This year the girls asked us to go visit the Black Hills of South Dakota. Our first excursion into the hills took us hiking in the Black Hills national forest. We were extremely impressed with the beauty of the landscape around us.
Our next trip took us to Custer State park. It was here that we saw numerous examples of wildlife. The kids loved the two types of deer that lived in the park. There were prong horn deer eating on the prairie, as well as white tailed deer moving through the forest areas. Of course the most exciting animal that we saw was the bison, most commonly referred to as the American Buffalo. The immense size of this animal elicited looks of wonder from the girls as the bison walked around our car.
One of the favorite trips that we took was a journey deep underground into Beautiful Rushmore Cave. With a constant temperature of 58 degrees, we marveled at the gorgeous displays of calcium carbonate stalactites and stalagmites, ribbon structures, and full columns. The girls were extremely excited and grateful for this experience.
Next we journeyed to the Mount Rushmore memorial were the stone sculptures of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln are carved into the mountain. During a lighting ceremony of the sculptures, war veterans came down onto the stage as a boy scout troop took down the flag in a very moving ceremony.
The most emotional location for all of us was the Kevin Costner tatonka memorial. This center was created to educate visitors to the truth behind the incomprehensible treatment of the native americans. A sculpture of a buffalo drop is located on the grounds of this center. This sculpture depicts native americans herding buffalo over the edge of a cliff in order to more easily harvest them for food, clothing, and shelter.
On our way home from the black hills, we stopped off in the Badlands. The stratified rocks with their incredible colors were very beautiful to view and walk among.
Click on the podcast link for pictures and links to more information about the places that we visited.
