20 July 2018 Minuteman National Historic Site and Badlands National Monument

We drove from Custer to exit 131 on I-90, a two-hour drive from Custer. The visitor Center for the Minuteman National Historic Site is located just off this exit. The visitor center has a film of the Minuteman’s role in the US Defenses in the Cold War and exhibits of the equipment in the launch control centers (LCC) and missile tubes. They offer a guided tour of a LCC that was saved from destruction following the signing of the START II treaty when all the rest of the Minuteman LCC and missile tubes in South Dakota were destroyed. We had Etta with us since it was going to be a long day and that prevented us from taking any tours or doing any hikes. So we took turns going into the visitor center while one stayed in the truck with Etta. We collected our stamp (#10) and took turns seeing the film and exhibits.

From the national monument, Badlands National Park is a ten-minute drive south. Words and photos can’t begin to describe the impact and expanse of the Badlands. One wonders what the pioneers felt when they came across this land. Awe, dread, fear? It stretches as far as you can see, and out here you can see a long way. We drove the Badlands Loop Road, which runs along the north side of the “cliff wall” where the land is eroding into the valleys in the Badlands. There are lots of overlooks to stop at with short trails. We would take turns doing the trails to get photos and staying with Etta or taking her for walks. We stopped at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to collect our stamp (#11) and talk with the Rangers about options. We drove the loop road of the park and took the gravel Sage Creek Rim Road along the North West side of the park and then down until it intersected route 44. Along it we saw Buffalo, Big Horn Sheep and Prong Horns. We then went into the small town of Scenic before going into the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on route 27. This took us into the South Western portion of the park where we took another gravel road up to Sheep Mountain Table. Coming off of Sheep Mountain we continued on to the White River Visitor Center but got there just after in closed. So we continued west along Reservation Route 2. The prairie rolled out for miles and miles with occasional rock formations. The road was so straight that we could have tied the steering wheel and taken a nap! It just went on and on. Eventually we ran into reservation route 41 (South Dakota route 40) and followed that North to Hermosa. From there we made our way back to Custer through Custer State Park. We had to keep a close eye out for Deer, and we saw several along the road side. Eleven hours after we left, we finally pulled up to the Wanderer. We dropped Etta off and fed her dinner. We then went out to Captains Table for dinner. When we walked in we felt we had been transported back to the 1950s. We ordered the 20Oz Prime Rib and split it. The beef was advertised as grass fed locally sourced beef. It was fairly dry and not very favorable for a Prime Rib. We would not recommend this restaurant if you ever come here.