At the end of Part One, I mentioned we did all those activities and also had some good eats. Thanks to recommendations, we were able to add a few “foodie” places while in the area. When we were on the Great Loop, we often searched out good eats, especially when traveling with Chris & Roger aboard Betty Gail. We had some very memorable meals and scrumptious bakery goodies too! Here’s a picture of one of our great stops.
After our day driving the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway, hiking around Sylvan Lake, and visiting Mount Rushmore, we headed over to Custer for a superb dinner at Skogen Kitchen. Each dish was delicious. The four of us shared bites of each other’s selections. For starters we tried the chef’s recommended carrot soup (so creamy with a burst of flavors), a burrata salad, and shishito peppers. Then the entrees: Duck Leg on top of a creamy sweet potato puree, Roasted Halibut, Cavatelli with Morel Mushrooms, and Filet Mignon with potato au gratin. For dessert, Dave and I had a Basque Cheesecake, it makes its own crust while it bakes. Divine. Our server, Chris, was engaging and paired a delicious earthy red wine I had never heard of before with my duck leg. I am so glad I do not live near Custer as I would be a regular at Skogen Kitchen. Greg & Helen skipped dessert so we could walk down to the Purple Pie Place and they could try a slice of their homemade pies. And yes, even as full as I was, I had a bite. Who could not resist a bite of homemade cherry pie!
Ready for Day 3 of our exploration of the Black Hills? Well, when you are on the road, you still must do those mundane tasks like laundry and grocery shopping. We decided to complete those in one day surrounded around a visit to the vet for Murphy. No, nothing was wrong with Murphy, but Alaska has a specific requirement for a health certificate issued within 30 days of your pet’s arrival in the state. I was able to find an accommodating vet in Rapid City, SD just about an hour from our campground. After a drive around Custer State Park’s Wildlife loop, the four of us headed off for a full day of errands; 11 stops in total. Whew!
Unfortunately, the morning began in a light rain which was a perfect day for errands but not to see wildlife on the 18-mile loop. It appears most of the animals had hunkered down and were not out wandering the grasslands or pine-speckled hills. Helen did get a few great shots.
After completing the loop, we were off to Rapid City, just about an hour from Custer State Park. Dave and Greg dropped Helen and I off at the laundromat while they headed over for the vet appointment. After we finished those two, we headed for our foodie lunch. What? Another foodie opportunity? You betcha! After our scrumptious meals at Skogen Kitchen the night before, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Bokujo Ramen, where a Food Network chef decided to bring ramen to Rapid City. With our bellies full, we hit the road for the remaining stops. An Amazon pick up, Walgreens and CVS to pick up prescriptions, Cabela’s for hiking pants, Tractor Supply for propane, a Car Wash, Walmart, and our final stop at a Safeway for groceries before heading back to the campground. A very productive day and a foodie stop too!
With one day left at Custer State Park and so many activities to choose from – what do we do? We just happened to be in the area during a Volksmarch at the Crazy Horse Memorial. I had never heard of a Volksmarch before. It is a non-competitive 5k (3.1 miles) or 10k (6.2 miles) hike that you do with a club, your family or by yourself. The American Volksmarch Association puts on a semi-annal Volksmarch at the Crazy Horse Memorial. Unfortunately, pets are not allowed and it would have been too long for Murphy to be by himself in the Mini-T. However, Greg & Helen were able to take part in the 10k hike along with over 6,000 other volksmarchers. They noted the hike was very strenuous with many steep climbs, however, the view of the memorial from the high point was impressive. The Crazy Horse Memorial is privately funded by the proceeds from the memorial and gift shop sales. Because of this, progress at creating the world’s largest stone sculpture is slow. The visionary sculptor Korcszk Ziolkhowshi, and now his family have been working on it for over 75 years and it is less than half complete. The memorial was a vision of Chief Henry Standing Bear as a memorial to his people.
While Greg & Helen were off on their volksmarch, Dave, Murphy, and I enjoyed a 4.2 mile “Lovers Leap” hike in the hills behind the State Game Lodge, where Calvin Coolidge used as his summer White House one year.
Each morning, I take Murphy on his morning walk/hike depending on where we are. Oftentimes, Greg and/or Helen accompany us. One day at the Blue Bell Campground, which also has horse stables for guided horseback riding, we were able to watch their 65+ horses move from their pasture across the road into the stables. The cowboys fired off a few blanks and the horses knew exactly what to do…it’s breakfast time!
After watching the horses arrive at the stables, we walked up a back road and found a creek which Murphy enjoyed an early morning swim, but often he would lose his sticks as they floated downstream or get caught on the rocks and he couldn’t see them as they blended in so well.
As we enjoy our campfires and especially S’Mores, we decided to try a few variations. Here’s our first…Sour Patch Kids S’Mores. Not too bad! Murphy enjoyed a bite of marshmallow too.
We are off to our next location. I think you’ll be surprised where are next stop is.
I had no idea there was so much to see and do in South Dakota Brenda, Why did they do that to S’Mores? Dave, and finally I get to hike & swim again Murphy.
There’s so much more to see and do there than I ever knew or imagined!