On to the Black Hills

Tuesday, Sept 5…

Short drive today, so we began with a stop at the Minuteman Missile Historic Site due north of us. I really wasn’t terribly interested, but I became totally absorbed in the timeline/scorecard of the Cold War, and Greg ended up waiting for me at the end. I was especially surprised (more like dumbfounded) by the number of really close calls due to misinformation or miscommunication. The pic below shows part of this display (it covered 3 walls). 

Nuclear Weapons 1947-91: US - blue / USSR - red

Just after this visit, we passed several more silos of a very different variety. Not sure what's being stored, and the photo didn't turn out really well (seems faded). The deep red & blue of the machinery contrasted sharply against the neutral hay and dirt. And those silos span about 200' feet. Quite impressive!

Back on the road, it was only an hour’s drive to the Elks Lodge in Rapid City. We had a great brochure showing several scenic drive routes and chose one that included views of Rushmore and also took us through about half of Custer State Park. Several tunnels (one car at a time, thank you), lovely scenery, multiple campgrounds, and smooth roads – excellent maintenance all around. Greg was very happy. 

Sort of like stalagmites on steroids. 😃

a familiar profile

First (& brightest) of the tunnels.

Beautiful grasslands (and trees everywhere!)

BlogThought... At one point we did stop and wander around a bit. This bronze plaque was the first I'd noticed, and just reading the first sentence kind of blew my mind. Talk about an over achiever! Still, I'd say his dream to preserve the beauty of this (once wilderness) area has been well fulfilled.

Postscript... I finally checked the Internet to find out why this area is called the Black Hills. Turns out the hills are so thickly forested that from a distance they look black. I like a simple answer.