09/11/21 Saturday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 11 Beaver Lake Campground

09/11/21 Saturday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 11

Beaver Lake Campground 

Custer, SD

Site I

Today was our wine tasting/dinner train ride on an 1880 steam train. It started in Hill City and went to Keystone. I reserved our tickets about a month before we left. We picked up our tickets at the train station around 12:30 then walked over to the Mangy Moose Saloon for a snack before we boarded the train. They were packed and not prepared for the crowd. They were outta fries and that's what we wanted. We ended up talking to some folks from Pennsylvania and a couple that lived in Hill City. Both were fun to talk to and we learned about the Buffalo Roundup that happens every year about the 3rd week of September. It's a big celebration and it also marks the end of tourists season. 

We finally were served our food and had enough time to eat and walk back to the train station before the train boarded. This tour was sold out and from talking to a woman while standing in line for the restroom I learned this sells out every time they do it. A lot of locals do this and everyone on the train had a great time. I know our car did. They also do a beer one in the spring. 

Our server was very entertaining. He said he was 70 years old and having a great time. This was fun for him. The wine pours were great and surprisingly good but nothing compared to our California wines. 

                                     

                                                                                                                            

    

Each course was served in it's own little clamshell take out box and not that difficult to eat from...well maybe a little challenging.

We stopped in Keystone long enough for a quick bio break and maybe a gift shop purchase. The ride back was just as enjoyable. The scenery was so green and beautiful. We went by many homes and if people were out in their yards they waved. At one point we passed a church camp and all the kids waved at us as we went by. We saw deer in the trees but by the time I noticed them it was too late for a photo. 

     

  

                                                                                                                                   My adorable husband!

Below are videos I took and one with the train whistle blowing. Love that sound. 

On the way back to camp we stopped by Mt. Rushmore Brewery in Custer to pick up a tee shirt for Adam and Barry decided he needed one too. Since we were there we had to have a beer. Then back to camp and a fire to relax by. Good night and sweet dreams everyone. 

               

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

09/10/21 Friday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 10 Beaver Lake Campground

09/10/21 Friday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 10

Beaver Lake Campground 

Custer, SD

Site I

Woke up and my legs are so sore from those stone stairs that went on forever at Mt. Rushmore. But so worth it.  

Went back to Mt. Rushmore this morning to get my passport stamp from the Sculptor Studio. It was closed yesterday by the time we got to it during the hike/walk around the park. We stayed for the ranger talk about the working sculpture the artist Gutzon Borglum created to work from. When we left we walked up those same stone steps we did yesterday. A bit easier today. Went to the gift shop to pick up a few things and Barry stayed outside and people watched. He was very entertained. 

This is one of the harness chairs the men used 

to get to the top of the mountain 

Next stop was the Crazy Horse Monument., $30 to get in. Had lunch right away. Got my passport stamped even though this is not a National Monument. Very extensive museums, great movie, cultural center, dance performances from a local native american indian group. Beautiful Costumes. Took a bus ride to get closer to the monument. The driver was from one of the tribes and he gave us great information at a stop we were able to get at out and take photos. 

Crazy Horse has 1M+ visitors a year and Mt. Rushmore has 3M+ a year. The tribes feel they need to get the horses head done in the next 5 years to get more visitors. They started out with one bus and now have 6 running daily. He talked about the new tools they now have that makes the carving go much faster. While he was talking this guy took out a drone and flew it toward the monument. Barry and I could not believe it. There are signs posted everywhere and on the brochures "No Drones Allowed." Right away an official looking man appeared out of nowhere to shut him down and asked him for his drone footage. Idiot! The driver said he never had that happened before. 

Bus stop where some guy took out his drone.
I should of got a photo of him but I was in shock.

Had a few hours to kill before the Legends in Light laser light show on the monument so we watched the Rachel Maddow show in the jeep so we could sit in comfy seats. I posted this on facebook. Great to have technology. 

The light show was fabulous. I decided not to take pictures of the light show. I didn't want to miss any of it. Met some people from Texas that sat next to us and they paid the $125 a piece to be able to take a tour where you get to stand on the arm of Crazy Horse. She showed us some great photos they took. On our way out we picked out 2 stones from the display of granite you're allowed to take. The rocks are not too big and are from the rubble when they blast a section from the mountain. Again, if you have a chance to visit Crazy Horse please do so. There is much to see. 

Additional sculpture - stallions fighting

Loved this story behind this sculpture

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

09/09/21 Thursday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 9 Beaver Lake Campground

09/09/21 Thursday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 9

Beaver Lake Campground 

Custer, SD

Site I

We left in the afternoon for Mt. Rushmore. As you get off the highway and deeper into the forest the landscape is just green and gorgeous. As you drive toward the monument, at some points you can see parts of it. There is one sign that tells you a pull out is ahead for a profile view. The profile of President Washington is what you see, a clear view above the trees. We drove right into the parking lot and there was no line. As you walk up the grand terrace to see the monument you walk through the hall of flags. The view is impressive when you look down the hall and see the monument. Just unbelievable. We rented a story wand. There is a trail you follow and stop along the way to listen to different stories and history of the presidents and the monument. The trail is easy with lots of stairs but it's worth it. The Sculpture Studio was closed so I couldn't get my National Park Passport stamped. I told Barry we have to come back tomorrow morning. Your ticket is good for a year which the website does not mention. When you leave the Sculpture Studio you take a path up A LOT of stairs back to the grand terrace. My legs are going to hurt tomorrow.  

