Mt Rushmore to the Balands

Mt Rushmore to the Badlands SD
I woke up early after seeing Mt Rushmore so that I could visit the Jewel Cave east of Custer SD. I had come this way the day before but did not stop as I wanted to get to Mt Rushmore before dark. So off in the Jeep I went to do some spedlunking. I arrived for the first tour of the day and was excited to get started. Jewel as I told you is the second longest cave in the world and sits on just three acres of surface land. There are 150 known or explored caverns and they somehow estimate that this is only 15% of what is there. The cave has been known since about 1900 but because of its remoteness has not been really explored since 1959. That’s not really so long ago. There are cavernous rooms that I saw that are 150 feet high and 200 feet long with corridors and passages that lead to hundreds of different levels. This is why the cave occupies so little surface area. It was great to see all of the crystal formations. They really are unique.
After that it was on the road again and as I finally hit the freeway again (Hwy 90 east) the wind was really picking up. Well at least it was not the cross winds I was getting out of Mt Rushmore on Hwy 16.
I bypassed Sturgis on my way but I don’t imagine 200,000 Harley Davidson motorcycle riders would have appreciated my Trek going slowly down the two lane roads in front of them. I really have seen a lot of them on the road here as this is where they have their annual rally.
I was going down the road and what should I spy with my little eye but signs for Wall Drug. Now this is a really famous drug store which I made a mistake of saying it was a husband and wife pharmacist ( only Mr. Hustead was a pharmacist) bought in the 1930’s. Their little pharmacy was not really doing so well until Mrs. Hustead told her husband that the people traveling on the they Hwy 16 just a block away from the pharmacy were not stopping and it was hot, really hot in SD in the summer (remember no ac in cars then). So they decided to put up signs offering free ice water to the travelers who would stop at Wall Drug in Wall SD. The rest is history and now it occupies over a block of city space and is really a miniature Knotts Berry Farm. While there I had a chance to post some blogs with pictures and to call Bev. She was in the pool with Christopher so I know it must be hot in Redlands. It seems that Vera is home now with Caitlyn (now I am spelling it correctly). So I guess the newest family member and mom are doing fine.
I left Wall SD and decided to take the scenic route thru the Badlands of SD. Boy am I glad I did. Really neat mountainous formations with lots of layers of red and yellow. I had to rush it so tomorrow I am taking the Jeep back to the fossil area before I leave here.
Well this has been one heck of a day.
After I settled in the campground I took Scruffy for a walk and he really is adventuresome when the sun goes down. He also loves the grassland area we are in because he can crouch down and see over the grass and therefore he thinks that no one can see him.
Well time for bed and I think that I may be sleeping in tomorrow.

1 The Badlands
2 Badlands and the Grasslands
3 Scruffy at the Badlands
4 Deer at teh Badlands