Mt. Rushmore!

“Shut the Door please!”

Hill City Cafe on Main Street.

Camping at a free “Harvest Host” winery, we woke up early and went into Hill City, SD, for breakfast. Hill City is really a small town, not a city …a really small town (pop. 758 +or-). Don’t let the size fool you; it is quaint with a lot of character. Walking down Main Street we found a hopping eatery, Hill City Café. Like the town, it too, was small (but did have an “overflow” room). It was busy so we took a table near the entrance… a mistake. Customers coming and going had difficulty closing the door (actually, some opened the door and walked out …As my grandma would say, “Were you brought up in a barn?!”). Over in the corner, sat 4 regulars. Older than us, veterans, and apparently retired all having breakfast and talking the latest “news”. Every time a patron forgot to shut the door, one would holler, “Shut the door please!” Given my proximity to the door, most of the time, I closed it. It became a running joke with them and we all got a good laugh from it.

After breakfast, we drove down to Mt. Rushmore. What a site! This needs to be on everyone’s bucket list. So many different angles reveal so much of the artist (sculptor Gutzon Borglum) values. And the center has so much history. There are so many points to emphasize that I will not attempt it. GO SEE IT! BREATHE IT! EMBRACE IT!

The many “faces” of Mt Rushmore

Luckiest woodchuck lives near Mt. Rushmore. Traveling about 40+ mph we came around a bend …and there it was! Smack in the middle of the road …like a bewildered squirrel …an SUV headed west and a F150 (us) headed east and no place for the slow 4 legged creature to go. It looked left! It turned right! What to do?! We both zoomed by as the scared animal danced on the yellow lines. It’s indecisiveness saved its life! And I am sure if woodchucks wore pants, he would have to change his underwear.

After leaving Mt. Rushmore, there was a lot more for us to see. Carving (sculpting in progress) of Chief Crazy Horse is a must see as well. Continue on down the road and visit Custard State Park. There are many less spectacular, but some would find interesting, places to see. For us, Needles Highway and its accompanying Route 16A, are awesome. There are no less than 6 tunnels barely wide enough for a full size pickup (Better hope no one is coming the other way!). And if you have an attached camper …SOL. (Remember, we left ours at the winery).

Chief Crazy Horse (in progress), 3 tunnels (there are 6!), Leaving BHNF

We planned to stay another night but we were done site seeing by 1PM. The winery spot was adequate but not real pleasing (and no wifi). Actually, it was pretty archaic; no wifi, no cell, no TV, and only 2 radio stations. We bought our customary bottle of wine and departed for Wyoming.

…But let me finish the story of the café. The gentlemen in the corner were so amused at our attending to the door (and taking it all in stride), paid for our breakfast! It made our day! I think I will pay it forward…

…On To YELLOWSTONE !

STAY TUNED! More “tales from the campah”! Coming soon.

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Coming Soon!!! YouTube channel with movies of the adventures!