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Thread: Made it to Rapid City SD
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06-05-2022, 06:00 AM #11
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Thanks again. Please keep the write ups coming.
RedLocation - Wherever the road takes us...Full-timers
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06-05-2022, 07:12 AM #12
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We took a drive through Custer State Park entering at highway 36 then South on the Wildlife Loop Road then North up 87 to 16A and back to 36. The Northern portion of 87 near Needles we have to avoid, our truck will not fit through the tunnels.
It cost $20 for a pass to get into Custer State Park but it is good for 7 days.
There were lots of burned areas from wildfires but still a majestic place. Max speed limit is 25. There are several pull offs through out the loop where you can stop and get out to take pictures. We placed our GoPro on the grab handle and shot video through the windshield driving the loop. There are campgrounds inside the park that looked very nice. You have to be a little careful to watch for wildlife blocking the road and stopped cars. I had to stop and wait for a buffalo to get out of the way, and slowly crept past them. We were going to hike the Legion Lake area then take road 16 over to 89 and up to Sylvan Lake but our visit was cut short by severe thunderstorms. Sadly it is supposed to rain almost every day we are here in the area. We are going to take the drive again to see what we missed due to the weather. Mt Coolidge Lookout elevation 6023 is one of the places we missed.
We are going to take the Northern route 16A Iron Mountain Road to mount Rushmore but we are going to have to time it with bad rainy weather.Last edited by Steven@147; 06-05-2022 at 07:19 AM.
Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
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06-05-2022, 07:48 AM #13
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By the looks of your photo you're driving a Ram. If that is correct, then you will fit through every single tunnel in Needles Highway unless you have some aftermarket addit changing your dimensions. There's the most famous one that's the tightest fit (the Needles Eye). It is only a few inches on either side of the mirrors and fenders with mirrors retracted, or folded in for the Rams. That one is tight but I went through it several times... like threading a needle... bada bing.
Fun story:
Somehow a couple of ladies made it all the way up to the top of the Southside highway and to the entrance of that smallest tunnel with a 30' HORSE trailer. Made a wrong turn somewhere and kept going...
I went to help as they looked like they needed assistance (one of the gals was in a complete panic) and when I walked up to the window, she hopped out and said THANK YOU and tossed me the keys... LOL. Talk about trust in a stranger. I ended up backing the trailer down for them. 1/4 mile down that narrow, windy hill until I could back into the visitor's parking lot to swing the truck and trailer in the right direction... what an ordeal. Especially with impatient tourists passing me on the large curve while I was coming down... luckily a park ranger (super nice guy) ended up assistance with traffic.
Full-time Traveling Family ,'21 Momentum 395MS-R, '21 F450 King, 2000watts solar, Dual Victron MP-II 12/3000 2 x 120v, 1220ah LiFePo4
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06-05-2022, 05:49 PM #14
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Thanks for the great SD info. We’ll be there towards the end of this month!
2021 Solitude 310GK: Linen/DP windows/gen prep/slide toppers/king bed/EOH disc brakes/Cooper-H tires
2019 F-350: Lariat/CC/LB/Diesel/DRW/4x4/Bakflip MX4/B&W 20K/AirLift 5000
Other stuff: TST 507 TPMS/2x BB batteries/Victron BMV-712/Champion 3500 dual fuel gen/Garmin 780 GPS/22" Blackstone
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06-05-2022, 08:26 PM #15
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Plus 1 on the great write ups. We are returning from Sioux Falls Memorial Day wedding and will be in Hot Springs/Buffalo Gap for a Labor Day wedding. Custer State Park, Rushmore, Devils Tower, and Ellsworth museum are on the agenda. Missed Murdo Museum this last trip but plan on getting it on way back. Tentative to Utah and Idaho in August and the wedding on return. Purchased a year pass for SD state parks. And my mpg tanked from KC up to Sioux Falls - went from 9-10 down to 7 also - was beginning to think we were still getting winter fuel or the Sioux Falls elevation was much higher than I thought but got over 10 on the way back.
We stayed at HH 4 times and both of us agree that we'd rather spend the evenings there than at an overnight RV park. Our HH experiences were great this trip.
Tennessee was also in the 7 mpg range today.Last edited by ajg617; 06-05-2022 at 08:32 PM.
Robin & John
2020 Ram 3500 LB SRW 4WD Crew Laramie 6.7HO Aisin, 55gal Titan 4014 payload
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2023 stays
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06-06-2022, 07:26 AM #16
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The latest map we got from the park visitor center lists the narrowest tunnel on SD 87 as being only 8 foot wide. With our mirrors extended we are 8' 6" but yes we could make it through all the tunnels by folding in the mirrors, then its just the hips of the rear fenders. LOL's I wonder how in the world they got on the wrong road. Good Samaritan to the rescue!!! I can image trying to back up a horse rig on those curvy roads, in a couple places I had to swing out and aim the truck directly into a tunnel. Some of them have very tight turns entering the tunnels.
Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
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06-06-2022, 07:34 AM #17
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Our HH experiences have been great as well. From horse ranches in Kentucky, farms in South Carolina, wineries, and places like the Murdo Auto Museum they are great for over night. If you stop by the Auto and Transportation Museum in Murdo, park in the upper portion of the parking lot next to the street, its more level. The rest of the parking lot slopes down. Their sign says no overnight parking but they are a harvest hosts site and have a HH register for you to sign in. They close off the parking lot entrances with ropes through the night but they are removed a 0700.
Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
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06-06-2022, 08:13 AM #18
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We did Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments yesterday. Walked 3 miles just at the Monuments. It was a long day. We didn't think they were very crowded, was a very nice visit. To get to Rushmore we took the drive through Iron Mountain Road up to Keystone on the northern portion of Custer State Park. Rushmore is just a few miles from Keystone. What a drive, as you would imagine a lot of curves and switch backs and narrow places, and the tunnels were cool! These tunnels are carved/blasted into the mountain and are square shaped. The last tunnel you go through before Keystone going north on road 16A, as you look through the tunnel, mount Rushmore is perfectly centered in the exit of the tunnel, it looks just like a picture frame with the Monument centered in the frame. We had our GoPro on taking video of the drive and just as you exit the tunnel there it is and the video captured it perfectly.
I attached a map of the area and roads, these maps are available everywhere and you will get one at all visitor centers. Mount Rushmore, and even Crazy Horse Monument, are more than just a rock, much more. We are history buffs and love learning the history of the things we see. Take the time to learn the history, tour the museums at the sites. Why did Gutzum Borglum select Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln to place on the monument? It's yours to find out.
If you have some binoculars take them with you and scan the mountain, you'll find some incredible viewing!
Looking at the monument, I told Tami, Do you think these guy's knew something we don't fully appreciate yet in our day and age?
Rushmore is free to the public but costs $5 for seniors to park. Large parking area for RVs and if unhitched the covered parking garage is over 7 feet in height so no problem with tall trucks. After you tour the monument, and the museum on the lower floor, stop by the ice cream shop and get a double dip of vanilla made with the original recipe by Thomas Jefferson.
As we left Rushmore center on our way to Crazy Horse on road 244, with in a mile there is a pull off where you can view the Monument and George Washington from a side profile view.Last edited by Steven@147; 06-06-2022 at 11:07 AM.
Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
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06-06-2022, 08:16 AM #19
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Steve and Tami - enjoy your trip to our wonderful state. Both Carol and I were born here and have lived here ever since. Well, I did have a Kindergarten stint in MN and a summer after 7th grade in IA, Lake Okoboji, lol !
I like reading your comments about your trip in your thread here. We've been to the Black Hills and many other places in SD many times over 6 decades.
If you have any questions or need assistance, don't hesitate to ask.
By the way Steve and other folks, I communicated with Dallas @D2Reid last week and he and Barbara are volunteering at Custer State Park this summer. They have been so busy the past few months that he has spent little to no time on the forum here and elsewhere other than occasionally reading PMs. Possibly Dallas will chime in too. As with most of us on the forum, it is always great to meet other forum folks if it works to do so.
Safe travels and continue having a great time, Steve and Tami !
DanDan & Carol
2014 303RLS Reflection #185 (10/2013 build)
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06-06-2022, 09:24 AM #20
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Crazy Horse Monument is just a short drive from Mount Rushmore. It does cost $30 to enter the grounds but that gets you in to everything. It is a cultural awakening to the lives of Native Americans. Their struggles, their heartaches, their lives. Not just the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes but all Native Americans. Although you may think, what would other Native American tribes, like Apache, Arapahoe, Pueblo and others, think about a Sioux warrior being selected to represent all Native Americans on a national monument? That is something for you to find out, but here is a hint, When Crazy Horse was asked "Where are your lands now"? His response was "My lands are where my dead lie buried".
"Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee", find out about it.
Tour the heritage museum and watch the film in the theater, then experience a Native American dance. The monument is still a work in progress and isn't using government funds for its construction. I attached a pic of what the monument should look like once finished. What family is closely connected to the monument and is still generations later still working on the Monument? Also find out for yourself the connection between Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument and the Native American people and their lands. We ate our dinner at the Laughing Waters restaurant, looking at the monument through the huge glass window.
You can use my pics, then zoon in for a good look at what we experienced.Last edited by Steven@147; 06-06-2022 at 11:11 AM.
Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
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