South Dakota – The Southern Black Hills – Adventures of Tin Can Lulu

Our adventures in the southern hills were jam packed and loaded with unbelievable sites and activities.

This trip we based our stay in the tourist town of Custer located in the southern black hills. Interestingly in 1875 the town was first named “Stonewall” (after Confederate General Stonewall Jackson) but later that decade, when there were more Union than Confederate veterans living in town, a vote was taken and the name changed to “Custer” after Union General George A. Custer.

Every August for the past 84 years the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally takes place. The rally attracts thousands of motorcyclists from all over the world. The first day of the rally we rented a Slingshot and joined the roadways with the “real” motorcyclists.

We road along Needles Highway, named after the needle-like granite formations which pierce the horizon along the highway in Custer State Park. The tunnels on this roadway are narrow (only 9 feet wide) and low too. Oh, and there are loads of curves.

We also explored Iron Mountain Road. This is a demanding 17-mile scenic drive featuring 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, 3 tunnels, and 3 pigtails (turns that loop over their own road, allowing the road to climb rapidly). A portion of the Iron Mountain Road is in Custer State Park. Earle did a fantastic job driving the Slingshot and navigating the roadways.

We also visited Custer State Park in our truck. This park is South Dakota’s first and largest state park, named after Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer who explored the area in 1874. (two years later he explored the Little Bighorn area in Montana) Custer State Park covers an area of over 71,000 acres of varied terrain including rolling prairie grasslands and rugged mountains.

We drove along the Wildlife Loop Road that took us to the grasslands where the 1,500 head of bison roam and live. Each fall there is an annual bison round up that is held to cull the herd. Attendees get to observe a “real” roundup with the thundering herd of bison as the main attraction. A highlight for us was the new Bison Center building (only two years old) that we visited. It was an excellent educational display on the history and nature of bison in Custer State Park.

Mount Rushmore is worth a visit no matter how many times you have seen this amazing granite rock sculpture. The sculpture features the 60-foot-tall heads of four United States presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, chosen to represent the nation’s birth, growth, development, and preservation, respectively. Mount Rushmore is an inspiration and a wonderful tribute to what it means to be an American.

We enjoyed cycling and hiking on the George Michelson Trail. The main trail route extends 109 miles from Edgemont to Deadwood. The portion of the trail that we covered was from Dumont to Pringle which is 60 miles of the trail (the middle portion) and includes four rock tunnels. Out total miles of riding on the trail were 164 miles during our stay, and we hiked 24 miles on the trail. We did a lot of out and backs from various points on the trail to rack up those miles! There were some long uphill (17 miles one way) and wonderful downhills but all was doable. The grades were 1 to 4% in steepness and all manageable on the tandem.