Custer State Park and Mt. Rushmore

Odometer - 2373

We were up by six this morning and on the road by 7:30. We headed for Custer State Park, the 2nd largest state park in the country. They have a Wildlife Loop Road which we took in order to catch sight of buffalo. We were scanning the hills with binocs while Robert drove, trying to see some. Just as we thought we were going to be disappointed, we rounded a turn and there was a whole herd of them! Some were so close we could have touched them. They even took up the road so no one could go anywhere. It was fascinating to see huge aniumals in the wild so close.

After Custer, we drove the Iron Mt. Road to Mt. Rushmore. There were more hairpin turns than I could count but the road had spectacular views. I was impressed by the whole prsentation at Mt. Rushmore. It's a beautful park and well laid out. The statues are amazing. They first thought of sculpting them in order to bring tourists to SD. When they contacted the artist, Gutzon Borglum, he suggesting changing from western heroes like Bill Cody to presidents. He wanted Rushmore to reflect the glory and heritage of the USA. He was right!

I have to say I've experienced quite a variety of beds this trip. The best was a Holiday Inn in Nebraska. The worst was a tie between a Comfort Inn in Illinois and a Best Western in SD. But tonight we're also in a Best Western and this bed looks very comfortable. I didn't realize that a lot of these hotels are franchises so the quality, despite the name, varies.

As far as coffee goes, I've had some of the worst I've ever tasted. None of it is as good as good ol' Dunkins. No wonder America runs on it! Two mornings ago, I had what was the lightest brown watery coffee I've ever seen - and I like coffee weak. But this was ridiculous! Ugh.

We've also had quite a variety of meals. Some hotel restaurants are horrid. Some local cafes are great. Some (like last night in Custer) are not so hot. Tonight's meal in the Best Western was delicious - especially the raspberry bread pudding. So there's no way to predict. One thing that's for sure is that you have to be flexible. That's the name of the game! It could take us 1 hour or 7 to get to where we need to go each day...