Custer State Park was our base camp for a few days as we explored the Black Hills and it was perfect.
We finally had some clear skies and a fire pit, so we made s’mores, talked about our favorite parts of the trip, and enjoyed our view of the stars.
This was also the first place where the government shutdown affected our trip.
Two caves - Wind Cave and Jewel Cave - were closed, so we recalibrated and headed off to see two mountain carvings.
I bet you can name one but can you name the second???
