June 3 & 4

June 3
We left Eagle RV Park by 7:30 and stopped at a local restaurant to get our coffee. I really enjoyed Wyoming! We are now heading to Custer Crazy Horse Campground in Custer SD for two nights. Driving along Rt 16 for 115 miles and we are the only ones on the road. We drove through the southern part of Bighorn National Forest and went through the town of Ten Sleep, population of 260. It’s located at the base of Big Horn Mountains. Such a beautiful area, we decided if we win Megabucks we’ll buy the town☺️. We are at 9,620 feet above sea level.

When we got onto Rt 90 near Buffalo it was pretty much flat and uneventful. We got back onto Rt 16 into Custer with mostly farm land. Every once in awhile we saw a mule deer. Wow, traffic is picking up - a car about every 1/4 mile! We crossed into South Dakota around 1:45 where Rt 16 turned into Mt. Rushmore Road. We got to Custer Crazy Horse and checked in, set up the camper and headed over to Jewel Cave National Monument for a 4:25 tour. It was free with our pass. We did the Discovery Tour because they others were full. Very nice tour, we went down about 280 feet where we were given a little history on the cave. It is about 49° in the cave and is the third largest cave in the world. There are over 190 miles of documented trails. Custer is such a pretty area with green rolling hills and cute down town too. we stopped at The Purple Pie Place for pie and ice cream. Yum!
Back to the camper, hung out until bed.

June 4

We headed out around 8:00 to drive to Custer State Park and rode around Stockade Lake and Wildlife Loop Road. Next we headed to Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Route 16A is such a pretty winding road through the Black Hills. We drove through the Scovel Tunnel where we could see Mt. Rushmore in the distance. 

We went through CC Gideon Tunnel, Doane Robinson Tunnel to see Mt. Rushmore again. 

When we got to the monument I was so in awe of the beauty and the workmanship of this monument. 

We went to the gift shop and I met the only living person left from the original drillers team. He is Don “Nick” Clifford and is 97 years old. I bought his book and he signed it for me. 

Next we drove Needles Highway and passed through Needles Eye Tunnel, 

then Iron Creek Tunnel. Very cool! There are a lot of hairpin turns along this route. 

Next we headed over to Custer Crazy Horse Memorial. I was so impressed with this memorial. We watched a very moving documentary on Custer Crazy Horse and the Boston sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski who was chosen to create it. 

After we stopped and ate at the Baker’s Cafe and headed back to the camper to relax for awhile. 

There are the cutest painted buffalo sculptures all around town.