Another Day

Sorry there was no blog for a while, we were exploring the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota, and theres not a lot of cellphone towers around…

Wednesday morning we awoke in the Badlands, buffalo circling our campground, and we decided to take a walk up a nearby hill to enjoy the view…and it was well worth it. Afterwards we made our way from the Badlands over to Mt. Rushmore. However before we could leave the park a buffalo stepped out in front of us and would not let us pass…Andrew was on his bike next to the van and felt a little uneasy with the

buffalo 15 yards in front of him snorting and growling at us.

Mt. Rushmore was cool, but the curvy roads and scenic views made the trip! After Mt. Rushmore we ventured into the Black Hills to find a place to sleep for the night. The Black Hills N.F. has an extensive dirt road system, and any National Forest land permits dispersed camping, so as long as your not blocking the road your good. It wasn't long  before we found a turnoff that suited our needs: Plenty of room for the van, a nice spot for a fire pit and right next to babbling brook - not to mention a  whitetail hanging out near by. After setting up camp, the twins went for the brook with fishing poles and I hung back at the van. They didn't have much luck with the fishing, but luckily I had some hotdogs waiting when they got back. After a small fire we hit the sack for the night.

Thursday morning we hit the road towards Wind Cave N.P. We drove up, up, and up through the roads of Custer S.P. and then down, down, down and arrived at Wind Cave N.P. Lots more Bison, Pronghorn and deer to see at Wind Cave N.P., but the real treasure lays beneath. We got to the visitor center and decided to take a one and a half hour tour through the middle level of Wind Cave. 

Before entering the cave we got to see the only natural entrance to the cave. It is there that we found out while it's called Wind Cave; coming out of the natural entrance the wind was blowing about 30 mph. In the cave you cant feel the wind at all, but when you leave the cave and exit out the elevator you have to enter the wind lock room. Once inside the room you have to push with your body weight to open the door to the cave you were just in because the wind is creating a vacuum so strong. The cave has hundreds of miles of passageways and they are still digging; The Cave is  the most complex and 6th longest cave in the world. 

After the tour we made some mac and cheese and hotdogs in the parking lot and then set off towards the the black hills once more. We found a place to camp for the night after driving for 30 miles on dirt roads. We once again found a perfect little place in between some babbling brooks. Andrew made a fire and some ravioli and we all talked for a while then hit the hay. 

This morning (Friday) we woke up and Jon made us some pancakes. Jon had bathed in the near by stream last night so I decided to do it this morning…even after I heard Jon's screams from the frigid water. When I stepped in I understood, it was just above freezing, I found myself losing my breath, but the feeling of being clean was great. Andrew followed suit. After we finished drying some clothes we took off for the town of Spearfish. The best way to Spearfish is through the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. The road is surround by 1000 foot cliffs and you have to duck down in the car to see the top. Along the way we stopped and Jon and Andrew fished in the perfectly clear water running alongside the road. Andrew caught a trout right off! 

When we got to Spearfish we spent quite a lot of time walking in and out of antique stores, one in particular. And thats where we are now, in Spearfish typing the blog while we have cell service and getting ready to head into the Black Hills one last ti

me to find a campsite near some water. Fishing in store for tomorrow before heading to Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

Crazy Horse

The natural cave entrance

-Adam