Kings X Lodge Rapid City

Having somehow survived the past couple of nights, despite my debilitating disease, I decided to choose life and see a doctor. Very nice chap he was too. He confirmed my fears when he told me that I had indeed picked up a little known virus more commonly associated with lost cities of gold and temples of doom. For the benefit of the nurse in the room, he used layman's terms and called it an ear ...

... Fred was a amused by a local 'Chilli cookoff' poster.

For lunch we stopped at a little Wyoming town called Lusk. The restaurant was called 'Triangle 4 Cafe & Steakhouse' and so far on our trip across the U.S they win the dubious award of 'Worst Service'. When we arrived the waitress told us to find a table, but it was a good 8-10 minutes before she came over with menu's – normally you can hardly sit down before you're handed a menu. Yet when a group of ...

... being with Papa Ron’s mother. On July 2, Papa Ron and I take a drive up to the mountains to a town called Hill City. (Hill City is in a pretty setting in the midst of the Black Hills and grew out of the great gold rush in the 1800’s. The first settlers were miners who arrived in 1876 lured by the discovery of tin, gold and copper. They were later joined by ranchers and lumbermen. The city enjoyed a population spurt followed by an out ...

... the late 1940s puts things in a better perception. It's amazing to see how the sculpture artist, Korczak Ziolkowski, conceived and originally worked with mostly hand tools and dynamite. Korczak (until his death at age 76 in 1982), his wife Ruth (18 yrs. younger) and 7 of their 10 children have worked on the mountain and/or in the tourist area ever since.

The tourist area is very ...

... more than an hour. Why the highway patrol didn't simply alternate traffic, I don't know. We awoke this morning to thinning clouds and warmer temperatures after a night of heavy rain, sleet and snow. Looking at the weather forecast, we decided to visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. As we approached Mt. Rushmore through the Black Hills, which are very jagged and rise almost straight up into the sky, the clouds began to disperse and we could see the figures of the presidents ...

... quite amazing. Of course, there is also the obligatory tourist traps - gift shops, food and drink! Also though, there was this incredible Sioux band - Brule - playing. The leader of the band, Paul La Roche, looked a spitting image of Alice Cooper - at a glance! The drummer was worthy of a few hundred shots - thank goodness for digital! The music was traditional Indian and it was fantastic. Great story about the leader of the band who at 38 discovered ...

Started from home in Urbandale, IA. Target Black Hills, SD. We made stop in 1880 Town. Overnight in Wall.
Tomorrow reached Rapid City where we made "base camp".
For next 5 days we visited Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer City, Deadwood, Ho Spring, Tatanka Museum, Devils Tower, WY.

On our way back home we visited Sioux city.

... This might not sound much but scientists believe that this 5000ft+ lump of rock which juts into the sky used to be about a mile underground - that's land erosion on a scale I personally can't even begin to comprehend. The walk around the base, 1.3mi takes you through the wonderful boulder field, which must have been a nightmare to tarmac but tarmac it they did) and into the ajoining forest which is slowy working its way through the boulder field. We'd ...

... and tour the grounds. The rain has stopped and we're off to Mt. Rushmore. More rain once we arrive. After seeing this we take an alternate route back to the camper. There are vehicle size warnings on this road. This road is extremely narrow and snaky...seems like a rollercoaster ride in slow motion. There's even 360 degree bridge and tunnel turns. The road goes up and up until we reach the top of the mountain. The descent isn't quite as bad for the number of curves. Then ...

... were second time lucky because until recently the mothers stayed hidden out of the way in the forest while their young grew up a little). They all crossed the road very close to us onto a pasture next to us >> and we got loads of pictures and movies for your delectation. We drove on to the Needles route to see the "eye of the needle" - which is where a huge rock formation has split down the middle and with a little extra tunnel ...