SYLVAN LAKE AND THE NEEDLES HIGHWAY

Sylvan Lake is a lake located in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States. It was created in 1881 when Theodore Reder built a dam (the Sylvan Lake Water Dam) across Sunday Gulch Creek. The lake area offers picnic places, rock climbing, small rental boats, swimming, and hiking trails. It is also popular as a starting point for excursions to Black Elk Peak and The Needles. A hotel was operated on the shore of the lake in the early 20th century .

The lake was featured in Disney's 2007 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The film made the lake appear to be located directly behind Mount Rushmore when in reality it is actually five miles southwest of Mount Rushmore.

Sylvan Lake was probably one of the most beautiful things I have seen in this area. We were told to be sure and not miss this. I'm glad we didn't. The day we visited, the sky was blue, the water was blue, and the pictures were clear. Several hikes originate at Sylvan Lake, but we didn't have enough time to do anything but hike about half way around the lake. It was gorgeous.

We stopped at one of the picnic areas in Custer State Park and it looked really nice and peaceful. Once we pulled out our picnic lunch, we were invaded with bees. We checked under the table and benches to make sure there weren't nests because there were so many.  There weren't any nests, but it was crazy how many bees. Not a fun experience.

We continued from Sylvan Lake on the Needles Highway.  The Needles Highway is 14 miles long. The Needles Highway is a spectacular drive through ponderosa pine and Black Hills spruce forests, meadows surrounded by birch and aspen, and rugged granite mountains. The road's name comes from the needle-like granite formations, which seem to pierce the horizon along the highway. The roadway was carefully planned by former South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck, who marked the entire course on foot and by horseback. Construction was completed in 1922.

Visitors traveling the highway pass Sylvan Lake and a unique rock formation called the Needle's Eye, named for the opening eroded by wind, rain, freezing, and thawing. The Needle's Eye Tunnel is only 8 foot wide. Mr. W put his mirrors in on the truck just in case. Needles Highway closes to vehicles with the first snow of the  season and does not reopen until April 1, or later depending on conditions. The trail remains open for hikers, walkers, bikers and skiers. The roads have hairpin turns and in places has  room for only one vehicle. It is beautiful, but a little stressful in places.  Well worth the drive.

DEVIL'S TOWER

 Devil's Tower is located in Wyoming. But, it is only about an hour and a half drive from us. We made the drive to see it. 

Devil's Tower is a butte composed of igneous rock in northeastern Wyoming.  Its summit is 5,112 feet above sea level.  Its claim to fame is that it is the first National Monument in the United States.  Theodore Roosevelt established it on September 24, 1906. The monument's boundary encloses an area of 1347 acres. The name Devil's Tower originated in 1875 during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, when his interpreter reportedly misinterpreted a native name to mean "Bad God's Tower". All information signs in that area use the name "Devils Tower", following a geographic naming standard whereby the apostrophe is omitted.

In November 2014, Arvol Looking Horse proposed renaming the geographical feature "Bear Lodge" and submitted the request to the United States Board on Geographic Names. A second proposal was submitted to request that the U.S. acknowledge what it described as the "offensive" mistake in keeping the current name and to rename the monument and sacred site Bear Lodge National Historic Landmark. The formal public comment period ended in fall 2015. Local state senator Ogden Driskill opposed the change. The name was not changed.

Today, hundreds of climbers scale the sheer rocks of Devil's Tower each summer. The difficulty of these routes range from relatively easy to some of the most challenging in the world. All climbers are required to register with a park ranger before and after attempting a climb. No overnight camping at the summit is allowed; climbers return to base on the same day they ascend.

The Tower is sacred to several Plains tribes, including the Lakota, Cheyenne and Kiowa. Because of this, many Native American leaders objected to climbers ascending the monument, considering this to be a desecration. The climbers argued that they had a right to climb the Tower, since it is on federal land. A compromise was eventually reached with a voluntary climbing ban during the month of June when the tribes are conducting ceremonies around the monument. Climbers are asked, but not required, to stay off the Tower in June. According to the PBS documentary In the Light of Reverence, approximately 85% of climbers honor the ban and voluntarily choose not to climb the Tower during the month of June. However, several climbers along with the Mountain States Legal Foundation sued the Park Service, claiming an inappropriate government entanglement with religion.

We did the hike around the tower and saw climbers all the way around.

The tower looks different from different angles and sides. 

We had wanted to go to Sturgis to shop and eat dinner, but were running out of days.  We decided tonight was the night.  By the time we got there, a lot of the shops were closed, but we didn't have trouble finding a place to eat. This place had out of this world onion rings, but the rest of the food was terrible.  Or, at least mine was. I'm not quite sure what I thought Sturgis was going to look like. But, I was pleasantly surprised.  Great town and a lot bigger than I thought. 

THE BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK

We have visited 2 national parks on this trip. The Badlands National Park was our second to visit. Remember back in my blog about the lady in North Dakota who was from South Dakota and she really bragged about the Badlands in South Dakota?  Well, she was right. It was much prettier and offered many more photo-ops. It was hot the day we went. So, some stops I would get out and walk. Other stops I was staying in the truck with the air conditioning running! 

We figured it was going to be an all day trip, so we packed a picnic lunch and headed out. We decided to stop by Wall Drug on our way there. Texas has Buccee's. South Dakota has Wall Drug. Wall Drug is about a city block long.  There are little stores within the big store. They are known for their 5 cent coffee and free ice water.  Now, they don't say anything about the size of the cup for each one of these. Believe me, you would need several to equal one regular size. They have a cafe inside and they make homemade donuts and sell them in the cafe.

The Badlands looks like something from outer space, the Middle East, and the zoo, all at the same time.

Badlands National Park has two campgrounds for overnight visits - Cedar Pass and Sage Creek Campgrounds. Cedar Pass lodge offers accommodations in modern cabins and full-service dining. There is also a large area of land designated for boondocking with some great views in the park. The Ben Reifel Visitor Center within the park offers a bookstore, special programs, and museum exhibits. The White River Visitors center in the park's South Unit offers information about the regions Lakota heritage.

The Badlands Wilderness protects 64,144 acres (100.2 sq mi) of the park as a designated wilderness area, and is one site where the black-footed ferret, one of the most endangered mammals in the world, was reintroduced to the wild. The South Unit, or Stronghold District, includes sites of 1890s Ghost Dances, a former United States Air Force bomb and gunnery range, and Red Shirt Table, the park's highest point at 3,340 feet.

Movies such as Dances with Wolves (1990) and Thunderheart (1992) were partially filmed in Badlands National Park.