There's Gold in 'dem 'dere Black Hills - June 11

It's okay - it's a dry heat.  More 90+ degree in the Black Hills, incredible but it's very dry.
We get to Spokane Creek RV Park, just outside of Keystone SD, after a quick but curvy drive from Rapid City SD where the coach was fixed and we spent 3 hours in a service waiting room.  We are a bit tired and it's still hot so Friday is a bit uneventful.  I did manage to get the new electric step motor installed and now the entrance and egress is a bit easier.

Saturday - June 11

Saturday is still warm (90+), everyone is amazed and a bit incensed about the heat.  'This is the Black Hills and it never gets above 80.' I heard more than once.  We decide to do some indoor exploring and drive south to Hot Springs, ironic with me complaining about the heat, and take in the Mammoth Site exhibit.  A live dig covered by an air-conditioned building, perfect.

This site is a sinkhole from 25,000 years ago that unwary mammoths and other beast strayed into and became modern day fossils.  We had a great time, you actually look onto the live archaeological dig site, though no activity was ongoing while we where there it was inspiring.  In the future years they expect to go down another 40 or more feet.

On the way south we take in the Custer State Park wildlife loop drive and check out the buffalo, prairie dogs and wild burros.

In spots the highway is clogged with the beasts making for an interesting drive.  The road is also known as the Iron Mountain Highway as well as the Needles Highway and at times can be a harrowing experience with switchback and pigtails and buffalo to contend with.

Pigtails are circular portions of the road that cross over on themselves at differing elevations, sort of like a corkscrew.   Popular with bikers but not RV'rs they make for a fun drive. The tunnels are strategically placed to provide you with a view of Mount Rushmore,   This portion of the highway was engineered by Peter Norbeck and, believe me, he really deserves this plaque.

The Needles portion of the highway has spectacular rock formations,

Obviously the Needle

Hmm,  guess they didn't want to call it the 'finger ' or the 'penis' highway'.

Saturday evening we take in a show at The Black Hills Playhouse, it was a great surprise to find and a well done show.  Adopted from a P. Wodehouse story it was a simple comedy with all the expected twists and telegraphed outcome.  But well done all in all.

Some respite from the heat is expected tomorrow and a trip to the highlight of the area, Mount Rushmore, is in the plans.