Tolsons' Discovery Travels: Hill City, SD

Sun (8-21-11): Traveled from the Badlands to Rapid City for a stop at the Wal Mart to stock up and then on to Hill City, SD. We are here at Rafter J Bar Ranch (Good SAM) [888-723-8375] for the next 5 nights. Would highly recommend this campground--spacious campsites, WiFi, etc! Central location to all that we will be touring this week. This afternoon we drove up to see the Crazy Horse Memorial and then drove back into Hill City this evening for a little shop browsing and buffalo burgers at the Desperado Restaurant.

Crazy Horse, Patty Hellrung and Donna Tolson

Mon (8-22-11): This morning, we took a hike around the Sylvan Lake, a drive down the Needles Highway and through Custer State Park. And as usual, we packed a picnic lunch and ate in the park. Later that day we had a beer at a swinging door bar, did some shopping and had dinner in Custer, SD.

Sylvan Lake

Sylvan Lake Hike Took Us Through This Tunnel

Eye of the Needle

Chuck and Larry in Front of Tunnel that we had to Drive Thru on Needles Hwy

This big Buffalo was walking down the road just before we found the picnic area in Custer SP.

Our Custer SP Picnic Lunch

Custer State Park Antelope

Tue (8-23-11): Morning downtime today for us while the Hellrungs rode the 1880's train from Hill City to Keystone and back. This afternoon we drove over to the Wind Cave NP and took the Fairgrounds cave tour which lasted 1-1/2 hrs and required negatiating 450 stairs. This was a great thing to do has it was very HOT outside this afternoon and about 54 deg in the cave! This cave is unlike any of the other caves that we have ever toured. The formations were boxworks (thin, honeycomb-shaped structures of calcite that protrude from the walls and ceilings), popcorn and frostwork formations. This cave is dry inside and nothing is dripping inside. There is only one natural opening to this cave which was found when two brothers, Jesse and Tom Bingham, heard a loud whistling noise. The sound led them to a small hole in the ground. The wind was said to blow with such force out of the hole that it knocked Jesse's hat off. There are colored ribbons hung from the tree above this cave entrance as the Native Americans consider this cave as sacred.

First Discovered Entrance to Wind Cave and Ribbons in Tree Above

Wind Cave Boxworks

Wind Cave Frostworks (left) and Popcorn Formations on Left

This park also has many animals roaming the fields around the cave--buffalo, prairie dogs, antelope, and even saw a herd of elk late in the afternoon. We also saw many, many deer out in the fields at dusk on the way back to campground.

Wind Cave National Park Buffalo

Wed (8-24-11): Mount Rushmore and Keystone, SD; free wine tasting at the Prairieberry Winery (bought some Red Ass Rhubard--GOOD), dinner and shopping back in Hill City.