Custer State Park and Mammoth Site, South Dakota

One of the beautiful views in Custer State Park

Next pictures are of the animals that we saw in the park.

Antelope

Wild Donkeys

Antelopes

Buffalo 

We saw a couple of buffalo together and then we saw herds f two hundred or more buffalo.  We also followed several buffalo down the road before they decided to get off the road.  In the state park the animals have the right of way.

Another view of the mountains in the State Park.

The next pictures are from the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota.  It is the site of an active paleontological dig.  The dig is now housed in a building to protect all of the bones.  Most of the people on the dig are volunteers.

The Granddaughters got to dig and learn how paleontologists unearth the bones through one of their educational programs.

Crazy Horse Monumemt

Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota

This is what the monument will look like once it's completed.

The next pictures are taken inside of the museum

Exploring South Dakota part 2

We had a wonderful day driving through the Badlands.  The Granddaughters could not get over how beautiful it was.

The girls fell in love with the prairie dogs.  

We saw some long horn sheep on the side of the road.

Burrowing owl

The girls having fun climbing on the rocks.

The girls were not ready to leave the Badlands.

After leaving the Badlands, we went to explore Wall Drug Store.  

The above pictures wee taken in the courtyard of the drug store.

Exploring South Dakota

Nick's Hamburger Shop started in 1929.  Took the Granddaughters here to experience the old time type of Hamburger joint.  You sit at the counter that circled everyone that was cooking and serving.  Nick's only served hamburgers.  David said it reminded him of Crystal's.

Then we went to the Children's Museum of South Dakota. It features 21,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space.

Using the blocks to build a car.

Playing store, where they could either be the customer or the cashier.

Learning how to change a tire

Mama dinosaur, the only full size permanent animatronic T. Rex  in the United States

Mama's baby dinosaur Max

The World's only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.  It was under construction while we were there, but we were able to see a lot of it.  The corn palace dates back to 1892.  275,000 colorful ears are carefully sliced and nailed into place on the murals that adorn the building.  It is all done by hand.

They used 12 different colors of corn on the murals.