Boy was today warm! 94 degrees! We spent the night in Keystone with our amazing view of Rocky.
After sleeping in a bit we headed the whole one mile to see Mt. Rushmore. Now driving there was interesting because not only are there tons of cars and rvs ( ok tons is exaggerating a bit due to Covid, there were like 10 cars heading in with us) but 4 wheelers and Razers driving all around too!
Scoring covered parking was a great way to start the day! We sunscreened up and walked in to the park. Unfortunately it is under construction, but we were able to see it clearly and the work being done there. Workers were also hauling up large amounts of fireworks for next weekend’s Fourth of July celebrations with Trump coming to visit. We did a little hiking but we were cut short because the Presidential Trail was closed. I guess we just have to head back! Seamus tried out Thomas Jefferson’s original vanilla ice cream recipe which tasted just like my great grandma used to make too!
After leaving we headed down 16a highway to see Crazy Horse. Now they’re still working on this but it’s way more complete compared to when I was there in the 80s. The Native American education pieces there were beautiful and we learned a lot! We enjoyed lunch at the Laughing Water cafe outside while watching a native dance and storytelling event with a local native couple. Her dress was amazing. We walked and learned before heading back out again. I
Next we headed down the road toward Rapid City to Reptile World so Seamus could see some turtles. We ended up staying for three hours!!
After seeing tons of animals we headed back to Deadwood for the night. The process of getting a room about put Joe and me over the edge, so we were happy with the room and view!
The first thing we did was to head down into Deadwood to watch a re-enactment of a shoot out from a stagecoach robbery. The actors did a great job of sharing the history of Deadwood too!
After the shoot-out we headed down to Saloon #10 where we watched the re-enactment of the shooting of Wild Bill Hickok, Deadwood’s most famous resident. Max volunteered to be a part of the show, and ended up being the bartender! He did a great job and shocked us all. He loved it!
After a delicious dinner at Mustang Sally’s where Max finally had his fish and chips, we headed back to the room to relax!
Kennedy Family Travels 