All good things....

Our last full day in South Dakota was Sunday.  We slept in later than we planned due to being tired!  But we still had a full day planned!  Our first activity of the day was Black Elk Peak.  This hike was in Custer State Park and although I had not wanted to drive the Needles Highway through the park again, due to listening to the GPS, we ended up doing just that!   

More wildlife!

The Black Elk Peak was the one hike we didn't want to miss.  This peak is the highest in South Dakota at 7244 ft and the highest peak east of the Rockies.  The hike was a little under 7 hours round trip with an incredible view at the top!  It was very rocky at the top of the needles and Camden had a great time climbing.  I only yelled at him once to stay away from the edge!  There is also a fire tower at the top that had been built by the CCC in the 30's.  

There was a reservoir that caught water at the top...like a little mountaintop lake!

It was very windy at the peak!

You can hear the wind in Camden's video

After our hike, we decided to soak our feet in Sylvan Lake.  I had heard that they had filmed part of National Treasure 2 at this location.  We watch it again when we got home and recognized the spot!  It is where they are on top of Mt Rushmore pouring water on the rocks to find the entrance.

We had eaten a late breakfast and had some snacks on the hike, but we were a little hungry and headed to Custer to get a snack at the Purple Pie Place.  I got chicken pot pie and Camden got mac and cheese and ice cream.  

We had checked out of the Powder House Lodge this morning to go glamping on our last night in SD.  We went to Under Canvas for this fun experience!  We had our own tent with a private bath.  Of course since we were camping, there was no electricity!  We had our own wood stove for heat...fortunately we didn't need it as I was nervous about starting a fire!

The view from our front porch

The shower had a pull string to turn the water on...unfortunately, when you let go of the string, the water turned off!

I relaxed in our tent while Camden climbed the rocks behind our tent!  Later that evening, we started and finished a puzzle...finished in the dark with our lanterns.  Then dinner at the main tent with a view of the lit up Mt Rushmore.  The best part of the evening was that it rained and we could sleep in a very comfy bed while listening to the rain on our tent!

Camden's view of the camp from the rocks he climbed!

After not wanting to get out of bed in the morning because the bed was so comfy and it was now cold, we finally checked out and found a WIFI spot so that Camden could finish his homework.  After the homework was finished, we had just enough time to go to The National Presidential Wax Museum.  They did a good job on all of the presidents, except Reagan and the first Bush.

Camden trying to look presidential!

 

We had had an awesome trip and made great memories!  But it was time to mask up and head home.  South Dakota, you are unforgettable!