South Dakota Vacation
July 2007

My wife grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota. So, when her high school reunion came around in July 2007, we decided to build a vacation around it. We spent 11 days in the Rapid City and Black Hills area. Here are just a few of the hundreds of photos we took. Click on any of the photos to view a larger version.

	One of the higher points in Rapid City, South Dakota is Dinosaur Park, constructed by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in the 1930s. The park is named for the several enormous dinosaur sculptures that adorn this peak. Rapid City is divided by this and other peaks, and both sides of the city can be seen from this vantage point.
	"The Shrine of Democracy" is the actual name of the monument that everyone knows as Mount Rushmore. A friendly fellow tourist took our picture at the main viewing area in front of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Although there are numerous sites to visit in Rapid City and the Black Hills, this phenomenal monument to these outstanding leaders is probably the best known in the area.
	We returned to Mount Rushmore for an evening lighting ceremony of the monument. The ceremony included a video presentation about each of the presidents in the sculpture, a Boy Scout troup lowering the US flag and then passing it through a group of veterans, and the lighting of the monument itself. Very spectacular and very moving.
	The Crazy Horse Memorial is also located nearby. This is a privately funded project that has been under construction since 1948. Just to give you some perspective, the entire sculpture of Mount Rushmore would fit inside the head of Crazy Horse! This is a gigantic memorial and well worth the visit.
	The visitor center at the Crazy Horse Memorial has a mock up of what the completed sculpture will look like. The model and the actual memorial are pictured here.
	The Circle B Ranch Chuckwagon Supper and Western Show was a blast! The Lawson family serves a chuckwagon style dinner each night (except Sundays) in the summer to give visitors a taste of what cowboy life was like in the old west. Great food and great entertainment!
	The Needles Highway is a scenic route in the Black Hills. Along the way, there are three one-lane tunnels and drivers must honk to alert others before driving through. In this picture, there is a tour bus that is attempting to drive through the tunnel. He made it, but it was an extremely tight fit!
	After waiting on the tour bus, we experienced a heavy hail storm. This was the view inside our rental car, which sustained some minor hail damage. The storm was so strong that we had to stop driving several times down the route. Very scary on a mountain drive with several hairpin turns!
	During the hail storm, a tree was blown across the route. There's no way we were going to turn around and go uphill on a hail covered road! Fortunately, we and all of the others stuck there were able to move about an hour later. A local driver in front of us happened to have a large rope, an axe, and a saw and went to work on that pesky tree. Here are the good Samaritans rolling the tree out of the way.
	To the east of Rapid City and the Black Hills is the Badlands. We trekked through the Badlands in the middle of a heat wave in South Dakota, but it was well worth it. The scenery is stark but beautiful.
	This is another view in the Badlands.
	Through the Badlands, there are several hiking trails. We hiked along the Notch Trail and this was the view at the end of the 1.5 mile journey. This picture doesn't do justice to the actual view, but you can see a little bit of what we saw.
	Although not in South Dakota, the Devil's Tower National Monument is about 1-1/2 hours west of Rapid City in Wyoming. This structure was featured in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 1977.
	There is a hiking trail around Devil's Tower. This view is about 1/3 of the way around the trail. One of the theories about this structure is that it may be the remains of the inside of a volcano.
	Another beautiful view of Devil's Tower.
	Mountain climbers are allowed on the tower and there was a group descending while we were hiking around it.
	At the top of the Needles Highway (the route we were on in the hail storm) is Sylvan Lake. This lake is also near the beginning of a couple of trails that go up Harney Peak. We took this photo at the beginning of our journey up Harney Peak.
	Harney Peak is the highest point east of the Rockies, elevation 7243 feet. The trail we followed climbed over 1100 feet of elevation to the top and was about 3.5 miles long. This is a view along the trail.
	Several trails, including the Harney Peak trails, intersect along the way. Here is one of those points. (Proof that we actually were there!)
	Here I am taking a break about 2/3 of the way along the trail up to Harney Peak. My calves were at the point of mutiny right about here.
	At the top of Harney Peak is a beautiful stone lookout. It's a long walk, but if you're up for it, it is definitely a great trip.
	A view from one of the windows in the lookout atop Harney Peak.
	Another couple took our picture at Harney Peak. Awesome view!
	The chipmunks were fairly brave on the top of Harney Peak. They moved about rather quickly, but found the courage to check out my backpack.
	Along the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park in the Black Hills we saw several different animals. Here is one of the many prairie dogs we saw.
	Buffalo are common in the Black Hills. As we drove the Wildlife Loop, we came across a herd of about 50 buffalo.
	More buffalo on the Wildlife Loop.