After leaving Mt. Rushmore late in the day we headed south to Custer State Park where we set up camp for three nights at the Sylvan Lake Area of the park. On our first full day we set off on a seven mile hike to Harney Peak (Elevation 7242 feet- the highest point in the park area). In the first picture you can see the peak of the mountain in the distance. We started the hike at the lake (Elevation 6145 feet). At this elevation its hot (even at 68 degrees) when the sun is shining but drops about 10-15 degrees when you hit an occasional shady spot. Most of the hike was in the Black Elk Wilderness area which is adjacent to the park. The hike was moderate in difficulty with the only serious climb, the last half mile which brought us up to the tower. There were some spectacular views on the way up and down. There was some restoration work being done on the tower when we got there, and all materials and tools were brought up by horseback, the same as when the tower was originally constructed decades ago. On the trek back we took the trail that connects to Little Devil’s Tower (the big one awaits us in a few days when we hit Wyoming) and Cathedral Spires, two key scenic spots. Once we got back to Sylvan Lake we were really pooped but Apollo was quickly rejuvenated with a swim in the lake. Back at camp we made our grass-fed steak over an open fire with some nice wine.

On day two we headed towards the south end of the park and took the Wild Life Loop where we saw Buffalo, Pronghorn Antelope, and just regular Ringwood style deer and wild turkeys. Later in the day we went to the Jewel Cave National Monument west of Custer, SD. The complex consists of 160 miles of caves and they discover 4-5 miles of new ones each year. Joanne got a chance to try out her new Nikon 50mm lens in the bowels of the earth. Afterwards we went to Custer where bought some Buffalo sausage at the local grocery. That night we decided to have dinner out at the Sylvan Lake Lodge. We each had Elk chop which ,when prepared rare, is excellent. This will be our meat of choice for awhile.

 

Jewel Cave

Elk for Dinner

Before heading off to Wyoming we visited the Crazy Horse Memorial which is an amazing project that was begun in 1947 by the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, and is being continued by his wife and seven of his children. Carved into the mountain is the largest sculpture in the world. At present, the head of Crazy Horse has been completed and work is in progress on his horse. Today, modern blasting and construction equipment is moving the project faster but it is still decades away from completion This in no tourist trap. It is an earnest and sincere endeavor. There is a wonderful museum on the premises and the Indian University of North America is in the early stages of completion. The entire project is funded by private donations. We were fortunate to see a performance by Sitting Bull’s  grandson Jumping Buffalo who did four traditional Sioux dances. He spoke passionately about the sacredness of the Black Hills.

 

Jumping Buffalo