Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park

Today the weather improved and it is actually sunny but cool in the 40's. We left early for Mount Rushmore as Beau is an early riser ( 5am this morning) and we want to beat the crowds. The last few days have seen rain and fog, so you can't see the monuments clearly, so I expect a rush today. We did get there early after our continental cuisine breakfast and the weather cleared nicely to a high pressure blue sky with white wispy clouds, but the wind chill stung my Florida ears and gave me a runny nose.

Mount Rushmore monument is very impressive. I was also impressed by the many granite needle outcroppings on the mountains around the statues. We hiked up the trail to get as close as possible to the carvings and saw them from lots of angles, I think we have about 47 different views on the camera. Saw some big horn mountain sheep just below the monument.

Went to the museum and theater and found it very interesting how they did the granite carving back in the 20's and 30's, a real accomplishment that took 14 years to complete.

After Mount Rushmore we took the scenic Iron Mountain Road ride through Custer Park . Lots of very narrow one lane road and one lane tunnels. One tunnel was so small I was afraid the van would not make it through without scraping the sides and top! Lots of hairpin curves going down 9% switchbacks and no guardrails in some spots. One oops and you can go straight down, until you hit a 200 year old ponderosa pine that is.

The weather was perfect and we encountered a few heard of wild bison feeding with their young calves along the road. There were a few scenic turnouts inhabited by wild burros that came right up to your window for a handout. They had the begging routine down pretty good, almost as good a Beau but we had nothing to give them. They would wait about 10 seconds and if they didn't get a treat would trot down to the next car .

Lots of antelope, white tail and mule deer in the fields on the drive. The rolling hills are carpeted in green and look like a vast golf course, without the sand traps and golf carts that is. We were constantly pulling over to view antelope, bison and in one area prairie dogs had established an entire community on both sides of the road. One sentry per mound, each mound a mini-volcano in the grassy fields among the hills.

Ended the day with an excellent sandwich at a little gourmet shop in Custer City washed down with a local dark ale called Moose drool......appetizing!

Tomorrow is supposed to rain all day, so we will probably stay at the motel complex and swim in the indoor pool, shoot some pool and maybe play some drizzle tennis or basketball.

The parking lot last night looked like a Harley Motorcycle Dealership and I had to restrain beau from peeing on the bikes, probably not healthy for either of us.

We leave for Jackson Hole after tomorrow and I hope it warms up for hiking in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

Jim, Suz and Beau