Saladin 7 Adventures

After spending four nights in the Black Hills, headed toward Yellowstone by heading north out of Custer to Deadwood then onto the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway before stopping in Gillette, WY for the night.  On Hwy 385 we had an unexpected stop as the beauty of the Pactola Reservoir Complex caught our eye.  There is also a National Park Forest Service building just of the road and the kids were able to get stamps for their Passport books here from the Black Hills National Forest. We made it to Deadwood and had time to go to the Mt. Moriah Cemetery before lunch.  The legendary cowboy "Wild Bill" Hickok is buried here along with his sidekick "Calamity Jane" among other famous Black Hills gold diggers.  Wild Bill was shot in the back playing poker and it's said that the hand he was holding was two pairs - Aces and Eights - which now is known as "Dead Man's Hand."    There are quite a few other museums in Deadwood that sounded aweso

The Black Hills area has a lot to offer and we tried to include as much as we possibly could during our 4 night stay.  Unfortunately, we couldn't squeeze in a cave tour at Jewel Cave National Monument but did get to check out the visitor center and see some pictures.  We did explore  Wind Cave National Park  and would highly recommend it! Wind Cave has multiple cave tours - but also lots of above ground sight seeing too!  We saw a few bison while we were there and some prairie dogs too!  There is also a really nice picnic area by the parking lot to relax and have lunch or a snack. Since we had small children, we chose the  Natural Entrance Tour  which is described as moderate and family friendly.   There are about 300 steps (mostly down) and it was very family friendly.  You return to the surface level by elevator - so don't worry about having to climb back up all of those stairs! We brought along jackets as the temperature in the cave is only in the mid-50 degree ra

This is probably one of my favorite parts of our Out West Trip 2017!  My son Paul and I went on a 7-mile round trip hike to Black Elk Peak (formerly know as Harney Peak).  We arrived at the trail head parking lot at Sylvan Lake at 7:00 am and began the trek!  We followed route number 9 (see below). The beginning of the hike was relatively flat with some rolling hills and increment climbs.  The top of Black Elk Peak has a fire watch station and we could see it in the distance at several view points.  It looked a LOOOOOONG way from us!  On the way there, we only saw two other people. The trail was quiet and peaceful in the early morning.  We made sure to pack water and snacks and we took a couple of breaks.  As we approached the top, the hiking was a little more strenuous with lots of built-in switchbacks to help ease the incline.  Paul bypassed a few switchbacks and went straight up the hill but not me! There were three other people at the lookout tower when we arrived

Most of the research that I had done prior to our trip made sure to mention NOT TO MISS CUSTER STATE PARK!  It's almost like a mini national park with lots of mega fauna and can't miss scenic viewing.  We visited Mount Rushmore in the morning and headed east and south on 16A (Iron Mountain Road).  This was a fun drive in itself with tunnels and loops and turns.  There are a few pull-offs and picnic stops.  The tunnels are awesome because they were made specifically to frame Mount Rushmore!  Not matter which direction you come from, you will either see Mount Rushmore straight ahead or in your rear view mirror!  Pretty cool! It's also surreal to see Mount Rushmore from a different vantage point and see how distinct it looks carved into the mountain from a distance.  We entered through the East entrance with a couple of stops at the Visitor Center, Peter Norbeck Education Center, and the State Game Lodge.  Lots of fun and interactive things to do there.