Return trip to SD with Granddaughters & Michigan Summer

Love Michigan in the Summer!  Our time here is going by quickly.  We have been very busy spending time with family and friends and a big job of moving Jim's parents to assisted living at Silver Maples in Chelsea.  Glad it worked out to do this while we were here for the Summer.

We put a couple of Summer trips on hold, but recently returned from a trip with our granddaughters, Megan and Anna, to South Dakota.  When Megan told me that seeing Mt. Rushmore was on her "bucket list", I knew we would have to make the trip.  Since we were there just last Fall and fell in love with Custer State Park and the Black Hills area, we were happy to make the trip with them. It was a new experience to see it through their eyes.

SS Badger - Lake Michigan

SS Badger - Lake Michigan

SS Badger Ferry - Crossing Lake Michigan:  We decided to add a little adventure at the beginning of our trip and reserved a spot on the SS Badger to cross Lake Michigan at Ludington to Manitowoc, WI.  Yes, they take large RV's and commercial vehicles on the ferry.  We made a reservation and drove to Ludington the day before the crossing in order to be at the ferry by 8:30AM.  We were a little nervous when we were told to drive the RV to a certain area of the parking lot and they would drive it onto the ferry - backwards no less.  We watched as they drove it onto the ferry and we departed promptly at 9AM for the four hour journey.  Unfortunately, the Lake was rough that day and we did not enjoy it as much as we would have on a nicer day.  Glad for the experience and to know that it is an option.  A little pricey to do very often, but an adventure to start the trip.

Badlands National Park

Yellow Mounds - Badlands NP

Badlands National Park:  After a couple more days of driving, we arrived at Badlands National Park.  Megan discovered she liked "rock climbing" and this was a great place to try it out.  Anna joined her and they climbed to several vantage points.  A new and different landscape to look at.

Badlands National Park

We arrived on a very warm and windy day; we came back in the evening when it was a little cooler to check out more areas of the park.  There are warning signs on the trails and walkways for rattlesnakes which freaked Megan out a little, but we never saw one and that was fine with us!

Wildlife Drive - Custer S.P.

Custer State Park - Black Hills:  I said it last year - this park is a gem!  We got to enjoy the Wildlife Drive and saw Bison (Buffalo), Burrows, Pronghorn Antelope and Long Horn Sheep.











Mt. Rushmore:  A short trip to Mt Rushmore was a highlight.  A very popular attraction with a nice museum exhibit in the visitors center as well as a bookstore, theater showing a film on Mt. Rushmore, and of course gift shops. 



We discovered "TJ" ice cream. Apparently President Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in bringing ice cream to mainstream America, as noted in the ice cream/snack bar that overlooks Mt. Rushmore.

Needles Hwy. Custer S.P.

Needles Highway in Custer State Park is a 14 mile winding hilly drive that take you through a picturesque area of forest and granite rock formations, one resembling the eye of a needle.  There are a couple of one car tunnels along the way as well as beautiful vistas.

 Megan and Anna enjoyed a morning horseback ride at Blue Belle stable located inside the park.






Custer State Park:  Grace Coolidge Campground:  A good location in the middle of the park.  Easy access to all the attractions.  We were even visited by a group of long horn sheep who spent time blocking the road behind our campsite.

Elkhorn RV Resort, Spearfish SD

Wyoming Welcome Center

Spearfish Canyon:  We wrapped up the trip in Spearfish, SD located northwest of Custer State park about 15 miles from the SD/Wyoming boarder.  We stayed in a very nice private park, Elkhorn RV Resort.  This is another interesting area that includes popular destinations like Deadwood and Sturgis.

Center of the Nation - Belle Fourche SD

Wyoming Welcome Center

 We visited the Wyoming Visitors Center - just across the state line and discovered "the center of the Nation" on our way, in Belle Fourche, SD.  That's right, when taking into account Alaska and Hawaii, Belle Fourche, SD is the geographical center of the nation.

Back in Michigan

All in all, a great trip.  Hopefully a trip the granddaughters will always remember. We traveled over 2500 miles, did a lot of cooking in the RV, had campfires and s'mores; lots of ice cream and laughs.