Aug 17--Black Hills Scenic Drive Part 2

There sure is a lot to see around here! Yesterday we spent most of the day on the road looking at the sights and we're doing same thing today. We first saw the Crazy Horse Memorial and the fantastic museum. If you're not familiar with the history of the memorial just Google Crazy Horse Memorial. It's really an amazing story. Next we headed for Custer State Park to drive the Wildlife Loop but unfortunately timed it incorrectly and saw only antelope, wild burro, and one single solitary buffalo taking a nap.
On our way out of the park we followed a dirt road up and up and around switchback after switchback to the Mt. Coolidge Overlook. What a spectacular view! After we returned to Custer we looked in a couple of shops that specialized in animal pelts, feathers, teeth, claws, and skulls. Just the kind of shop that Betsy loves. Tomorrow we say goodbye to the Black Hills. Next stop are The Badlands.
Left photo - From Mt. Coolidge over the Black Hills
Right photo - Crazy Horse Memorial
Top photo - Lazy buffalo

Aug 16--Black Hills Scenic Drive

The sun is back and warmer temperatures are in the offing. We loaded into the truck and followed a scenic route that is in our National Geographic guide book. We left Custer and followed several rural scenic roads. One of the roads led us to Hill City where Wades Gold Mill is located and that is the location that was recommended for gold panning. We met Bob Wade who instructed Jamie in the proper technique. They give you a little bottle of placer sand which contains 7 small flecks of gold. The student is expected to learn the correct method of panning and come up with the same original 7 flecks. After that was finished we loaded up the pan with placer sand and headed to the small stream to learn how to deal with the large pebbles and larger pieces of sand. After about an hour on one pan Jamie found one more fleck of gold and many small garnets. Not bad for a beginner. Betsy got out her sketch pad while Jamie was panning. After Jamie had thawed out his feet we headed to the Mt. Rushmore area. We didn't go in the actual viewing area but got nice pictures from off site locations. Going up and down the roads was a nice experience. We ran into 3 or 4 very narrow tunnels through the rock which was interesting. We ended up in Hot Springs and visited a couple of antique stores plus another store that specialized in old western items and some very nice examples of Plain's Indian beading. From Hot Springs we headed back to Custer through the Wind Cave Park and again saw
buffalo. Tipper does not like buffalo. We don't know if it's their odor or the grunting noise they make. He's very quiet while we're stopped taking pictures, but as soon as we're rolling again he give's out a couple of barks. We think it's his way of saying, "You're lucky I'm leaving. I was about ready to kick some butt". Yeah, right.

The campground we're in has rabbits all over the place. They're the domesticated kind, but roam free in the campground. Tippy may have a nervous breakdown if we don't leave soon.

Picture #1 - Mt.Rushmore, SD
Picture #2 - Wades Gold Mill, Hill City, SD, Prospector Jim