Mt. Rushmore & the Badlands

The Entrance to the Memorial

We arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota this afternoon after the long drive across Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The weather has been pretty rainy and cold for June - jacket weather wherever we've been - but not too bad for driving. We actually have been making better time than we anticipated during the planning for the trip so we were able to drive up to Mt. Rushmore today after a short detour for a scenic drive thru Badlands National Park.


Not the Prettiest Day for a Photo, but you get the idea


The rain let up just as we were walking up from the parking lot so we were able to go on the "Presidential Walk" up to and around the base of the monument...only about .75 miles but a nice nature walk nevertheless. Stopped off in the restaurant to have a snack and a cup of hot chocolate - both of which tasted pretty good on a raw, rainy day.





Badlands National Park was pretty scenic too - all the recent rain had greened up the grass on the prairies so the place looked pretty lush - not exactly the usual state of things we gather. Saw a few pronghorn antelope and huge fields of prairie dogs along both sides of the road for a considerable stretch.



We plan to take a meandering scenic drive thru the Custer National Forest tomorrow, go see the Crazy Horse Memorial near Rushmore, and maybe get in a hike on one of the scenic trails in the Black Hills if the weather cooperates.