| As we headed out into the wilderness for 5 consecutive nights of camping, we were well rested and looking forward to some fresh air. Here I am navigating our trusty ship towards Palisades South Dakota state park. |  |
| I could not believe there was this valley amongst all of the plains we had driven past. This view was from a tresel which was steps from our camp site on the ridge. |  |
| Palisades is the smallest state park in South Dakota. Luckily we were able to take all the major sites in. We started the day with a hike on the King and Queen Trail. |  |
| Here I am surveying the rock formatings which loom over the raging waters. |  |
| Cindy and I decided to free climb the sheer cliffs to see what the view would be like. Here I am executing a technical three finger toe loop. |  |
| We made it to the top and Cindy stands arms akimbo in triumpth. |  |
| After the climb, we hit the road continuing West towards Rapid City. Along the way, we crossed the Missouri River. |  |
| Road side attractions abound on South Dakota's Highway 90. One of the more alluring ones was the Petrified Gardens of the Badlands. Here I am next to a petrified log a few million years old. |  |
| Cindy standing next to some more petrified wood. The way it works is minerals deposit into old trees that are dying and the tree acts as a mold for the minerals to create petrified tree. |  |
| Another road side attraction is Wall Drug. The drugstore had promoted itself worldwide and we happened to visit on the last weekend of the Sturgis Bike Rally, the largest motorcycle rally in the South Dakota Black Hills. Here are just a few of the bikes parked infront of the famous store. |  |
| Inside the drug store, there are a bunch of kitchy western themed items. Here Cindy chats it up with one of the store's older residents. |  |
| An inside shot of one of the store's hallways. |  |
| While Cindy was chatting it up, I made a new friend too. |  |
| Unfortunately, she was one of more the friendlier Wall visitors. I guess age does trump beauty? |  |
| One of the draws of Wall is 5 cent coffee. I am very frugal and can't pass up a deal, so here I am paying for my cup. I only had a dime, and they wouldn't give me my change. |  |
| Free water is the other economical draw of Wall. Here are the fruits of our trip to Wall Drug. |  |
| We arrived at Custer South Dakota state park and camped out at a site that also played host to many of the Sturgis folks. Harleys and other loud cruiser bikes were parked all over the place. I just kept thinking about Pee Wee's big Adventure where he tipped over bikes and almost got roughed up. Anyway, the next morning, we drove up to see Mount Rushmore. |  |
| More scenic Rushmore. This shot is taken with our backs to the mount. Apparently, the faces were carved into a sacred Lakota Indian site. The natural beauty of the Black Hills can help you understand why these lands were sacred. |  |
| Us and a bunch of other tourists at Mount Rushmore. |  |
| A postcard perfect photo of the mount which was described on a brochure as a "shrine of democracy." However, we couldn't find the prayer candles or incense to light. Cindy said a small prayer instead which we captured on video. |  |
| Cindy and the Black Hills taken from a trail at the foot of the monument. |  |
| In response to Rushmore's construction, the Lakota Indian tribe elders commissioned their own monument, bigger than Rushmore, to be constructed of Chief Crazy Horse. This is a work in progress and the statue gives an idea of what is to come, someday. |  |
| Slightly over exposed self portrait at Crazy Horse vistors center. |  |
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