Day Four

This morning we unplugged our beloved electricity and headed into the Black Hills.  First stop was Deadwood, SD, made famous by the HBO series of the same name.  We took in some museums and walked in the footsteps of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.  The town is now a gambling mecca and we had to take advantage of the cheap eats at the Miss Kitty Saloon for lunch.  We filled our afternoon and evening taking in the beauty of Mt. Rushmore.  Andy was glued to the binoculars for his first glimpse of the mountain, and the mountain did not disappoint.  There were so many things to do in  the Black Hills we decided to try to stay overnight.  We scoured the campground guide and found a few options that were open in the winter, but Nope! when we arrived they were most certainly not open.  So we headed up the hill to Custer State Park.  Learned a great lesson tonight:  always, always, ALWAYS check your detailed AAA map of an area (not just GPS).  If we had checked the map we would have seen the warning for the narrow tunnels and would not have had to back down a hairpin turn, on the side of a cliff, alone in the dark.  Andy is the best co-pilot ever, and walked beside the motorhome, yelling directions the whole way.  After that fun the kids were ready to return to civilization, so we are camping at Wal-mart in Rapid City, SD.   

Much like Wild Bill Hickok, Kristen never saw it coming.



It's a good thing she captured him later.



Beneath each flag is the state or territory's name and the year it joined the US.  Kristen recited each one to us.

Ice and snow strikes again.  No hiking on Mt. Rushmore today.