Photos below are views from a few of the platforms on the trail walk

We left and drove to Keystone for a bite to eat before returning for the lighting ceremony that started at 8:00PM. The program is lead by one of the rangers but I can't remember her name. She talked about the monument, how it stands for freedom and a little genealogy about her family coming to the states from Italy. She is 3rd generation. It was very moving. We then watched a great movie and at the end we sang the Star Spangled Banner. After, the ranger asked all the veterans to come to the stage and help retire the American Flag. There must of been 50-60 veterans that joined her on stage. She choose a few that would take the flag from her and fold it. Very moving and you could hear a pin drop. If you get a chance to view this please do so. You come away feeling very positive about our nation.  We headed home and to bed. All those stairs made us tired. 

Amphitheater where the lighting ceremony takes place

Just a note about the area. There is a lot to do here for families; Reptile park, Bear park, toboggan ride, zip lining, some kind of coaster, helicopter flights, horseback riding, etc. But for us, we are enjoying the fresh mountain air, beautiful green trees, trees growing out of the rocks, warm breezes at times, large green meadows, driving nice roads that don't have potholes, a great beer here and there and of course Mt. Rushmore. We are very impressed by what this area offers. So glad we came here. 

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

09/08/21 Wednesday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 8 Beaver Lake Campground

09/08/21 Wednesday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 8

Beaver Lake Campground 

Custer, SD

Site I

Woke up to the first full day here and Barry has been up and has my tea ready. Love that man! Beautiful weather outside and breathing the morning mountain air is incredible. Just hearing the wind in the pine trees is very soothing. 

Today was a utility day. We had to drive to Rapid City to pick up the RViBrake3 for the jeep. It was a little more than an hour drive. Obviously not on our list of fun things to do but we enjoyed the drive and seeing country we would normally not see. 

Highway 16 is the main highway from Custer to Rapid City. It's also the highway that Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse are on and you can see Crazy Horse from the highway. We will be visiting Mt. Rushmore tomorrow. 

Rapid City is a large one. As of 2019 the population was 75,258. It's the second largest city next to Sioux Falls. It's like Fresno and sprawls out everywhere. We picked up a few other things while we were at Camping World and headed to Target to get a new coffee pot and a few items. Our coffee pot has been leaking for a few days. Surgical strike shopping. 

We had a great lunch at Firehouse Brewing Company in downtown. The area we ate in was the bay where the fire truck was parked, pretty cool. The inside bar and eating area displayed a ton of original firehouse memorabilia. They also have a great gift shop so we picked up a few things. 

             

       

Back to camp, Adam called from our house to check in, we put our shopping bounty away and Barry built an awesome fire. We sat and discussed the day and enjoyed the fire. Nothing better than ending the day with a fire. 

Can't wait for tomorrow. 

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

09/07/21 Tuesday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 7 Beaver Lake Campground Custer, SD

09/07/21 Tuesday Mt. Rushmore Trip Day 7 

Beaver Lake Campground 

Custer, SD

Site I

Our drive from Evansville, WY to Custer, SD was an easy one, only about a two hour drive. 

Things are much greener here and it was so wonderful to see green trees. I loved the mountain formations we started to see, so different. 

We made it to our home for the next 7 days, Beaver Lake Campground.  We checked in and asked for a few recommendations for dinner. Here's where the mishap begins. We found our site which was to be a pull in with a meadow view. What we view is a big yellow tracker, a white utility truck and a huge black 10' high water tank that have been stored there for who knows how long since the grass was a few feet high around the equipment. This traveler was not happy. 

We backed in fine and got the RV hooked up. I noticed one of the women that checked me in a gold cart and decided to ask her about the equipment. She said she would ask the owner and give me a call back in about 30 minutes. Waited for about 45 minutes and called the desk and asked again. This person said they could move us to 2 sites and we checked them out. Barry was not happy so he walked to the office. I stayed behind because he is much better at dealing with these kind of issues than I am. Long story short he ended up talking to the owner and one of the workers. He convinced them to move the equipment and move it they did. Then they actually mowed the lawn. That equipment has been in that spot for a year and I can't believe no one has complained about this. There are no pictures on purpose. 

The owner later asked Barry how he was able to get them to move it. She said she has tried numerous times to get the workers to move it. If that was me they would have been jettisoned a long time ago. Anyway, she thanked Barry and wants to hire him.....yea right! Mishap resolved and we now have a view of the meadow and a nice clean site. Happy Wife, Happy Life!

We took off to find the mexican restaurant that was recommended to us and had a great mezcal margarita and food. I posted this on facebook while we were at the restaurant. Quick service and great waiters. Loved the ambiance. 

Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos

(Updated)

By the time we arrived back at the campground it was dark.  As we drove in I noticed a white jeep and an RV that looked like Harry and JeanE's (not a typo). As we got closer I saw Harry inside. We stopped, Barry got out and waved his arms in the front window like a crazy man. Harry saw him and laughed. We were invited in for that glass os Sonoma wine we were promised. We ended up staying for an hour and talked non-stop. You know when you meet someone and that connection is made? That's how it was with them and they live close to us at home. We finally left a little after 10PM. 

Good night all, tired!

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.