Today we toured the southern Black Hills..... and it was gorgeous!! We started out by going to the Prairie Berry Winery for a wine tasting. They make some yummy wines! And the names are pretty entertaining too -- Red Ass Rhubarb, Poker Face, Lawrence Elk, Pink Slip. We walked out 7 bottles of wine richer. :) Then we headed over to do just a little shopping in Hill City. And yes, I found just one more Black Hills gold ring. Sheesh! :)
These statues were outside of one of the shops in Hill City. I thought they were pretty awesome.
Q
More on the burros soon!
Oh, and we found a rock shop in Hill City. Yes, people DO actually pay money for rocks! I used to shake my head at Judy O when she would tell me about the rocks she found. And now? Well, she's converted me. Today I picked up a white quartz and a pink quartz rock. Grin.
Then we headed for a driving tour of Custer State Park. We went in on the Iron Mountain Road.... a twisting, turning route with tunnels that were really tight!
At one of the tunnels, we actually had to pull in one of the mirrors on the truck!
At at this particular tunnel, as you exit, you have a beautiful framed view of Mount Rushmore. I snapped a pic, but it was too far away to be recognizable. However, the way the sun was shining on the monument, it was just breath-taking!
We actually passed by Mount Rushmore two or three times today -- and it never fails to impress! One of the passes, was on the back side of the monument. And despite what the tee shirts say, you do not see the president's butts on the back side of the monument. :)
Along the way, it started pouring rain and we decided that was a good time for a stop. We found this place......
The front of the place was lined with two rows of rustic rockers.... and most of them were filled with bikers! Riding in the rain isn't a whole lot of fun.
They also had donkey food! So, of course we had to buy a sack.
Because when you get to a certain point in Custer State Park, you encounter a herd of burros! Max was demonstrating how you distribute donkey food (alfalfa chunks).
Many years ago, they used burros to take people to the top of Mount Harney (elevation 7242). When they stopped that, they turned the burros loose in the park. So now they are quite an attraction!
This one was a baby that Ron O had eating out of his hand.
One family with kids had the burros sticking their heads inside the truck to get treats. Ugh.... donkey slobber!
They other major attraction in the park (besides the beautiful views!) were the herds of bison. This one was right next to the road. What majestic creatures.
The drive back was along Needles Highway. Named, of course, for the needle like rock formations along the route.
This one is called Eye of the Needle. Unfortunately the parking pull-off was tiny and full, so I got this pic as we slowly drove by. I couldn't even see the top of the darned thing!
Our final stop was at a place called Sylvan Lake. Aptly named, I think.
This is just actually one small piece of the lake, but I wanted to get the rock formations in the background.
What a beautiful, but long day. I had a serious case of TB by the time we got back to the trailers!
This evening was dinner out in Rapid City..... a yummy restaurant named Que Pasa. Loved their food. And the rest of the evening was spent giving some face time to the puppies. They've been pretty good this trip.
And just now, there is a huge thunderstorm going through the area, so it is a good night to stay inside!
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