My Road Trip Adventures: Rapid City, South Dakota

Well gang im in South Dakota, and having fun. Actually im exhausted. After this im going to sleep cause tomorrow will be another long day exploring the stuff around here. I'm tempted to stay another night just cause there is so much to see and do around here that I feel I wont have enough time. I'm at this super 8 hotel that was cheaper then campsites around here, actually that's if the campsites are still opened and not closed for the season. My room is the nicest i've had and on the door it says it goes for $150 a night and I got it for $30. So I feel pretty luck.
So where do I begin. I guess at the beginning. I left Spearfish, South Dakota early and then headed towards Rapid City. I did drive through Sturgis and it was alot bigger then I thought it was. They have alot of bars on the main street and I guess that's for when the Rally is in town. I did stop at one of the famous bars there and got a shot glass for my collection.
I then headed out on the 16 to go see Mt Rushmore and guess what I never even saw it today, haha. There is just so much to see and do that its crazy. Plus you have to drive it seems forever just to get to the next place. Its really not that bad just that the roads are windy.
So my first stop ended up being the Crazy Horse Memorial. There is tons of stuff to look at there so that was cool. I took the bus tour that takes you closer to the front of the memorial. It was cool to get closer and see it. It was also cool to see the workers pushing these huge boulders down this cliff and then watching the boulders roll down the side of the mountain. They have another tour to the top where is arm is and you can walk out there but it cost like $150 but hey the guy said its tax deductible, not that I care about that. All I heard was $150 and I was like forget that. We even got to see them drilling holes for the dynamite. I got to get a rock from what was blasted away. So now I will have a pet rock for my trip haha. I haven't named him yet but I was thinking Dusty cause its full of rock dust. There is a light show at night but I was just to tired to go watch and plus when I was in that area I would have had to wait an 1 1/2. I guess I could have gone back to the gas station/bar...which leads me to my next part.
So after I left the Crazy Horse Memorial I went to get gas in Custer,SD. When I walked in to pay there was 4 guys sitting there drinking beers at a bar. I was shocked there was a bar in the gas station. So thinking nothing more of it I was told to come pay after I pump. I got my gas, went back in to pay and clerk/bartender said that I got a discount since I was paying cash. I got a .70 discount and then I said man that isn't even enough to buy a beer. So one of the guys( I never even got their names) bought me a beer. I couldn't say no, since it was already being poured. So here I was with my car in front of one of the gas pumps full while I was inside drinking a beer with 5 strangers. They were funny and called me Cali girl. Mind you this is at 11:30am. I guess it really was 12:00 somewhere. We just bullshitted and actually I had alot of fun. They were just all laid back guys. So after 2 beers. I thanked them and said that I may see them again tomorrow. I headed out. Don't worry folks I wasn't even buzzed. Actually when I left the bar it was 1:00pm.
I headed over to Jewel Cave NM and made it with no seconds to spare for the cave tour. Talk about luck. It was nice there was only about 6 of us on the tour. It lasted for about an hour. It is one of the largest and may be the largest in the world with at least a thousand + miles of cave and more still to be found. Considering I barely saw any of it, that's crazy.
I then drove over to Wind Cave NP and with 1/2 to spare took that tour also. It was about 1 1/2 hours. After seeing Jewel Cave I was thinking they look pretty much alike, but the ranger said they are not connected. I think later in history they might find out there are. The Ranger giving the tour was so funny. He told us about how he had got lost for 2 1/2 hours one time and another time when he got lost for 8 hours in the cave. There was about 40 of us on that tour. This was the first national park to protect a cave. Also the rail walk ways and the visitor center were built by the CCC Boys. By the end of the tour I was so tired and just wanted to pass out. But NOOO I had to still drive back to Rapid City to my room.
I saw so many deer out and the whole time I kept thinking GET ME OUT OF HERE. I just am thankful I didn't hit one.
On the way back I passed by that gas station/bar again and was like hmm but decided against it. Tomorrow the plan is to go to Mt Rushmore and then some other stuff around here like a drive through wild animal park, the reptile place and a factory where they make the black hills jewelry, o' and also a Christmas store.
Miles Gone Today 203