Friday, June 4, 2021
We said our goodbyes to a very nice couple we meet from small-town South Dakota, left Lake Herman State Park, and hit the road. Our destination was a KOA in the Black Hills, near Hot Springs, South Dakota. Hours more of beautiful farmland until we crossed the Missouri River (many insects sacrificed their lives on our windshield). Then the landscape became hillier and, in addition to farms, we saw cattle grazing land.
From experience, we have found KOAs, and indeed many commercial campgrounds, to be crowded and often noisy. We were pleasantly surprised, then, when we arrived at the Hot Springs KOA – though the campground is close to the highway, the sites for the RVs are behind a hill in a forested area. There was reasonable space between campsites and our neighbors were quiet and respectful of others. The staff here did everything they could to be pleasant and accommodating. This turned out to be a good choice for Shabbat.
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Shabbat was long (8:12 – 9:25, thank Chabad for having a website with the starting and ending times for Shabbat everywhere in the US as listed by zip code and/or city; we also check “myzmanim”) but peaceful and restful. A walk around the grounds was 1/3 of a mile (the campground brochure said), so we were able to walk and stretch our legs (3 times x 3 rounds each). Our traditional RV travel Shabbat meals are salad followed by salmon patties and couscous or rice. Though we brought with us a box of matza, many of them came broken. We were able to find frozen OU dinner rolls at a Walmart that could be heated in our oven, and we bought a few packages. It’s not difficult to find rolls with a hashgacha but finding ones that are not pre-cut is a challenge. We have small bottles of Kedem grape juice that taste more like prune juice but serve the purpose.
Sunday, June 6, 2021
A beautiful day. We drove to Wind Cave National Park, another addition to the list of national parks we have been fortunate to visit.
We chose not to take a tour of the cave. Masks are not required and although people who are not vaccinated are requested to wear them, there is no way to check. We have been to other caves (Mammoth, Jewel, Lehman, Carlsbad Caverns) and we know that because the lighting in caves is dim, and cave paths and steps are uneven and often wet and slippery, walking for one hour+ with a mask would be a challenge. And we figured not many people would do it.
But we read the exhibits. A few facts about Wind Cave National Park:
- Located 10 miles north of the town of Hot Springs, South Dakota in western South Dakota.
- Declared a national park by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903; the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world.
- One of the longest caves in the world, with over 149 miles of explored cave passageways, as of 2018.
Although people tend to go only for the cave tours, there are wildlife and stunning trails. We saw a whole lot of bison – there is a bison herd of 350 here – and prairie dogs (they really are cute). Above all, much of Wind Cave’s 28,295 acres is rolling grassland, pine forests, and hills. It includes the largest remaining natural mixed-grass prairie in the U.S.
It is hard to put into words the sheer beauty of these open plains and prairies against the backdrop of the hills. We can imagine what the original settlers felt when they came to this area.
We had two very enjoyable hikes above ground: Prairie Vista Trail (prairie and grasslands) and Elk Mountain Trail (grassland and forest). After so much rain in Iowa, where we could only walk on roads and pavement, we were finally able to take hikes in the woods on real trails.
On the way back to the KOA (we decided to take it for another night), we shopped for a few food items that we needed and then walked the Freedom Trail in the city of Hot Springs, along the Fall River.
The Black Hills of South Dakota are amazingly beautiful. This is the third time we have been in this area and we are hard pressed to think of another part of the U.S. we enjoy more. A few weeks just touring the Black Hills would not be excessive.
Monday, June 7, 2021
We really loved being in the Black Hills so we decided again to stay another day. The Elk Mountain Trail that we hiked yesterday started inside the Wind Cave National Park campground. The campground was so far away from everything, quiet and secluded, that we decided to stay there for the night. Being in a national park and having a Seniors Pass allows us to stay for 1/2 price, $9.00. No amenities, just a foresty place to park, and sleep, and worth every penny.
Since we had an extra day, we drove to Custer State Park, just north of Wind Cave National Park. Many years ago, we stayed here with the kids in a cabin inside the park. Our most memorable experience was that we drove the very sharp, winding roads in a very thick fog. So thick was the fog that we passed cars and a truck who had driven off the road.
Today the weather was clear and beautiful. We checked out of the KOA and drove down a gravel road for 4.4 miles, all farmland, to the Visitors Center of Custer. There are surely better ways to enter the park but this is the way Waze took us – it looks, we guess, for the shortest route, or the first place to turn, and if that means four miles of gravel, so be it.
Still twisty roads, but no fog. Sunshine and pleasant.
At the Visitors Center we watched an interesting 20-minute film about the park – part commercial for the park, part informational. Upon the advice of a ranger, we drove along a very scenic road to Sylvan Lake.
The road passes around the Needles part of Custer: huge spires of eroded granite pillars, towers, and spires – and a favorite of experienced rock climbers – that tower above the placid lake and surrounding forests. A first for us: At just under 10 feet our van was too tall to go through one of the tunnels on the Needles Highway, so we had to take the long way around.
But the views were still fantastic.
Sylvan Lake was crowded. The local population comes for beaches and boating and easy hiking. Though disappointed with the size of the crowd we started walking a popular hiking path around the lake, but then…. We found a turnoff to a less traveled trail, the Black Elk Peak Trail. It was rustic and beautiful, though also a bit strenuous as there was a rather steep incline. The pictures tell the story.
On our way to the campground, we passed a heard of buffalo. Both Custer and Wind Cave parks actively encourage the re-population of the species, and are zealous in their protection of this huge (can weigh up to 2,000 pounds) and extremely powerful animal.
At one time the buffalo numbered in the millions and were an important part of American Indian culture. They used the bison (also known as buffalo) for food and clothing; they made tools out of the bones, water sacks out of the bladders, and tepees out of the skins. It was the white man (can we say that nowadays) who came and hunted for sport leaving the carcasses to rot.
In numbers: from 25-30 million bison in the 16th century, to less than 100 in the 1880s, to 500,000 today.
When you see a live buffalo, you see a noble beast.
We stopped at Stockade Lake to take a photo.
Once at Elk Mountain campground we found a comfortable spot (our new neighbor is a wild turkey walking around), made dinner (not turkey), showered (remember there are no amenities so all of our conveniences are built into the RV), and settled in to write today’s post. Currently it is thundering and periodically lightning, but no rain as of yet. Regardless, we are comfortable and cozy in our home on wheels.
Tomorrow we head out towards Kansas.