(KOA Mt Rushmore / Palmer Gulch)
Hill City, SD (14-16 Jul)
One of what is sure to be a highlight of our travels was Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. A bucket list item for both of us, we were not disappointed in the memorial or the twilight service we participated in while there. We only had a short stay on this stop due to campground availability, but we made the most of it! Ironically, this area had the most RV campgrounds per square mile than anything we have seen to date!
We learned of the lighting ceremony (read about it) and planned our first day around that. Having arrived mid-afternoon, we had several hours to wait until sunset, so we back-tracked on our drive in where we passed three brewing companies as we drove through town. Staying in character, we headed back to our first stop at the “Firehouse Brewery – Smokejumper Station.” The big discovery upon arrival and taking our customary seat at the bar was to learn they also produce their own wine! Their main store is in Rapid City and Smokejumper Station is their expansion store. Oh by the way – food here was also outstanding! I sampled a flight of beers, Tina took on the task of a wine tasting . . . we both ate!! I will also mention that their Syrah Reserve is a rightful award winner and we had to walk out with a bottle!! Saving it for a special occasion – like a stop where the temperature doesn’t hit triple digits and we can find a nice ribeye for less that $15/lb!! My guess is that will happen about the same time we find diesel for less than $5/gal! Lung capacity is small, so not holding my breath!
I digress. Shortly down the road and still on the way to Mt. Rushmore, was a place called “Sick and Twisted”, which – are you ready – also had wine tasting! They do not grow or produce their own wine, but team with a company called “Naughty Wines.” I will resist listing the names of the wines, but according to Tina, they were also tasty! I stuck with my beer and was happy with the choices! The gift store motif and items for sale were interesting to say the least and I will leave the rest to your imagination. It is not called “Sick and Twisted” for no reason!
We headed out to catch the monument in daylight. Not hard to do since the drive from camp was less than 10 miles! Our dilly dally at the craft breweries / wineries took much of the time, but we still had plenty of time to spare!
The monument is well done with an outdoor “hall” of flags from all 50 states and the U.S. Territories. The walk leads to a grand balcony facing the stone of Mt. Rushmore depicting the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The monument is a testament of the times each of the former Presidents represented in the history of our country. The evening culminated in a short presentation by one of the park rangers exuding patriotism and pride in country. The presentation was followed by a 30-minute video talking about the making of the monument and reiterating the meaning behind the President’s chosen for the memorial. The ceremony ended with the singing of the national anthem as the monument was lighted. Lastly, military and veterans were invited on stage where they participated in the lowering and folding of the U.S. flag. Very patriotic . . . very heartwarming . . .very much worthwhile! An awesome bucket list check in the block!
The next and last full day was a drive through the “Needles” and a visit to the nearby town and State Park of Custer, SD. The “Needles Drive” in the Custer State Park was absolutely indescribable! And navigating a large pickup truck through the tiny manmade tunnels carved into the stone mountains was a seat cushion sucking experience! The entire drive involved passing through three of these tunnels. I only slightly scratched one mirror on the last pass! Can’t even tell unless I told you where to look! :0)
After the drive, we stopped by another recommended place called “Burger and Bun Co” for their famous hamburgers. We were not disappointed, but we agreed that the smash burgers at Wedgewood still hold the top spot! I will add, that if any of our Grand Design Rally camping buddies remember the gas station burgers – Bun Co does top that! 😉
We also enjoyed walking around the quaint little town enjoying “Gold Rush Days” and seeing all of the traffic from attendees of the national “Three-Wheeler Rally” and a Corvette rally in the area. And for the rest of the bikers, there was plenty of traffic leading up to the Annual Rally at Sturgis in a couple of weeks!
The last stop for the day in Custer was the “Mt. Rushmore Brewing Company.” Another great spot and some great logos and sayings! Service was great and thankfully, we had already eaten as they had a great appetizer and food menu! We resisted and were able to stop with only a wee tasting of beer!
We finished our trip at the KOA breakfast hot spot for ‘all you can eat’ pancakes for only $3.50! Quite an operation and there were plenty of other offerings to include eggs, sausage and of course – BACON!! By the time we were done, the $3.50 pancakes were $25!
Speaking of KOA, this was a corporate camp and was definitely a resort! It was a large set up in and among the hills and offered horseback riding, ATV rentals, choice of 3 pools and a couple of eateries. Great spot – very popular – not cheap!
Of note, I am not kidding when I say there must be another 20 or more campgrounds in this area. Not all are equal or course and we checked out a few as we drove around. Some we would visit – some we would not! Wish we took better notes and if we find anything regarding recommendations, we will add them!
Camping up with the Joneses 