Black Hills of South Dakota

Arrived around noon today, after checking in and out of another campground which was extremely crummy despite a great write-up in the AAA book. So, we're in another KOA.

Went to the Gustav Borglund Museum today and learned about the sculptor who designed and built Mt. Rushmore. He also designed the swimming medals for the Olympics and was the original designer of Stone Mountain, though another sculptor finished the Georgia carvings. We had heard that it was a good introduction to the presidents, and found it very a valuable prelude to Mt. Rushmore tomorrow.

Had some excitement on the way. Let me start the story by stressing that I'm always the navigator. I have a fabulous sense of direction, and I plan and study maps, so we hardly ever get lost. Steve just lets me do it. I try to get him to pay attention, to the planning, but he doesn't. I just tell him which way to go.

So, on the way to the Borglund, when we spotted a coffee shop across the street, Steve made a couple of his famous U-turns, one of which was across what they call a four and highway here (it really isn't). We are in Custer, SD, population 1,100. Custer is like Mayberry, so an old dude in a dirty white pickup truck doing two consecutive U-turns was probably pretty exciting for Officer Barrick. Steve got a written warning and, even better, got to sit in the cruiser for a lecture...but no ticket. The really funny part about it is that the officer asked him where we were going, and he didn't know. When he remembered that it was some museum, he couldn't remember exactly which one. And I had picked a roundabout scenic route through the mountains, rather than the boring highway we had just driven, but Steve didn't know that, so the cop didn't believe him because he thought we were going in the wrong direction. I thought it was hilarious. I wish he had asked officer Barrick if we could take a picture for our blog.

So the museum was great, the cop thing was entertaining, and the drive home down SD 16A was just spectacular. This amazing road was designed by Peter Norbeck, a SD governor and US Senator. It's extremely narros, and along the narrow, winding road are wooden bridges that form a switchback - you go under the bridge, then make a 180 degree turn up a steep hill over it. It's hard to describe, but is some kind of engineering genius. There are also 3 low, square, narrow stone tunnels, one of which has a distant view of the presidents through a clearing in the trees at the end of the tunnel. There are several places to stop and view the hills and valleys. We saw some families of mother and baby turkeys, a mountain goat, and some deer. No bison, though.

All in all, a great day.