Alaska 2013: Day 7+ Mt Rushmore

After spending the morning enjoying the scenery and abundance of wildlife in Custer State Park it was off to Mt. Rushmore to take in the evening Patriotic service. We took the Iron Mountain Road from Custer State Park to Mt. Rushmore. Although the Iron Mountain Road is only 16 miles long it took us a little over an hour. It was a good thing we were in the jeep. With the one lane bridges, one lane tunnels (3) and “pigtail curves” we could not have made it in the RV. We really enjoyed seeing Mt. Rushmore again and the Patriotic service was fantastic. Not a bad meal either, Buffalo Stew and rice… After the service at Mt. Rushmore we decided to take the main route back to Custer State Park. However, a wrong turn or missed turn and we found ourselves in the middle of Custer State Park on the 18 mile long Wildlife Loop Road in the park. Not so bad except it was after 11 PM, raining and it was hard to tell where the road was at times. Frequent spotting of white tail deer and pronghorn antelope on the shoulder of the road made us nervous. We finally made it back to the campsite sometime after midnight without running off the road or hurting any of the wildlife. I think it was the first time we were happier to see the RV and Gypsy than she was to see us. If you are ever in South Dakota, we highly recommend that you spend some time in Custer State Park and visit Mt. Rushmore…