Exploring in South Dakota

Thank you for reading this week’s post, Exploring in South Dakota. This week again has been phenomenal!
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Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
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A last sunset from Missoula.

What we wanted to see after leaving Missoula was the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. I’ve always been way more sympathetic to the Indians than to Custer, and wanted to see where this last major battle in the inevitable defeat of the natives happened.

The National Cemetery at the Little Bighorn Battlefield site.

We didn’t realize it’s a national cemetery, too.

Memorial marker where a Sioux warrior fell.

Memorial marker where a US trooper fell. The Little Bighorn River is below in the distance.

Part of the Indian memorial at the battle site.

In the recent past the Indians have been able to add their side of the story to the monument- they were fighting for their homes and way of life. Although there’s a tragic undertone to the site, physically it’s magnificent and the realness of what happened here makes it a very worthwhile visit. We were both glad we went.

Sunset, Hardin Montana.

We stayed at a campground in Hardin that night, where the sunset, always a miracle, was close to spectacular.

They need no introduction.

Our next stop was the Black Hills, in southwestern South Dakota. Every year for the past 81, there’s a motorcycle rally in Sturgis in August. There had to be 20,000 motorcycles there. We walked right into the middle of it. I’m not a big crowd guy, and when the crowd is motorized loud, well, let’s just say I thought my timing awful. Plus, all the prices were jacked up.

Sunset, Belle Fourche, South Dakota.

In spite of that we took a scenic if loud drive through the gorgeous Black Hills, terminating our first day in South Dakota at Mt. Rushmore. The scale of the sculpture makes it worth seeing. But again, sympathizing with the Indians, the Black Hills were sacred to the Sioux. Putting that sculpture there was a giant “up yours.”

We had been advised to visit Custer State Park. The wildlife drive is like an African safari, although ours had thousands of motorcycles. Even with that- incredible. Hundreds of bison, antelope, deer, and hordes of prairie dogs greeted us. At the end of it we entered Wind Cave National Park, and bought tickets for a Wind Cave tour.

According to their legends, the ancestors of the Sioux came from under ground through this small hole.

The Sioux creation story involves their ancestors coming out of a small hole in the ground, in the Black Hills. The site was, and is, their most sacred place. Now it’s where our tour was- into the very same cave, one of the world’s largest cave systems.

The cave is narrow inside.

Tourists look at the “box” formations on the ceiling of the cave.

Susan poses for an informal, in-cave portrait.

It’s not Carlsbad, but it was still awesome. I’ve only been in three caves, all on tours, but I can see each cave has its own unique personality. This one is highly recommended!

A bighorn sheep on a ridge at Badlands National Park.

Susan and the fantasticness.

That left Badlands National Park. An hour’s drive put us in this park. Bison greeted us immediately, followed shortly by prairie dogs and bighorn sheep. And almost unbelievable rock formations. The rock there is strange, like highly compacted mud. Water erodes it pretty easily, and carves it into grotesque and fantastic shapes. The layers of sediments from which these shapes are carved have different colors, adding to the fantasticness, to coin a word.

Susan points to “my” fossil, well above her. It’s still there!

Lots of fossils are discovered in the park. Susan and I went for a hike, and I found one.

Photographing the sunset.

Sunset, Badlands Park.

We were fortunate enough to get a campsite at the park’s campground. It was Perseid meteor shower time, so we got to see some meteors while I photographed the Milky Way. Then we wake up to the Badlands in the morning. I am so blessed!!!

Milky Way, Badlands Park.

A drive across the state followed. The speed limit on I-90 in South Dakota is a cool 80 MPH. You can cover some ground! From the state park where I type this, Iowa is one mile distant, and Minnesota maybe 35. We’ll be in another state tomorrow night.

And that’s the report for this week. Thank you again for reading the post, Exploring in South Dakota. Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.