Luverne, Minnesota to Custer, South Dakota

 The storm moved past us last evening so we packed up everything to get another early start to get through Sioux Falls before the traffic in the morning. We took the interstate and then stopped for breakfast and then turned south to our alternate route across South Dakota to Black Hills National Park.  We were stopped by the Covid checkpoint before passing through the Indian Reservation. We passed by Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park spotting a bison alongside the road.  It was a long drive so we headed to Mount Rushmore Brewery for a cold brew near the town of Custer before heading to our campsite at Comanche Park in the Black Hills National Forest. It looks like we will be out of cell phone range in the National Forest.

Finally hills along with grasslands

Bison in Wind Cave National Park

Mount Rushmore Brewery and humorous logo

Beautiful wooded campsite at Comanche Park

Great open spaces

We slept in and cooked a bison breakfast sausage bell pepper scrambler that was excellent. We could not find a campsite for all three nights so we waited for our campsite to clear out and moved over and set up the suitcase solar panel. We headed into the town of Custer and hiked the McKinnon bike trail for a few miles and then decided to head into Custer State Park and hike the Lover's Leap Trail. For dinner, we grilled the last of the corn on the cob with steak.

Chef Floyd scrambling eggs with bison breakfast sausage

Biking hiking trail

Gorgeous rock outcroppings

Critter ducking into the barn

Fishing hole picnic spot for lunch in Custer State Park

Crossing the creeks heading up to Lover's Leap

Beautiful trail although thick with poison ivy

Rest stop at the top

Not ready to leap

Last rock scramble to the top

Medallions marking the trail

Lover's Leap looking down

Fireweed growing up from the forest fire striken woods

Needles scenic highway

One lane tunnel

Closer look at granite needle structures

Threading the needle tunnel

We got up early and Glenn cooked a smoked bison chuck roast with sundried tomato omelet for breakfast before we headed back to Custer State Park to drive the wildlife loop. We spotted deer, bison herd, white burros, prairie dogs and mule deer along the drive. The Prairie Loop trail was filled with wildflowers. The canyon trail followed an old homestead road along the creek. The last one-mile loop was around Badger Clark's Hole in the Wall Cabin, a poet laureate of South Dakota.

Deer alongside road heading to Wildlife Loop

Bison herd in Custer State Park

Prarie dog on the rod

Prairie dog rising out of his home

Abundant prairie flowers

Avoided the trails where you had to ford the creek

Tall prairie grass

Another hike completed

View of the black hills

Lone male bison

Colorful rock formations

Canyon trail

National Guard encampment with military escort to trail head

Wildflowers along homestead road

Mule deer up the hill along trail

Goats licking the salt off the road causing road block

Poet laureate cabin with tree through the roof

Another trail documented

Last trail through the piney woods

Another beer to quench our thirst after a day of hiking