2012 June 14-16 Custer Crazyhorse Campground, Custer, SD

2012 June 14 - 16

After our adventures in Box Elder becoming residents of South Dakota, we moved along the highway, heading west, and south. Our plan was to visit Mt Rushmore and see the sights while heading to Badlands National Park.

We did indeed see Mt Rushmore, but only from the highway. Poor planning on our part. The traffic was similar to heading into an event like a football game. Apparently, arriving on a Saturday in late June was an error. We decided to forgo the slow moving line up to the $11.00 parking area and simply view the monument from the road. Perhaps we will time our next visit more carefully. Truth be told we were both more enamored of the beauty of the mountains surrounding Mt Rushmore, than we were of the monument itself. I am sure when we do finally get to visit the site we will be enthralled. But, given the temperatures, it didn't seem like a feasible option, especially with Greyla's participation. So, we took some photos from the highway, amused ourselves checking out some cool rocks and vistas, and continued along the highway.

We had a phone call as we drove from our friend, Sue Johnson. That Saturday was the day she and her sister were participating in something called "Urban Dare" in Pittsburgh and when she emailed to ask if I would be available to help answer questions, I had said yes, all the while forgetting the time difference between Pittsburgh and South Dakota. So, when she called, we were on the road, I was driving and unable to be of much help. I feel kind of bad because, if there had been somewhere to pull over so that I could've accessed the internet, I think I would've been able to answer the Meryl Streep - Pierce Brosnon question and give them the correct restaurant address. Sue, next year we promise to be more helpful!

We headed toward the Crazyhorse Monument, next. We ended up not going into the actual site there either, mostly because it seemed too much money to spend to see something as yet unfinished, at $20 per vehicle. Again, as with Mt Rushmore, we saw it at a distance, from the highway, and were satisfied.

We found a campsite at Custer - Crazyhorse Campground and decided to stay put for a few days. The campground itself was interesting, in that, many of the sites were terraced. I'm hell in reverse to begin with, but backing into a terraced site was way more challenging  than what I was accustomed to. In any case, it was a pleasant park and we were close to both the pool and showers. The site offered little in the way of shade, though, which caused the next oops moment. 

I was following, in my wonky camp chair, the path of shade as it moved along the rear and side of our RV. I moved at what, in hindsight, proved to be a bad angle, with regard to my chair which slants to the left, and the hillside of our terrace, also a leftward slant. As I sat, I realized that the chair was more unstable than usual and in that moment, also realized that I was going to to roll down the embankment alongside our terraced parking spot. It was about a twelve foot roll. Than goodness I had the presence of mind to hold my head away from the ground, or I might have smacked my head on some large rocks. As it happened, all I got was a couple bruises, injured pride, and a very surprised dog. Poor Greyla stood at the top of the slope, wondering what the heck Mom was up to, and if this was some new game, why was she tethered?

After that experience, I am a lot more cautious about how I place my wonky chair! Looking forward to possibly getting some new chairs at the end of season sales, too.

Now we would head to Badlands National Park. I remember my niece, Hannah, talking about how cool she thought SD and the Badlands were when she visited there, so I was looking forward to the experience.