Varied Skies

After a fairly quick run out to the Black Hills, our pace has slowed.  We are thoroughly enjoying all the Black Hills have to offer and taking time to relax.  We celebrated M’s 4?th birthday with a 6 pound cookie cake from Eileen’s in Rapid City (delicious), a movie (Inside Out), and a trip to one of the worst Mexican restaurants in existence (Ixtapa).

The next day, we toured Wind Cave National Park.  We missed seeing the buffalo herd, but the cave alone was worth the trip.  Wind Cave is one of the few places in the world where you can see “boxwork.”  As described by the National Park Service, “Boxwork is made of thin blades of calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings, forming a honeycomb pattern. The fins intersect one another at various angles, forming ‘boxes’ on all cave surfaces.” This picture does not do it justice.

We left the cool confines of the cave and went on a buffalo hunt across the prairie.  No buffalo here.  But we did become intimately familiar with the myriad weeds and grasses that comprise the open prairie while getting a taste of the relentless sun that confronted western pioneers. Plus, M3 and L satisfied the requirements for a Junior Ranger badge.
Adverse whether thwarted our attempt to tour Custer State Park after we left Wind Cave. Unencumbered by any particular schedule, we just went the next day. We entered the park on the Needles Highway. It may very well be the only “highway” that narrows to one lane in several places.We stopped for a hike around Sylvan lake. Beautiful.The Cathedral Spires provided a magnificent view.
From the Needles Highway, we turned on the Wildlife Loop Road. It did not disappoint. Custer SP quenched our thirst for Bison.
And even provided a reminder of the obstinate opposing counsel of my past.This guy never moved.  I guess he is waiting for Stanley to return with more Nutri-Grain bars.