2 days ago I left chilly Cleveland still wearing a coat, even if this is the warmest winter in remembered history , it is still cold. After a direct flight through Detroit and Minneapolis I was upgrade to first class- for the 2nd time this year (and 2nd overall). First class these days is not like the PNA AM show but still I was offered an apple and Tubleron and was able to get my 2nd bag free.
The tiny Rapid city airport is under renovation, making it look miserable, and after few minutes I was picked up by my mom and my brother shay. It was after 10 PM and warm!!!!!.
After a hotel breakfast and meeting my brother Eyal and his family we headed to discover south Dakota. We did not go to the dinosaur park which is one of the livelier attractions of this state. We drove to thunder head falls which are found inside a cave. There are lots of caves in this area. However the cave is closed. Crystal caves were closed as well. The season begins in late April, but it's sunny and warm and I am wearing t-shirt and short pants. This weather is unusual here, but you will not here me complain about it. We stopped by a local park with very yellowish grass, a big lake, ducks and an island in the middle.
We fed the ducks who fought each other for scraps- they actually bark! And played tag and hide and seek with the kids on the little island with the gazebo, that holds wedding. I discovered a stave church , which is the Viking churches I saw in Norway. And if you wanted proof that Vikings discovered America, there you go (ignore the fact that Dakota has no sea access). But this Pagane structure was closed, who closes a church? Is god seasonal?
After gathering picnic supplies, we picked Moti from the airport and drove to mount Rushmore. Rapid city looks like the south end of beer- sheva which is no compliment, but it gets pretty as soon as you reach the black hills, which are not black but yellowish covered with pine and Cedar trees. I have not seen bears here yet, they are dormant , so far only ducks, chipmunks and a couple of deer.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the base of mount Rushmore then tried to get nice photos of our heads next to the presidents heads. We did the half a mile hike on the board walk, lots of stairs. The hike goes closer to the heads but does not climb the peak. Recharged with Ice cream (we did walk 0.8K, we deserve it) we prepared for the next destination , due to confusion on who goes in which car, both cars drove away forgetting my niece Yael and me in the parking lot.
Now I can always say my mom left me aft Mount Rushmore! , lucky I have a phone!
We drove to crazy horse which will be at some point the largest carved mountain statue. Its years in construction, you can only see the head at this point. But I was there, I hope that someday I could say , I was there when it began, but construction is stuck for years, they say It will be completed after the light train in tel aviv (Israeli joke). We paid entry fee , stayed for a minute and left (we didn't know it was not finished…too bad until we find a place which is open) not before merav getting our money back. We headed for the needles highway where we saw the deer and reach sylvan lake. This area is full of unique rock structures, which looks nicer with the frozen sylvan lake. We sledded down a slope for a while and walked on the frozen lake, 1st time for some of us.
Then we said goodbye to this nice area and somehow missing Harney hill (note to self, come back and hike it, tallest point in s.dakota). we drove back through the hills and had dinner and crashed to sleep. Busy S. Dakota day with a national monument making it #41 in the states list.
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