June 10th ~ South Dakota, just outside of Custer State Park ~
Custer State Park viewpoint
Another full day. We all came back to the RV pretty bushed last night, so now I’m playing catch-up on my blogging. I might just do a condensed version today – or not…
Custer State Park
Originally we had planned on camping in Custer State Park, but since our dates were a bit fluid on when we would arrive, I did not make any reservations. In retrospect, I wish I had just taken a chance on dates, as the park turned out to be a very pleasant surprise to us.
Leaving our RV at the campsite, we spent the day exploring in the Subaru.
Pinnacle rock formations jutting toward the sky
Needles Highway was especially scenic. The cathedral spires and pinnacles are spectacular to see as well as the square cut rock tunnels that we periodically got to pass through.
Note for RVers: The tunnels are too low for an RV to fit through at only 8 and 9 feet in height. Make sure you plan your route through the park.
Needles Eye Tunnel
Needles Eye Tunnel was one of my favorites. After passing trough the tunnel, there is a small parking area where you can get out to take a picture of Needles Eye Rock.
My favorite stop of the day was at Sylvan Lake. One of the most beautiful lakes we have seen with the giant boulders for a backdrop.
Sylvan Lake
Crazy Horse Memorial
Tim and I were last here in 2014, and we could not see where any changes in the sculpture have been made in the past five years.
Here are the intended dimensions for the completed sculpture.
Measurements for each section of Crazy Horse’s head
Entrance to Mt. Rushmore National Park
Just past the park sign is a pullout where you can see a side view of Washington.
Entrance
They have a scheduled renovation project for Mt. Rushmore that will last for about two years. One of the changes will be removing the flags on the entry walkway. The museum and theater are already closed.
These flags will be removed during the upcoming renovations
Tim, Shirley and Joanne at Mt. Rushmore
The four presidents
And the photos of Shirley touching her toes at each National Park continues…
Not bad for this great-grandma!
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for the wonderful memories that we are making with Tim’s mom. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring, but for today we are living our best lives and thankful for the time together.
A Note From Abroad 
I enjoyed your photos a lot. We traveled to Mt. Rushmore on a trip to Yellowstone in 1992, but I wasn’t as into photography back then. Your photos make me itch to go back for a do over!
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed seeing our photos. Custer State Park is a wonderful destination for lovers of nature photography.
LikeLike
Aren’t those places wonderful! Such fun travels! 😀
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
LikeLike
Yes, they are wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We probably passed each other in the park, Joanne! We were in the Black Hills helping friends on a building project, but we drove the Needles Highway the same day you did. 🙂
LikeLike
I’m always amazed by what a small world this is 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a similar, less interesting, travel blog (willmonk.wordpress.com) and this entry inspired me to find the photos from the Mount Rushmore area – especially since I took a photo exactly where Tim and Joann are standing under the monument.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you found your pictures. They are such precious memories for us of our trips.
LikeLike
I have a similar, less interesting, travel blog and this entry inspired me to post my photos of the Mount Rushmore area from 2017 – especially since I took a photo in the same spot where Tim, Shirley and Joanne are standing.
LikeLike
We love sharing our pictures. So glad you found yours and are posting them.
LikeLike
Incredible pictures! A place I would love to visit.
LikeLike
Thank you Darlene. South Dakota is well worth the trip.
LikeLike
Nice. I saw those rocks and thought how cool it would be to scale them. lol I guess I’ll always be a rock climber at heart. Pretty country.
LikeLike
Rock climbing is WAYYYYY outside my comfort zone, but I applaud your bravery.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for helping me relive Custer State Park–wish we’d thought to rent a cabin there on our SD visit.
LikeLike
Renting a cabin sounds wonderful there.
LikeLike
Loving the ‘Shirley’ series. 😀
LikeLike
We are certainly having fun with it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now you’re in my neck of the woods! One clarification, tour busses actually fit through some of those tunnels (they may be a bit smaller than some RV’s). There’s a picture in some of the literature from the area of a bus going through the Needles Eye tunnel. I wouldn’t want to drive one through though!
LikeLike
A couple of those tunnels are only 8 or 9 feet tall. Our RV is smaller than most and we need 12 feet clearance. There is only one that we could drive through and that is the one north of Keystone. I don’t know the height of the normal tour bus, but now you have me curious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not sure if this link will work, but here’s a YouTube video of a full-size bus going through the Needle’s tunnel. 🙂
LikeLike
Wow! That’s a crazy tight fit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup! I feel like it’s only an inch or 2 of space in some places. I agree with you though, I would NEVER suggest an RV of any kind attempt that road.
LikeLike