The Black Hills
We arrived in Hermosa, SD yesterday evening. It is a few miles south of Rapid City. Taking in a panoramic view of our surroundings from this area is a geography lesson. We are staying in a VRBO on the edge of the great plains to the east and can see the beginnings of the Black Hills just to the west.
There is so much to see and enjoy in the Black Hills. For the lover of geography, one can see the metamorphosis of the grasslands that stretch out for hundreds of miles to the east into rugged, rocky hills and woodlands. The historian can contemplate the Native Americans who thrived in this area long before it became part of the US as well as the lives of the earliest settlers, minors, and even western legends such as Wild Bill Hickock that lived here. For the patriotic-minded, there is Mt Rushmore that celebrates our country's westward expansion by memorializing some of our national icons on the face of a hill.
But nothing says Black Hills like WaTiki Indoor Waterpark. If you don't believe me, just ask our kids. They had a recollection of it last time we were here, and together with the Briggs, visiting this oasis adjoined to the La Quinta motel just off I-90 became the first priority of our fairly brief time time in the Black Hills.
As hot as it was yesterday, today was the opposite extreme. After rain pushed through overnight, we were dealing with overcast skies and temperatures in the 50s in mid-July. So it was actually a perfect day to visit. For the father, this is the stuff memories are made of - even if I didn't actually swim myself. The kids had a blast, and we practically had to extract them from the pool a few hours later.
Before heading back home, we took a drive into the foggy (foreshadowing alert) Black Hills to see Mt Rushmore. It was a beautiful drive as we climbed nearly 2000 feet in altitude in just a few miles. As we entered the ticket booth at Mt Rushmore, we handed the attendant our money and were told that the memorial was not visible due to the fog followed by the question if we wanted our money back. That was a very quick yes. Since we have another full day, we decided to turn around resolved to visit again tomorrow. We stopped at the village in Keystone for about an hour and then headed back to our beloved VRBO to enjoy the remaining daylight hours.
This is a really cool VRBO. Aside from the general lack of air conditioning which wasn't an issue today, it is a really interesting place. Only pictures can really do it justice.
Herman, the cat
Some of the resident chickens
The school bus converted to an art studio
The back of the house
The front of the house
The view from the back deck
The view from the front drive
Hopefully tomorrow will be Custer State Park and a return to Mt Rushmore. Looks like we'll have to skip Reptile Gardens this time around.
There is so much to see and enjoy in the Black Hills. For the lover of geography, one can see the metamorphosis of the grasslands that stretch out for hundreds of miles to the east into rugged, rocky hills and woodlands. The historian can contemplate the Native Americans who thrived in this area long before it became part of the US as well as the lives of the earliest settlers, minors, and even western legends such as Wild Bill Hickock that lived here. For the patriotic-minded, there is Mt Rushmore that celebrates our country's westward expansion by memorializing some of our national icons on the face of a hill.
But nothing says Black Hills like WaTiki Indoor Waterpark. If you don't believe me, just ask our kids. They had a recollection of it last time we were here, and together with the Briggs, visiting this oasis adjoined to the La Quinta motel just off I-90 became the first priority of our fairly brief time time in the Black Hills.
As hot as it was yesterday, today was the opposite extreme. After rain pushed through overnight, we were dealing with overcast skies and temperatures in the 50s in mid-July. So it was actually a perfect day to visit. For the father, this is the stuff memories are made of - even if I didn't actually swim myself. The kids had a blast, and we practically had to extract them from the pool a few hours later.
Before heading back home, we took a drive into the foggy (foreshadowing alert) Black Hills to see Mt Rushmore. It was a beautiful drive as we climbed nearly 2000 feet in altitude in just a few miles. As we entered the ticket booth at Mt Rushmore, we handed the attendant our money and were told that the memorial was not visible due to the fog followed by the question if we wanted our money back. That was a very quick yes. Since we have another full day, we decided to turn around resolved to visit again tomorrow. We stopped at the village in Keystone for about an hour and then headed back to our beloved VRBO to enjoy the remaining daylight hours.
This is a really cool VRBO. Aside from the general lack of air conditioning which wasn't an issue today, it is a really interesting place. Only pictures can really do it justice.
Herman, the cat
Some of the resident chickens
The school bus converted to an art studio
The back of the house
The front of the house
The view from the back deck
The view from the front drive
Hopefully tomorrow will be Custer State Park and a return to Mt Rushmore. Looks like we'll have to skip Reptile Gardens this time around.
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