The Wildlife Loop Road, Custer State Park

After spending most of the day at Mount Rushmore, we decided we would come back to the campgrounds to relax for a bit, then drive the 18 mile Wildlife Loop Road before it got dark, hoping to see a lot of wildlife along the way.

We started out later than we should have, since there were tours other caravan tours that started at 6 and we wanted to avoid those, plus, we wanted to make it back in time for the presentation at the campgrounds (about prairie dogs) so the kids could get their Jr. Rangers booklets filled out, but we were still able to see a lot before the sun went down.

The first area we came to was the prairie dog towns, and they made us laugh.  We would later learn more about these little critters at the evening ranger presentation, and they were pretty entertaining to watch.  My favorite, was the guy with the mustache.  I still laugh out loud when I look at the photo, thinking of the kids in the truck, giggling as they saw a prairie dog with a mustache!  He was a highlight for sure!

There was a ton of deer in the park!

Looking out at the prairie dog town

This little guy was 'barking' at us.

We learned that they are ALWAYS busy eating!
They also do not drink water, they get water from plants, roots and grass.

Twins. :)

This guy stood very still...

He made us all laugh because he looked like he had a mustache with all the grass in his mouth!

 

Turkey for you, turkey for me...

The burros were very friendly.

The sunset was beautiful!

A bison on the hill.

Prong Horn Antelope

It was a beautiful evening to take a drive along the loop.  Once we arrived back at camp, we attended the prairie dog informational discussion and then got all situated for bed.  We were pretty tired from our busy day!

Mount Rushmore and More

This morning the kids woke up bright and early.  They were not begging for food and were in a good mood, so I decided I would try and slip a little school work in first thing, before everyone else was awake.  I didn't pack everything for this trip, only Math, Spelling and Language/Reading, so it didn't take up too much time.

We got enough accomplished, and soon they were playing with sticks, collecting pine cones, chasing rabbits and doing what ever else kids do while camping, while I started working on breakfast.

Derrick's dad came over and manned the pancakes while I cut watermelon and made a few other things so we could all enjoy a nice, big breakfast together before going to see Mount Rushmore.

The kids were VERY excited to have pancakes.  I swear, campfire + s'mores + pancakes = the perfect camping experience for them!

After breakfast we loaded into the truck and headed towards the scenic drive along Iron Mountain Road to see Mount Rushmore.  The scenic drive promised to be one of the best in the Black Hills.  It connects Mount Rushmore to Custer State Park and has twisted "Pigtail Bridges" and tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore in the distance.  

It's hard to see, but every tunnel was positioned to showcase Mount Rushmore in the distance.

Pretty impressive!

I had to grab a photo of the GPS to show how twisty the road was!

The pigtail turns made it an interesting drive.

From the main highway you could see the faces clearly.

We parked in the parking ramp ($11 parking fee), tied Eli in my wrap and headed in to get an up close view as well as learn a little about the monument.  The sunshine was warm, but it was actually a pretty mild and pleasant fall day.  Once inside, we immediately went into the gift shop to get the kids some Junior Ranger booklets (so they could complete it to get a badge to add to their collection) and get our National Parks Passport stamped before exploring.

  

Everett wore his favorite Mount Rushmore shirt especially for the visit!
(It was a bargain; only 50 cents at our local DAV thrift store)

Ethan, with a bust of the artist, Gutzon Borglum

My four guys, with the four guys on the hill.

Me and my buddy, Eli.

Part of our experience involved a Ranger lead discussion of the history of the monument as well as a short hike up some stairs to get a closer view.  The discussion was pretty interesting (located in the Sculptor's Studio) and provided a lot of answers for the kids' booklets.  We learned a lot, and one of the things I found most interesting was that the sculptor used dynamite as the main carving tool.  He was so precise with using dynamite he could get within inches of the desired result, and nearly 90% of the monument was sculpted using this technique.  Crazy!

Inside the Sculptor's Studio is a scaled model of the monument plans.

After exploring, we went back to the gift shop to turn in the kids' booklets.

They were all sworn in as Junior Rangers and given badges.

Inside the gift shop area was a lot of info as well as a few informational movies for learning more about the workers.

Can't forget the penny machine.

On the way back, we drove by the Crazy Horse Memorial.  We were pretty tired from the day, so we didn't stop to check it out, but it did look pretty impressive, and if they ever get it completed, it's going to be huge!  Maybe next time we are out this way?

On the way back through the park, the kids begged Derrick to stop and grab more firewood.  He is like a little kid sometimes.  After we got back to the campground, we took some time to eat the beef roast, carrots and potatoes that were cooking in the crock pots all day and take time to unwind before we got back in the truck to drive the Wildlife Loop Road.  The kids played football with Grandpa Ernie and I enjoyed watching from the hammock with Eli.