As we were heading to the end of South Dakota we visited Mt Rushmore for a few hours then headed onto Custer State Park to check out some incredible caves.
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Wind Caves National Park is the 6th longest cave system in the world. We were lucky enough to catch the last tour of the day down into the caves. The tour takes you down to about 200ft. The cave system has 140 miles of known passageways with so much more yet to be discovered. This cave is one of only two in the world that has a formation known as box-work, which is when gypsum seeps between cracks in the limestone and harden leaving cool structures poking out of the rock as the limestone erodes away.
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As we were pulling out of Custer State Park, we saw a heard of buffalo on the side of the road. Of course we had to pull over and get some pictures! After watching them roam around the area a few decided to come right up to the van and give it a good lick! haha The whole thing was such a great experience and we were able to get some epic shots to remember it. We were hoping to get to our campsite at Wrinkled RockClimbing area outside the Mt Rushmore area before dark, but our elongated stay with the buffalo didn't help. The climbing area was a great place to park and stay for the night. The best part is...its FREE.
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The following day (August 2nd) We headed into Wyoming to check out Devil's Tower. This is the first national monument ever declared in the United States. The tower is formed from an ancient pocket of magma that built up underground and eventually hardened. When the surrounding landscape eroded away after millions of years the tower, being made of stronger material, rose from the ground to a hight of 5,112 feet! We took the time to hike around the base of the tower which was about 4 miles.
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Continuing on after Devil's Tower, we tried to get up into Big Horn National Forest to find a free place to camp. The darkness and lack of good directions made it difficult to find the free site, so instead of looking well into the night, we pulled over in a parking area and spent the night.
The next morning we hopped on the road and started our way to Yellowstone!! The drives through Wyoming are amazing. Even though there is absolutely nothing for miles, the scenery is still breathtaking off in the distance. Hunger set in on the road so we pulled off in a small town called Tensleep to grab some food and coffee. At the restaurant we met another group of travelers. Ben, Brendon, Gabi, and Aiko the dog. Such a small world too because Gabi is actually from Massachusetts also!!. They also have a website for their trip (justgoclimb.com) Very down to earth people. We wish you guys the best of luck on your travels.
(Ben, Brandon, Gabi, Aiko, Alyssa, Celine, Nick)
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Took a quick dip in some mineral hot springs in the Wyoming Hot Springs State Park. Itcertainly was a great way to relax for a few hours before hopping back on the road!
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We passed through the Town of Cody and stopped to see an authentic Western ghost town. It is actually the historic location where Buffalo Bill laid out the original town of Cody. We had met a man a few days back that put us onto this secret hot spring behind the ghost town. We went to check it out and actually found it by the mans directions, but could not get to the hot spring because the old bridge that is used to cross the river is no longer there. The are was amazing tho! (even if it smelled like farts because of the sulfur! haha)
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We passed through the Town of Cody and stopped to see an authentic Western ghost town. It is actually the historic location where Buffalo Bill laid out the original town of Cody. We had met a man a few days back that put us onto this secret hot spring behind the ghost town. We went to check it out and actually found it by the mans directions, but could not get to the hot spring because the old bridge that is used to cross the river is no longer there. The are was amazing tho! (even if it smelled like farts because of the sulfur! haha)
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North Fork campground was our last stop last night in Buffalo Bill State Park just west of Cody. The bugs were intense but once we got a fire going they eased up! We ended up making more friends with these two great guys Blake and Dallas. The two friends are from Canada but are cruising through the states on their motorcycles with Sturgis Bike rally in their sites. We spent the night hanging out and drinking with them swapping stories and joking around. It made for a great night! If you guys see this, have a killer time at the rally! (stock up on them beads ! haha)
*the line in the sky is the International Space station flying by
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