Cross-country trip, DAY 7: Black Hills National Forest and more

I booked the Fort Hays Tour, Dinner and Show package that also included a breakfast. The whole day was planned out to be in Black Hills National Forest, visit Custer Park, Mt. Rushmore and finish this all with a nice dinner and a show. I relied on Tripadvisor's reviews about this tour, which were quite impressive. Besides, visiting all these wonderful places in one day was a way to leave another day for Badlands.

At 7 AM I was up and about, driving to Fort Hays. Apparently, only I got the message about 7 AM. I did get breakfast of sausages and biscuit in gravy - something I never go for in the morning - and a coffee. It was all served in a tin dish, which was kind of neat and wildwestish.

Since I was told that the tour was not going to start until 9 AM, I had some time to walk around and see where "Dances with Wolves" was filmed. Yes, another location in South Dakota where Kevin Costner showed his appearance. In fact, I even stood in the marker where he stood during the shoot.

Overall, the place was worth a visit. Here are some photos:

Especially dear to my heart was the blacksmith... Yes, you got that right, a man who makes knives. What impressed me was his devotion to his trade, how proud he was, and how genuine and authentic his store seemed. He explained in detail how he makes his knives, and also let me pet his cat :) I guess that was another factor I liked about the man...

Now, regarding the tour... It was long, but totally worth it! Mt. Rushmore was quite impressive:

 ...and so was the ice cream:

Some of the views were better than others, but everything was serene and tranquil:

The day ended up with a casual dinner and a purely western cowboy type of show. Lots of fun!

When I got back to my AirBnb, the winds started to pick up. And the winds here in South Dakota are nothing like in the Northeast. They are strong, really really strong. A thunderstorm followed inviting a large insect to my basement room, a house centipede. Boy, was I running quickly to get my shoe...