This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Vacation 2016, Part 3
Dec
6
2016
Here’s a recap of our summer vacation. This year, it was driving to Mt. Rushmore.
Day 5
Up in the morning, another round of pancakes for breakfast, and we were off for a day of hiking.
One of the reasons I chose to stay in Custer was that it was in the middle of Mt. Rushmore (day 4), Wind Cave (day 3), and Cathedral Spires (day 5)
It was not that long of a drive to the trailhead. But to get there we had to go along a twisty scenic drive.
The weather this day was the opposite of the day before – cloudy and damp and not as warm. And that was perfect in this case because we wanted other people not to want to go hiking.
There are not many parking spots at the trailhead, so there was only one opening when we got there. It’s a big area though, so there weren’t a lot of people visible. Here’s the view at the start of the trail.
The trail started off rather foresty. Some mostly flat dirt walking path through grass and trees and lots of wild raspberries, which the boys liked being able to eat.
However, the place is not called Cathedral Spires because of the flat dirt areas. So after several minutes of hiking, it started to get rocky. And more rocky.
Then it turned more into climbing than walking. The kids were scrambling over rocks (along the marked trail, of course), and then we popped out into a flat open area. It was surrounded by the tall rock formations – the spires.
This open area was essentially the destination. So I told the kids to run around and climb whatever they wanted because when they were done we were going to turn around and head back. They found some fun places to climb.
Here’s the view heading back from the spires.
The clouds started disappearing as we hiked back, so that when we got back near the trailhead we had a bunch of sunshine.
Very scenic.
All those photos though show only the nearby rocks and trees, which is mostly what one saw along the trail. On other parts of the trail, or on the road, you can see a different view – the expanse of rolling hills.
As we drove back to Custer, I tried to get the boys to appreciate the scenery. They were mostly just hungry though. Lucky for them, our plan involved driving straight from the hike to a restaurant for lunch.
Our target: Black Hills Burger and Bun.
It’s a burger place in Custer. We got a table with no problem even though the place was busy. Nobody was brave enough to try a bison burger. I was brave enough but didn’t want to spend the extra money.
I will say that if you are in the area, stop at BHBB. I opted for the Hot Granny burger. No idea what made it that, as it was not particularly spicy nor particularly old. But that’s what they called it. I just call it good. In fact, I would go so far as to call it my favorite burger. Or, if we want to hype things up: Best burger in the nation. As voted by me.
The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping, relaxing, reading, splashing in the pool, and shopping again at local rock shops because half the kids were fascinated by all the things one could buy there.
To be continued…
“Behold, I am against you, O valley dweller, O rocky plain,” declares the Lord, “You men who say, ‘Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our habitations?'”
Jeremiah 21:13
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:40 am and has been carefully placed in the Travel category.
