South Dakota and Nebraska

Wind Cave National Park has the greatest collection of boxwork in the world. It is formed when gypsum works its way into cracks in the sandstone. Because it is harder than the surrounding rock, when water in the cave dissolved away the sandstone, these thin ribbons were left.

Above the cave is a lovely prairie where we loved watching the prairie dogs, and had to detour around a large bison blocking our hiking path.

The Badlands National Park was another must-do in the area.

Custer State Park is right in the heart of the black hills, and had many beautiful views and hikes we enjoyed. I have been reading about the Lakota Sioux Indians from the area and how hard they fought to keep their way of life chasing buffalo on the plains. (Think Crazy Horse and Red Bull). But all the government promises that this area was theirs forever were quickly ignored when huge deposits of gold were discovered in the hills. Driving through the reservations we could see indications of their ongoing struggles as a people.

A short two-day trip to Valentine, Nebraska became five when we realized just how lovely and serene this area is. I was looking forward to spending some time deep in the prairie, but we were surprised at just how peaceful it was. The tall grasses blowing in the wind, the constant chirp of crickets and songs of birds combine with lovely sunrises and sunsets to make for a magical place. A visit to a bird sanctuary and a lazy tube ride helped us enjoy it.