Tuesday, July 17. We got on the line to get tickets for the cave tour at 7:30, knowing the doors open at 8am, and we're already #6 and 7. At 8:01 from the head of the snaking line for tickets inside the Visitor Center, the line extended through the Center, out the door, across the lawn to the sidewalk. They push 32 people every 20 minutes through a tour of the third longest known cave in the US. Based on the air it pushes, they estimate that the 450 miles mapped so far is only 10% of its extent.
The tour was excellent. Our guide was Puerto Rican, and did an excellent job of managing the tour, providing an ecological and historical and geologic perspective on our trek 200' underground. We emerged geologically stimulated, and proceeded to Jewel Cave posthaste.
Alas, Jewel Cave is like Wind Cave, you have to be in line at 8am to do a tour that day. Hmmm. So we went back to Custer State Part, paid our $20 entrance fee, and drove off to see Bison! But the herd was elsewhere. We drove the Wildlife Loop, but there weren't any. The Visitor Center said the 13,000 head were in the woods, away from any road. Well, that sucks!
When we paid our $20, the woman said our best hope without reservations was another hour or so West. Custer had nice hills but no bison, we got Burned! So we headed East to the Badlands.
Google directed us to a Dispersed Camping site on the western side of the park, over 30+ miles of washboard. But the temperature was over 90, horseflies were ravenous, and shade was non-existent. So Sharon suggested we continue on to the other campground, that has power!
So we continue on the washboard double track through the Badlands for way too long, and then finally hitting pavement again. My goal was a campsite; unfortunately Sharon's goal was photographing the Badlands and the Bighorn Sheep that seemed to be everywhere. Sharon got more pictures than she needs, and I drove around the melange of vehicles stopping randomly and stupidly.
(There aughta be a Tourist License, required of anyone who wants to drive 200? miles from their home, to ensure they know how to navigate cyclists on the road, passing lanes, and lanes that you should keep in, even if the road turns and dips and rises. The Dumbing Down of America is far too well along. One couple simply parked their SUV in the middle of the lane so they could walk 50 yards to take pictures of themselves, so we sat for several minutes before we could get around their vehicle. I'm glad I don't have a big front bumper, or I would have been tempted to push their car out of the way.)
We arrived at the"Real" campground in the Badlands around 5, and it's Full. Argh! So we hit the Visitor Center where Sharon can get Local info on Dispersed Camping. As we see where we can look, John (the Awesome Sweep of our Wind Caves tour group) appears out of the Ether, and says, "You can have our site."
We knew the weather was calling for really bad T-storms. But we're in Ernie, so I'm thinking a Hurricane Party at worst. But Tom has kids, and a tent, and it's impressive how he explains to the kids how cool it is to not deal with flash floods and the like. Smart decision on his part, and we are overjoyed to have a tent site!
We get level without chocks, and the weather sends us cooler temps in anticipation of monster storms, and they hold off as we eat dinner outside bedside Ernie.
South Dakota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/6Zym5bhyQ6k5XoZ39
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