We arrived at Custer National Park had a look through the small museum and then headed up the hill to the actual site of of "Custer's Last Stand". It's quiet sobering to stand at the site look out and just imagine the bloody scene on the day. Standing at the memorial you look down at the markers which show the actual spots where the 7th Cavalry soldiers fell.
Looking up to "that" hill, Custer's last stand
A Memorial marks the site
Looking out at the markers
We then set out to drive the audio tour of the battle ground and as you drive you stop at the appropriate marker and listen to the background information of that spot.
Looking down to the where the Indians were camped
As the park is a National Memorial it also has a cemetery for veterans and seeing these all over the USA really does show the huge sacrifices made by the US military.
May they all Rest In Peace
It felt weird only staying one night and moving on the next day but we had seen what we came to see and time to move on and in reality Hardin didn't have a whole lot more to offer!
On the way to Mt Rushmore we had a lunch stop at a "biker" bar and a what a bar it was. The floor was covered in saw dust just like a butchers shop of old. The lady that ran it obviously was a biker and quite eccentric, short tie died dress, huge black glasses and covered in tattoos. It was an unusual experience and we can only imagine what goes on here during the rally.
The Bar at Alzarda
Inside The Bar
We were heading to a campground in a town called Silver City - this would put us close to Deadwood, Mt Rushmore, Sturgis and Rapid City. The Sturgis bike rally was building up but the plan was to catch up with our Aussie friends Sheree and Shaun, take a drive through Sturgis before the rally began and head off.
Our first visit was to Mount Rushmore - there is no cost to enter the park but you have to pay $11 to park your car - seems like a entry fee to me? We, like many others, parked a little further down the road in one of the pull overs and walked the short distance up the hill to take our photos.
The Famous Mount Rushmore
As Seen Through the Road Tunnel
Even the Trees Are Trimmed for Photo Shots
After Mount Rushmore we headed to Custer State Park. We rounded a corner and came across a large herd of buffalo leisurely wandering across the road which caused quite a traffic jam lasting at least 20 minutes. We had been complaining that we hadn't seen too much wildlife - Custer State Park would change that!
A Fitting Entrance to the Park
We All Gave Way to this Massive Bull
The Heard was Huge
As we continued to the town of Hot Springs we came to a junction in the road and came across a rather large colony of Prairie Dogs, not really a dog but a burrowing rodent native to North America. Prairie dogs are named for their habitat and warning call, which sounds similar to a dog's bark, hence their name.
Prairie Dogs
Animal watching done we headed to Hot Springs for a late lunch and a beer. The drive back to our trailer covered what I would say was the most beautiful countryside I have seen, just rolling green hills that went on forever and ever. It would be lovely to see it covered in snow in the winter.
Just a Quick Beer
As always we try to fit in a bush walk and to our relief the are no bears in South Dakota so we were able to ditch our newly acquired bear spay - we did however encounter a couple of snakes.
A Great Walk
Not a Well Worn Track
One of the Locals
Our initial plans to head out of the area before the Sturgis Bike Rally began were suddenly changed by a phone call and an invitation to join Sheree and Shaun at the Shade Valley Campground which is located about 10 miles out of Sturgis. We were now part of the 'film crew' for Chop De Ville. What an unexpected adventure we were about to embark on!
Posted by RnR on their IPad
Location:Hardin, Montana and South Dakota
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