Jewel Cave and Devil's Tower

Sunday, 7/22 6:00am - I skipped posting yesterday due to the fact we had to get an early start so back to a quick recap of Friday.

Friday morning we woke up and headed to Jewel Cave National Monument for a tour I had reserved several months ago. Quick side note - the boys finally set up their tents so we got the couch and table back in the trailer. Here is a picture of their set-up.

Back to Jewel Cave. We arrived a little early so we could take a quick look around the visitor center. Then our tour of about 30 people was called to the two elevators that would take us 32 stories underground for our glimpse into one of the longest cave systems in the world. The rooms we went into were all quite large and had some interesting formations. The boys loved the "bacon" which did indeed look like a strip of bacon hanging down a wall. Our tour guide certainly wasn't warm and friendly but overall it was a good experience and we got to see some really cool formations.

Cave pictures never turn out well for me so you'll just have to visit it to see inside.

Update: I checked Lin's phone and he got a few cool pictures inside the cave so here's a little peek.

After Jewel we headed into a little town called Custer located about 30 minutes from our campsite. We decided to have lunch at a very popular burger joint, the Black Hills Burger and Bun Co. We had a little bit of a wait but it ended up being worth it and in the meantime Aidan had a chance to work on his online class at the Custer Public Library. The staff was very friendly and accommodating.

Fried pickles and a local beer after our cave hike.

My Dad and Gail met us in town for a little bit before heading back to the campsite. We did a little food shopping before heading back for a relaxing evening at the site. Well Gail and I had a relaxing evening at the site while the boys headed off for another jaunt around the Wildlife Loop Road in the park. This time they saw pronghorns up close, some very fat prairie dogs and the beloved burros, including the adorable baby burro. Due to the fact I wasn't present Lin would not let them see the burros up close so we will go on another burro hunt at some point during our stay. A lovely day during which I was able to balance activity with relaxation fairly successfully.

Pronghorn

Prairie dog

The famous burros.

Now onto Saturday. As I mentioned we wanted to get an early start since we were heading to Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.

We made it to the park about 9:40 after about a 2.5 hour drive. The scenery was beautiful and it wasn't a difficult drive. It is in the middle of nowhere and it was amazing to see a line of cars waiting to be admitted to the park. We ended up waiting in line for about 20 minutes.

Our view while waiting in the line you can see in the mirror.

We headed up to the visitors center before doing the loop trail around the base of the tower. Such an amazing formation. It was well worth the walk around the base because it gave different perspectives and we watched the climbers scale the rock. It was a hot walk with lots of elevation changes but luckily the second half was much more shaded.

Climbing every chance they got. 

After leaving Devil's Tower we headed to Spearfish. On the way, we drove up on a motorcycle accident minutes after it happened. About ten cars had already stopped and people were rendering aid to the cyclist so we navigated through the scene with a few other cars and continued on. It did have an impact on all of us for the remainder of the day and I hope the victim ended up surviving.

We drove through the Spearfish Canyon and had a picnic lunch at a little picnic area next to a creek. Aaron briefly waded in the creek before deciding it was too cold. Florida boy!

Onward to Deadwood. Upon arrival I think we were still all upset about seeing the accident victim, a little tired after our early morning start and thirsty. We wandered around before meeting up with my Dad and Gail. At almost the same moment we met them the sky opened up and there was torrential rain and hail. Yes...more hail. Seems to be a thing around here. We ran from overhang to overhang until we eventually settled on the Saloon No. 10 for a place to stay for awhile.

They had things to keep everyone in our party happy. A poker table for Lin, slots for my Dad, chairs for Gail and me and a shuffleboard table for the boys. At some point Aaron got bored and asked to clear and wash tables. He did that for a little bit before being recruited to be in the reenactment of the shooting of Wild Bill Hickock. Fun fact - the bartender at the time of the famous shooting was Harry Young. Gail and I watched the show while my Dad and Lin finished up with slots and cards. Both of them came out a little ahead and were entertained for a few hours.

Leave it to Aaron to find a way to play poker in a saloon.

After the performance with Wild Bill.

Enjoying his free drink from the bar.

We stopped for dinner at a little hole in the wall pizza place, Cousins Pub and Pizza at the Big Chair, in the middle of nowhere on the way home.

Very popular joint despite it's location.

I'm so thankful we did because it was tasty, reasonably priced food and the trip home from there was terrible. I don't think I could have done it on an empty stomach. Just imagine driving rain, high winds, darkness, mountain roads and flooding. We crawled along and eventually made it home safely. I treated myself to a big glass of wine after that. Luckily we got back to a wet but hail free campsite. The creek is higher but still contained in the banks and this morning the sun is out.