Day 9 (6/28/21): Wind Cave NP & Mt Rushmore

I woke up this morning at the ATV / Snowmobile Park in South Dakota. Today, I would be going to Wind Cave National Park & Mt Rushmore as I continued to head West. I woke up around sunrise, got ready, and back on the road.

Once I arrived at Wind Cave National Park, I waited in line at the visitors center to get tickets. The line was long and they were selling out quickly so I was unsure which tour I would be able to go on. They had several to choose from. Which was a nice change from Mammoth Cave which only had one option at the time due to COVID-19. I was able to get tickets for the Natural Entrance Tour and the Fairgrounds Tour.

The Natural Entrance Tour was just as it sounds, where you enter through the original entrance of how the cave was found. As the name implies, the cave was found by an explorer who heard the wind coming out of the cave. It was an interesting tour where we saw boxwork and cave popcorn. Boxwork is formed when calcium carbonate dissolves and crystallizes in the cracks in surrounding rock. When the surrounding rock erodes away, it leaves the boxlike crystals. Cave popcorn is formed through precipitation in the limestone. Unlike Mammoth Cave, Wind Cave was much narrower, windier, and smaller passages. 

Boxwork 

Boxwork

Cave Popcorn

Cave Popcorn

During the tour, the cave was narrow, so we went single file through the cave. This was probably the most popular cave tour; therefore, the tour group was quite large. Behind me was a family with two little boys. One of them talked nonstop, but was hilarious. Constantly describing everything he saw from his perception. It felt like a personal tour guide, although with very little credibility. Most of the tour was guided through the game of "telephone" since we were single file and the guide was leading from the front. So it was everyone's duty to pass along the information from the guide to the person behind you.

Between the two tours I ate lunch and cleaned my camper. There were hikes nearby; however, parking was limited and I did not want to lose my spot. Especially driving a camper, so I stayed near the visitors center. 

The Fairgrounds tour was similar to the Natural Entrance tour; however, it was a bit more in depth and "challenging" of a tour. With more stairs, tighter spaces, no kids etc. Both were very unique and showed different parts of the cave. It was interesting to learn about all of the different entrances and how the cave is still being explored. 

After the tour was over, I headed out towards Mount Rushmore. It was not a major destination for me. However, I wanted to see it since I was in the area and it was on the way. 

I arrived there right around dusk. The entrance was free; however, parking was paid. Instead, I found a pullout about a 5min walk from the entrance and parked there. It was not worth paying $10 to be there for 15 minutes. 

It was a grand entrance with flags lining each side. I was impressed with the detail of the carvings. From facial features to eyes to hair. As I left, it was obvious that they had definitely capitalized on the turning it into a tourist attraction with gift shops, ice cream stands, restaurants, etc.

Now, it was time to find a place to park for the night. I had found a few potential dispersed camping areas on my way back. The first one I went to was small, and apparently it is a rock climbing area. I was hoping this would be an easy pick because people would be done rock climbing for the day. Once I pulled in though, it was obvious that it was also a camping area! The parking lot was a small circle with parking around it, that was quite full. I found a spot and pulled in there; however, it was on a large side hill and I wouldn't be able to stay there due to the high angle. I got out and walked around to explore other options. Not seeing any, I went on my way. 

As I was leaving, a guy flagged me down waving towards a spot. But it looked to me like it was a walkway for the pit toilet and next to a handicap spot. I was weary that I would be too big and block the handicap spot or the walkway to the pit toilet. He assured me there would be room. Between both cars I was nervous to back myself in though. So him and a few other guys around helped me back in. Low and behold, I fit! Without blocking any entrances or the handicap spot. I was parked for the night, which was a relief. It was near dusk, so I wanted to get out for a small walk to watch the sunset. 

After getting parked, I chatted with the few guys that helped me park and a few of the other people around. For the most part everyone had been there climbing that day. There was a good mix of rope and bouldering climbing. If I had my own shoes and more experience, it would have been fun to climb a little. But now I know for the future! Three of the guys who helped me park were also driving across the country as a summer road trip during college. The guy who had originally flagged me over was there climbing with his son. Then, a woman who was there with her husband and three daughters started talking to us too. They had just stopped for a few minutes to let their daughters climb as a pit stop on their way back after visiting Mount Rushmore. She was so kind and fun to talk to. Her daughters were about 8, 10, and 12. They ran off up the rock behind us and started scrambling around. We said goodbye so she could go chase after her daughters.

I went back to my camper to settle in, unpack a little (I stow everything while driving), and get ready to go on a short hike, when I heard a knock on my door. It was the mom with her three daughters! They asked if they could take a peak in the camper and of course I said yes. I love sharing my experience, especially with young girls to empower and show them what's possible as a woman. Including traveling across the country by yourself. Her girls were so smart, curious, and kind. It was wonderful to be able to share this with them. 

After they left, I was locking up my camper to head out, and a woman, her daughter, and their dog approached me. She was very interested in my travels, camper, where I was going, where I had been, etc. It came off a bit odd to me. Like she was a little TOO interested. But I quickly learned that her and her daughter had also been traveling in their mini van across the country. They had left Oregon a few months earlier and their goal was to hit every state by the end of 2021. If they didn't, they would just keep going. I asked about her daughter going to school and she said that she's teaching her on the road. We talked about how we did things on the road like cooking, showering, laundry, etc.. In hindsight, I realized that they weren't exactly nomads traveling, but more living in their car. I wish I had realized this when I was talking to her. I would have approached the conversation differently. But hindsight is always 20/20. 

After we chatted for a bit, I finally made it out for my very short hike to see the sunset.

Back in my camper after I had made dinner, I heard a lot of ruckus outside. I went outside to see what all of the commotion was about. A guy in a large converted flatbed Japanese truck was trying to tow a car out that had gone over the edge of the parking area. How that happened? I have no idea. I stood there watching, along with several other campers. We gathered together to watch. Afterwards, he went to back into a very narrow parking spot (several of us were very nervous) and he hit a huge tree branch. Finally, he made it into his spot. This was probably around 10pm. During this time, I got to know some of the other campers and learn about their travels. The driver also came over to chat. It turns out that he had converted this flat bed truck with a truck camper on top and enclosed the open spaces for outdoor storage. He had been living in it for 10+ years. It was interesting to learn about his travels, where he had been, where he was going, etc. But it made me wonder if he was lonely traveling by himself for that long. By this time, I was ready for bed.