Beyond the Badlands
Custer Capers
The Ranch
- Hitting The Wall
- BlackHillsUnderground
- Wild Life
- More Rushes
- Corny
We spent 3 nights in Custer State Park, each one uniquely different. The Park offers mountain vistas, wildlife drives, lots of fun activities, restaurants, and shops.
On the northern end of the park we drove the Needles Highway, 11 miles of hairpins and tunnels with only inches of clearance. Truly spectacular views with every turn! At the end of the highway lies Sylvan Lake Lodge, where we stayed the first night.
The next night, we "roughed it" and Kathy booked a "sleeping cabin" at Legion Lake (top of page photo). Basic accommodations plus a campfire ring - we planned a cookout. As with the rest of the week, showers sprang up in minutes and made us dodge the raindrops trying to keep the fire going.
I called this our "toolbox picnic" because we had no utensils except my trusty toolbox in the car. So we chisled open cans and used screwdrivers to stir and pliers to serve.... We must have been hilarious after Kathy and I split a bottle of our favorite champagne as the storm lifted for the sunset.
I can't drive by signs that say "overlook" and this one didn't dissappoint. From this spot you could see Mt. Rushmore over 12 miles away! The shot above is actually the Crazy Horse Monument - that bright spot in the center is the face (the only part complete). With the typical "25 cent" binoculars mounted on the observation tower, you could see the details quite clearly.
Our last night in Custer we stayed at the State Game Lodge, previous Summer White House to Calvin Coolidge and Dwight D. Eisenhower. We had an excellent dinner in the Pheasant Dining Room as NBA scores were being phoned in regularly to the front desk (still no NBC...)
The Arts & Crafts era lodge featured many fieldstone hearths and Mission Oak.
Links:
Custer State Park
Custer Resorts
Crazy Horse
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