The Black Hills, South Dakota — Finkel Family Adventures

We found other kids at this campsite. I repeat: We found other kids at this campsite. Hooray for friendly neighbors with kids around the same age as ours!

When we planned this trip, I had assumed that we’d meet a lot of families while traveling and that our kids would run around camp as pack of a pack of happy, sweaty, dirty campground kids. But, in reality, this has mostly not come to fruition. We have either encountered older couples, usually retirees, who are out traveling for long time periods. Or, we are encountering families traveling with other families – so their “packs” are established and their kids are not really looking for other kids to play.

So, I will have an extra fondness for our campground at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. In part because it was beautiful and because the evenings were cool and ideal for hanging out. But, mostly because our kids hung around and played like crazy with their new friends.

I think Eli and I were both concerned that our days in South Dakota would feel a little bit like a let-down after visiting so many national jewels like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite. But, in a way, it’s been just perfect; easy camping, uncrowded, and full of sights to see.

Eli did some (more) great running. In retrospect he realized that he ran the #1 rated trail run in the whole state of South Dakota. He agreed and it may well be one of his most favorite runs of all time.

We drove the winding Needles highway in Custer State Park, passing through the tiny tunnels, glad we didn’t take any wrong turns when towing our trailer in the area.

We went to Mt. Rushmore, a place that both captures your attention and makes you feel quite patriotic. Even Norah, who claims to have sensibilities that are more Dutch than American these days, was asking to buy a t-shirt emblazoned with America’s founding fathers before we left.

We spent the late afternoon playing at Sylvan Lake, just a short bike ride from our campground. The kids were reluctant to go at first, but we found our campsite friends there and suddenly I was the one prying them away from the beach at 6:15 so we could get back to shower and start dinner.

Oh, and the big bust of the trip was our trek to see the laser light show at the Crazy Horse Memorial. I thought this was a genius plan –learn a little about the history of the Plains Indians while also having the unique experience of seeing the monument lit up at night in multicolor splendor. It was well reviewed on Trip Advisor. What could go wrong?

Well, it didn’t start until 10 pm and the kids were toast before we even arrived. The presentation itself was totally weird. We couldn’t hear the audio and most of the show had no explanation at all.

We left thinking, “What was that, exactly?”

Ben woke up the next morning, opened his eyes and said sleepily, “Mom, never take me to that laser light show again.” To which Eli turned to me and said, “Me neither.” So, at least we’re unanimous in our agreement on this.

After sleeping in and getting a late start, the kids and I decided to drive the wildlife loop and get lunch in the town of Custer. We got to see some super cute baby animals including a bambi, a burro, and a bunch of buffalo. But, I’d say the encounters per mile driven were few and the kids were a little cranky by the end.